Masera Winehouse

In Masera, a small town at the gateway to the Val d’Ossola, the revival of a historic grape variety becomes the spark for rethinking the landscape, local identity and even a new approach to hospitality. The local council decided not to stop at the usual territorial marketing campaign, but dared to go further: transforming the return of Prünent — an ancient native variety of Nebbiolo — into a regeneration project that weaves together land, culture and hospitality.

CAIRE Consorzio brought in Marcel Mauer Architects, who chose to focus squarely on quality: rather than renovating the entire 18th-century estate (including the old noble villa now in ruins, intentionally left untouched as a mark of passing time), they concentrated resources and effort on the secondary buildings. Here, something new was born: a boutique hotel with a winehouse, designed not just to offer a place to sleep, but an authentic experience shaped by wine, landscape and local stories.

Few rooms, plenty of character: just five guest rooms, for an intimate, almost bespoke hospitality. A new two-storey building — constructed using locally sourced FSC-certified timber — houses a panoramic veranda overlooking the Alpine valleys and a glass façade that breaks the boundary between inside and out, welcoming in the landscape and light. The architectural language is essential, confident, elegant: no frills, just the beauty of the surroundings speaking for itself.