Brutalist Beauty in the Alps

Words Vidula KotianDate 16 April 2025

Forget what you thought you knew about Swiss towns—Martigny is not just a stop on the way to Verbier.

It’s a cultural crossroads with deep Roman roots and a growing reputation as a cultural hotspot. And at its heart is Borsari—a brutalist beauty built on the bones of a 19th-century wine tank factory.

A study in essentials, each room is set against deep hues and hand-stained concrete walls

Martigny is framed by Alpine peaks, wild trails, and vineyards

Nature isn’t just a backdrop here —it’s an open invitation to explore

Cast in red concrete, the baths echo the wine that once filled these tanks

Built on the bones of the original 19th-century Borsari wine tanks, the hotel takes its name—and its soul—from the site’s industrial past.

Named after those original Borsari tanks, the hotel is raw, refined, and radically local. The hotel is a part of a visionary redevelopment that’s transforming a forgotten industrial site into a vibrant hub for art, architecture, and gastronomy. It's part Roman ruin, part modernist dream—and all about the tension between history and reinvention.

The building itself is a study in contrasts: a minimalist, windowless facade that hides an open-air courtyard, subterranean Roman baths carved into red-stained concrete, and interiors layered with larchwood, handmade brick, and local stone. Each material is a nod to the surrounding Valais region—tactile, imperfect, and deeply rooted. The color palette pulls from the land itself: grape reds, glacial blues, and alpine greens.

And then there’s the food. At Alphonse Coffee Bar, espresso is served with a side of neighborhood chatter. By night, La Saucithèque—a wine and charcuterie bar with zero pretension—becomes a gathering point for locals and travelers, with products sourced within a 180-kilometer radius, from Lyon to Milan, Zurich to the Valais.

Martigny’s cultural scene extends well beyond the plate. Just down the road, the legendary Fondation Pierre Gianadda hosts world-class exhibitions atop Roman ruins. Within Borsari’s own walls, an evolving art program adds another voice to Martigny’s cultural conversation—one that invites guests to look deeper, linger longer, and feel more.