Sometimes, the right setting is all a plate needs to sing. In the newly reimagined Da Vittorio, Carlo Rampazzi works with carefully layered colour, refined materials and precisely judged light to create an interior that honours its history while speaking clearly to the present.
Not every work of art originates as a blank canvas: some emerge from time-honoured compositions shaped by great masters. Since 2012, the restaurant Da Vittorio St. Moritz – the Cerea family’s first venture outside Italy – has embodied the union of modern Italian cuisine with the Carlton Hotel’s century-old heritage. Its reimaginings over the years have navigated the space between evolution and continuity, reinterpreting an established reputation for the present.
It is in this spirit that Carlo Rampazzi re-envisioned the present-day iteration of Da Vittorio. Colour serves as a frame for the picture on the plate; materials, light and shadow work in subtle counterpoint. By never seeking attention for itself, the space allows the cuisine to come into sharp focus.
The redesigned interior weaves tradition and reinvention into one coherent whole. Colours, materials and ambience do the quiet work of directing attention to where the experience begins. The concept follows the same principle that underpins any great dish: constructed layer by layer, element by element.
Layer 1 | A new beginning, true to the house
Rampazzi’s redesign represents a refined new chapter that honours what is known and loved. In 2026, Da Vittorio welcomes guests into a thoughtfully reimagined space that preserves the spirit of the house while carrying it confidently into the present. An enveloping palette of blues and reds, soft textures, diffused light and high-grade materials forms a stage upon which each dish is experienced as a work of art – in harmonious dialogue with the mountain landscape beyond the windows.
Layer 2 | Composition: the space frames the plate
Rampazzi’s approach is one of fine balance. Colour provides structure, textiles infuse the space with calm, and light creates accents – all while staying deliberately understated. The space acts as a restrained stage, guiding the eye and keeping the focus firmly on the plate.
Layer 3 | Technology in service of precision
This careful rethinking extends beyond the dining room: behind the scenes, the kitchen has been expanded and reworked. A portion of the restaurant has been incorporated into the new kitchen, providing Executive Chef Paolo Rota and his team with approximately 30 per cent more space. Developed in collaboration with Alig Grossküchen AG in Chur – specialists in high-end professional kitchens – the redesign was aimed at creating a functional, sustainable and finely tuned technical workspace.
Layer 4 | Iconic dishes, reinterpreted – and fresh ideas
The menu remains true to the Cerea family’s core values – seasonality, the pursuit of the finest ingredients, and the art of hospitality – and is refined and enriched year upon year. Iconic dishes, like paccheri with a three-tomato sauce, remain a constant, now joined by fresh creations such as turbot cooked in Bergheu (mountain hay) with algae or melting beetroot with alpine cheese and truffle. While Da Vittorio’s maritime soul remains unmistakably present, local produce is woven into the menu in thoughtful dialogue with the Engadin landscape.
Layer 5 | A cohesive whole that feels intimate and personal
With 30 to 40 covers and private dining for 10 to 15 guests, Da Vittorio remains deliberately intimate in scale. The service philosophy balances assurance with ease: attentive, considered and personal. Here, guests feel genuinely at home. In retaining its two Michelin stars, Da Vittorio continues to demonstrate a rare balance of creativity and technical command, continuity and evolution.
Culinary art for all the senses
Tradition as foundation; interior as the palette; cuisine as the point of interpretation. In the moment the dish reaches the guest, the circle closes. From layers of colour, richly textured materials and carefully directed light emerges a refined setting in which the kitchen’s compositions can unfold – and in which the guest becomes the protagonist of an evening that begins quietly, develops with ease and lingers long after. This is the signature of Da Vittorio St. Moritz: a holistic gastronomic experience in which haute cuisine is perfectly framed and placed firmly at the centre.
