Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf:
With the charm of over a century of history, it is a symbol that grows more precious with time Hotel Cristallo Cortina 5 stars luxury hotel in cortina d'ampezzo

1901 Cortina was still a small mountain village under the flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when Emilia and Giuseppe Menardi opened the Palace Hotel Cristallo. It was designed by the master architect Gustavo Ghiretti, inspired by art nouveau in honour of noble Viennese traditions, and has overlooked the valley ever since, standing out in white against the bright green meadows. Its elegance, its privileged position on the edge of the woods and breathtaking view of the Tofane mountains, together with the great dedication of the Menardi couple, soon made it one of the most sought-after international destinations. The earliest hotel registers, in fact, already contain the signatures of famous personalities, such as Leo Tolstoy, and guests from every part of the world.

1915 The First World War was a tragic blow that ended the golden life of that era: the hotel was set up as a military hospital, a use that left it almost completely destroyed.

1920 Emilia Menardi, with the support of her son Leo, did not lose heart. She took up the business once more, lending support to the development of Cortina, which began to adjust its sporting and accommodation structures for double seasons, during summer and winter. Interest in skiing, skating and ice hockey boomed and the first cable car, sledge lifts and the ski school appeared in Cortina.

1928 – 1932 Leo Zardini, a great sportsman and gran viveur, did much to build up the attraction of Cortina and the Hotel Cristallo: in 1928 the hotel was provided with two tennis courts, which converted to skating rinks in the wintertime, and in 1932, a covered swimming pool, which was a novelty and a new sought-after attraction for a mountain hotel. Then came the tea dances, dog shows and musical nights: the social scene revolved frenetically around the large hotels of the era and the Cristallo was one of the favourite haunts of the Italian and international aristocratic class. Prince Umberto of Savoy, on his return from his honeymoon with Maria Josè, Duke Amedeo of Aosta, his brother Aimone, Mafalda of Hesse, Gabriele d’Annunzio, King Faud of Egypt, King Milan of Serbia, King Albert of Liege, Baron Rothschild of Vienna... and other famous names grace the guest books of those years.

1940 Cortina by now had become one of the world’s most established winter sports locations and was designated to host the planned 1944 Olympic Games. However, the turmoil of a new conflict was at the gates and the great hotels, with their parties, balls and orchestras, were once more destined to be occupied by troops.

1947 With the post-war reconstruction, a new era of tourism began in Cortina. Careful renovation work restored the Cristallo to its old splendour and, under the management of Leo Menardi and his wife Ofelia Zardini, the hotel once again welcomed guests in that elegant and exclusive atmosphere for which it had always been recognised.

1950 – 1957 Leo Menardi had the wisdom, sensitivity and organisational skills to anticipate trends and understand and cater to the most extravagant desires. On the sporting level, he brought ice hockey and curling to Cortina, he also promoted the Cristallo Bob Club team and, above all, the legendary “Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti” (Dolomites Gold Cup), the race that brought the best drivers in the world, and the first Ferraris, to the hairpin bends of the Alps. Already the chosen home of winter sports, Cortina was the first Italian mountain resort to host the Olympic Games in 1956, which brought it so much worldwide attention that it became one of the most fashionable and popular destinations throughout the 1960s and 70s.

1960 – 1970 Leo and Ofelia Menardi passed on the baton to their son Rinaldo, who was ready to pick up and interpret the latest trends of the younger generation. He opened the Monkey in the Cristallo, which soon became one of the most popular venues and a cradle of the great loves and passions of the golden youth of the time. These were the years of protest against bourgeois respectability, unconventional fashion and nightlife and Monkey organised unforgettable parties and events. Klaus Kinski, Ira Furstenberg, Philips Niarkos, the Princes of Liechtenstein, Shirley Bassey, Brigitte Bardot and Luca Cordero of Montezemolo... were just a few of its many frequent visitors, which included the offspring of noble families, industrialists, actors and artists who electrified those endless nights.
They were carefree and richly creative years, during which Cortina and the Cristallo began to be used as the setting for numerous films: first of all “The Pink Panther”, filmed in 1963 by Blake Edwards, which brought David Niven, Peter Sellers, Capucine and Claudia Cardinale to Cortina. It was then the turn of Von Ryan's Express, with Frank Sinatra, James Bond Agent 007, “Vacanze di Natale” by the Vanzina brothers and then TV commercials and dramas. The history of entertainment is linked to the history of the Cristallo, a charming, natural and fashionable setting that is picture perfect.

1995 The Palace Hotel Cristallo was closed for several years, but the allure of this paradise, which preserved memories of a glittering past, remained unchanged and stirred the imagination of Bolognese entrepreneur Paolo Gualandi, who decided to pick up the thread of a magical history that had been interrupted too abruptly.

1998 – 2001 The building, erected in 1901 and enlarged before the First World War, is an imposing complex covering an area of around 1000 m². It is a parallelepiped structure, 65 metres in length, with five floors at the back, towards the mountain, and eight floors in the front, towards the valley, is arranged around a central core with two long wings ending in tower blocks. The spaces needed to house the splendid covered pool, the thermarium and the business centre have been redesigned within the building’s historical outline, accentuating the feature of the building resting on stepped terraces that follow the slope of the mountain.

The underlying theme of the Cristallo’s restoration and extension project, which is a perfect blend of cosmopolitan Central European classicism with the typical freshness and lightness of contemporary spaces, has altered the guidelines for the “Gustavian” style. This Nordic neo-classicism, which developed in the second half of the 18th century during the reign of Gustav III of Sweden, borrows elements from French culture, the atmosphere of Venetian aristocratic houses and Nordic decorative tradition, to create a classic, welcoming environment dominated by light and airy colours, in blue, light green and grey tones.
The impressive renovation of the Cristallo lasted three years and was an important professional experience for the 15 firms that were part of this great project. It was a magnificent, complex and challenging work, which changed every day, involved 1,000 complications, but had excellent design quality. This was at the same time innovative, authentic and solid, and managed to express the past and future of the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf with poetic precision.

July 2001: the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf reopened after 10 years, bringing an air of novelty to Cortina, together with a free and easy, elegant and dynamic opulence that reawakened the joyful spirit of its most beautiful years.

Curiosities and information about the history and magic of Cortina and the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf, are taken from “Il Gioiello della Regina” – Ali&No Publishers. This elegant and enthralling book, illustrated with splendid images from Stefano Zardini’s historical archive, will accompany you on your discovery of the queen of the Dolomites, in a journey through history and customs. It is original, wise and enjoyable: to be read as a novel and followed as a guide.
In Italian and English, it is a precious memento for all those who have loved and love Cortina. Cover price € 25.00 (excluding delivery fees) on order from: ilgioiello@cristallo.it