History
The Albrici lies on the Piazza comunale in the middle of Poschiavo, a townscape of national significance. Besides the church, the well-balanced proportions of the hotel make it one of the most important buildings on the square. Its historic-cultural significance and architectural qualities are extraordinary. The imposing patrician house was built by Podestà (Mayor) Bernardo Massella in 1682 as an impressive residential home with exceptional, sumptuously decorated rooms.
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The sibyl room on the second floor is unique. Along with its richly detailed Renaissance paneling and imposing coffered ceiling, it contains twelve sibyl pictures, painted around 1700 in southern Germany. Through marriage the house was passed on to Baron Franz Maria de Bassus in the second half of the 18th century. A printing firm that he set up in 1780 printed the first Italian edition of Goethe’s Leiden des jungen Werther. Since 1828, the residential palace has belonged to the Albrici family, who set up a hotel there. This conversion marked the beginning of tourism for Poschiavo, which was further advanced by the expansion of the Bernina Pass into a coach road in 1865. The current owners acquired the hotel in 2004, and have passionately worked to preserve the historic rooms. The interiors still show how noble families of earlier times strove to impress their peers. The hotel’s history was also taken into account during the most recent renovation of the guest rooms. Historic floors and ceiling frescoes as well as beds and closets skillfully contrast with the beautifully integrated bathrooms. The young architects successfully incorporated historic preservation principles into the recent renovations. In 1998, Icomos gave the hotel a special award “for maintaining the valuable sibyl room and the selective restoration throughout the hotel”. The Albrici has been a member Swiss Historic Hotels since its founding in 2004.
