Guests savour vitello tonnato, twirl tagliatelle in fresh tomato sauce, and raise their glasses with classic Italian cocktails. The scene is straight out of Italy. Yet, if you zoom out, the chalet-style antique wooden rafters in the dining room’s ceiling are pure Switzerland.

This snapshot comes from the 2025 Sant Ambroeus pop-up at The Alpina Gstaad. The hotel was delighted to welcome the Milanese legend for its very first residence in Switzerland from 25th July to 17th August. Renowned for its timeless elegance and fantastic cuisine, Sant Ambroeus took guests on a gastronomic voyage through Italian cuisine beneath the stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps.

“Gstaad’s Alpine luxury and natural splendour inspired us to embrace a sense of refinement that feels both elevated and effortless,” shares Cosimo Gheradini, the Director of Operations at Sant Ambroeus. “The Swiss tradition of excellence in hospitality — discreet, precise, and warm — influenced how we shaped this experience, blending Sant Ambroeus’ Italian elegance with the serene beauty of the mountains.”

Sant Ambroeus has been the epitome of Milanese hospitality for 90 years. Just as fine wine improves with age, the café has grown into a globally beloved institution. In 1936, two pastry chefs opened Sant Ambroeus across from the illustrious opera house, Teatro La Scala. Named for the patron saint of Milan, the duo’s pasticceria and confetteria was an instant hit among the Milanese cognoscenti. The cafe’s loyal following planted the seed for Sant Ambroeus’ expansion in the second half of the 20th century, first at home then across the Atlantic to New York City and other cities.

“Unlike our permanent locations in New York, Aspen, or Palm Beach, the Gstaad residency was conceived as a dialogue with Switzerland itself," recounts Cosimo. “It wasn’t about transplanting Sant Ambroeus, but about tailoring it to Alpine life — intimate, reflective of nature, and infused with the Swiss sense of precision and elegance.” Cosimo also points out that since many of Sant Ambroeus' American clients come to Gstaad for the summer, they wanted to “create a familiar sense of home for them, wherever they are. The result was a one-of-a-kind experience that could only have existed in Gstaad.”

The residency unfolded at The Alpina Gstaad’s restaurants Monti and Martin Göschel. Their modern, cosy wood tones added Alpine charm to the Sant Ambroeus aesthetic. “We brought our own touches so that guests felt like they were stepping into one of our cafes,” says Cosimo. The tables were adorned with their Ginori plates, flower vases, in-house olive oil, menus in their trademark pink, and even a hostess desk with their logo.

“More than the décor, what truly defined the experience was our hospitality: the warmth of our service and the comforting culinary approach that has always been at the heart of Sant Ambroeus,” shares Cosimo.