Restoration work on the historic “Buffet Bellavista” on Monte Generoso has begun

On Wednesday, 15 December, at the Bellavista station on Monte Generoso, there was the “first strike of the pick”, marking the beginning of the restoration work on the historic restaurant.

Closed in 2013, during the construction of the Fiore di Pietra Restaurant at the top, the Buffet Bellavista is reopening next year, in September, after about 8 months of work and an investment of CHF 1 million, on behalf of Percento Culturale Migros, who have supported the Monte Generoso Railway since 1941. This sum is in addition to the CHF 50 million already invested in the construction of the Fiore di Pietra, which was opened in 2017, and in the renovation of the railway superstructure (in the four-year period, 2019-2023).

For over 130 years, the Bellavista, together with the San Nicolao, has been one of the stations along the rack railway, which goes from Capolago to the top of Monte Generoso. With the construction of the railway, in 1890, in addition to the station at Bellavista, the Cafè Bellavista was opened to allow customers of the Grand Hotel Bellavista Monte Generoso and hikers heading to the top to rest and admire the breathtaking view of the Alpine ranges and of Lake Lugano.

“We couldn’t wait, after the renovation of the Bellavista Station, to make people experience again its Bellavista Buffet, a historic facility to which many, exciting memories of Monte Generoso devotees are linked,” said Monica Besomi, Head of Sales and Marketing of the Railway. “There’s a desire to bring back an ideal, comfortable resting place for hikers, who decide to spend a day outdoors, on foot or by bicycle, with their families or small groups of friends, surrounded by the delightful nature of the wood and by the wonderful view.”

The strategy of the Monte Generoso Railway is to maintain the building with its characteristic shape and quality materials, with a view to environmental and economic sustainability, in line with its corporate vision. The suppliers, designers and technicians are from the Mendrisio area, and most of them were born and have lived in the shadow of Monte Generoso. Even the materials, such as the chestnut wood used for the interiors and the structure, come from local forests.

The team of professionals entrusted by the Monte Generoso Railway with the renovation of the Buffet Bellavista consists of Luigi Brenni, a structural engineer from Mendrisio, Désirée Rusconi, an architect from Mendrisio, and the architectural firm Gaffurini Pagani Tresoldi, from Balerna.

The interior, an area of 160 m², on two floors, will be simple and functional, but above all sustainable. It will be a modern chalet made of natural materials, such as solid, raw, local chestnut used for the most natural finish possible, together with steel, the main material of the railway; in contrast,  modern and efficient systems and equipment will be used to save energy. The entire structure will be heated by two pellet stoves and a large, beautiful, functional wood-burning fireplace with zero-kilometre supply.

At the inauguration of the new Buffett Bellavista, scheduled for September 2022, there will be a big party, with invitations for everyone who, on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the rack railway, and during the renovation of the track, showed affection for and loyalty to the railway, to the Fiore di Pietra and to Monte Generoso, by virtually buying the poles scattered along the 9 kilometres of the only rack railway in Ticino.

For those interested, the virtual sale of the poles is ongoing:

www.montegeneroso.ch/en/monte-generoso/130-years

 

Translated by Bernasconi Tea and Dall’Osto Nicole

Reviewed by prof. Rolf Cook