THE STORY FROM CAMANA
THE BIRTH
“Le steita feita su in dal’an dal 1970 da Sandro da Bepin da Giusef Motin Brozol.”
THE FAMILY MEANING
Many will wonder what this phrase means, it means that this house was built in 1970 by Sandro son of Giuseppe Mottini. Brozol is our family’s nickname and stands for a two-wheeled cart on which our ancestors transported goods.
WHO IS SANDRO
Sandro is a emblematic character in Livigno area. He has been mentioned in several newspaper articles, ranging from skiing, pastry making, champagne importation and much more.
SANDRO’S LIFE
Sandro has been travelling the world with great curiosity, as typical of such a visionary mountaineer like him. Travels shaped his mind making him always questioning on what he could bring back home, both mentally and physically.
ALPINE INFLUENCES
Wandering around nearby Switzerland and Austria, he started noticing restaurants and hotels with rooms finely furnished in pine wood with carvings and inlays made by master craftsmen.
THE BIRTH OF A DREAM
It was in these places that the idea of building his own hotel started flashing in Sandrino’s head.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
Fortunately, building land was not missing at the time and it was right next to the Livigno Hotel, his father property.
PURSUIT FOR EXCELLENCE
Stubborn in his search for exclusivity, it was not enough for him to furnish it with new wooden rooms. but Therefore, he restored the old walls and ceilings of ancient houses from 1600s that standed where Lake Livigno is now located.
MATERIALS AND INNOVATIONS
Through works progress Camana was taking more and more shape with cutting-edge materials and technologies. Clear example are the Swiss terracotta bricks – never used in Livigno until that moment, the adjustable light dimer in the rooms, the built-in music system, the bell to call to the kitchen from the private room and the ice-cream machine.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL PROPERTY
The property consisted of a large bar and ice cream shop on the ground floor where he planned to sell his cakes, a kitchen and, at the bottom of the stairs, a sauna for guests.
THE RESTAURANT
The restaurant was located on the first floor, together with bathrooms and a technical hallway to make room for the lift. The restaurant location has remained unchanged.
ROOMS
The 17 rooms were distributed on the second and third floors, as they are today.
START OF HOTEL BUSINESS
He so decided to improvise as a hotelier supported by his wife and a hotel manager from Como, inaugurating the business in December 1972.
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
He coordinated it until 1975 with a Swiss director (who emigrated to Australia) and Alfons, also Swiss. (emigrated to Santo Domingo).
HOTEL RENTAL
Given the many commitments of those years he resolved to rent the business. First it was carried on by his niece Erika until 1978 and subsequently by a dining room manager expert in luxury services on cruise ships named Cirrincione.
MICHELIN SUCCESS
Camana entered the Michelin guide as a restaurant. The restaurant was always packed with people and the service was provided with great attention to details. Fish were filleted, crepes and prawns were flambéed. Turtle broth was a luxury in those years like smoked salmon.
CARLA TAKES THE LEAD
In 1992 Carla, Sandro’s third daughter, took charge of the property.
TIME PASSES
The telephone switchboard was still manual, rooms were small, curtains and accessories were starting to show the signs of time while customers’ expectations were increasing.
MODIFICATIONS AND RELOCATIONS
She moved the kitchen up to the first floor in order to enlarge the common area for the hotel guests.
NEW LOCATIONS
He moved the bathrooms to the place of the sauna and created a telephone booth for those who needed it.
L'ARTE DELL'OSPITALITÁ
THE REFURBISHMENT
After careful evaluation she then decided to renovate the roof and the rooms, decreasing them from 17 to 12 and providing the property with an elevator.
PATERNAL ADVICE
Sandrino monitored the construction site with his watchful eye, dispensing advice and supporting his daughter in this ongoing project.
THEMED ROOMS
Each room has a themed showcase with antiques and is equipped with a hydromassage tub or hydrojet shower One room also has an infrared sauna.
BREAKTHROUGH
The hotel quality highly improved from two stars to three and, after a few years, the fourth star also arrived.
UNDERGROUND RENEWAL
The basement was renovated, creating more spaces for warehouses, laundry and ski/bike room.
MODERN RENOVATION
Finally the ground floor was renovated, giving the Camana a modern and chic touch. Spaces were optimized as much as possible by combining the warmth of the fireplace and the new bar with finely matched furnishings.
CARLA, EFFECTIVE MANAGER
Carla, with her unmistakable style, innate hospitality and excellent knowledge of languages, excellently managed the property for a total of thirty years.
NEW MANAGEMENT WITH MATTIA
In 2022 Mattia, Sandro’s last son, already a chef at the facility from 2007 to 2011, took on this challenge alongside his wife Silvia with the aim to keep the authenticity of Camana by offering a unique and personalized service.