In Aspen’s Historic Core, Sant Ambroeus Conjures Timeless Milanese Style
For the restaurant’s debut in the Rocky Mountains enclave, designer Giampiero Tagliaferri reimagines a 19th-century landmark with a toothsome recipe of alpine brutalism, exquisite craftsmanship, and Italian culinary traditions
Aspen’s downtown core often feels like an alluring peek inside the past, where Victorian mansions from the silver-mining era commingle with luxury boutiques and chalet-style facades. Among them, a brick-and-stucco landmark dating to the late 19th century is now serving up a distinctly Milanese sense of hospitality. Sant Ambroeus, the storied Italian restaurant group whose legendary 1936 pasticceria has jumpstarted a fervor for breezy Northern Italian elegance among urbanites enamored with their expertly brewed coffee and classic cuisine, is cementing its presence in the Rocky Mountain resort town with a stylish new restaurant, bar, and courtyard dining area conceived by Giampiero Tagliaferri.
The designer’s brief centered on marrying two potent identities—the ruggedness of mountain architecture and the cultivated ease of Milanese interiors—across the restaurant’s tripartite layout. “My reference point became Alpine Brutalism,” he says, “a language that allowed me to draw on the raw, elemental codes of mountain architecture without slipping into banality.” He tapped into the narrative-driven panache that defines his handsome portfolio of private clubs and cosmopolitan residences on both sides of the Atlantic, in which he layers fine craftsmanship and collectible furnishings into sumptuous interiors that convey both formality and familiarity.
At Sant Ambroeus, materials anchor that approach. Colorado flagstone flooring grounds the dining room in its mountain surrounds; soulful Verde Alpi marble and curved wood paneling infuse Milanese refinement and crafted elegance. Angular concrete slabs lend depth and drama while acting as a material glue. “It serves as a unifying element,” he says, “simultaneously referencing the rawness of mountain architecture and the rigor of Milanese Brutalism. It ensures the design feels cohesive rather than divided between two identities.” In the dining room, a monumental fluted concrete fireplace commands attention. “It’s geological in its weight and presence,” Tagliaferri says, comparing it to Carlo Mollino’s alpine interiors, where geometry and mass dramatized the experience of mountain life. Tagliaferri softened the hearth’s severity with intimate flourishes, lining its perimeter with low poufs that transform it into an invitingly communal gathering spot.
Il Baretto, the bar, strikes a darker, more theatrical tone. Slanted walls and built-in seating heighten its bunker-like sensibility, while another monumental fireplace with a stone base and steel flue in an eye-catching shade of forest green references Carlo Scarpa’s material poetics. “Il Baretto pushes Brutalism even further,” Tagliaferri notes. “Yet it avoids severity by being balanced with luxurious rosewood finishes and upholstered panels, which temper the rawness and create an intimate, almost cocoon-like bar environment.” Luminaires by Italian masters Sergio Mazza, Roberto Pamio, and Stilnovo lend shine to the dining room, as do custom furnishings and artwork by Cesare Berlingeri, Ernesto Burgos, and Oscar Murillo. “Mixing custom pieces with carefully selected vintage is central to my design lexicon,” Tagliaferri says, “and in many ways quintessentially Milanese.”
The menu, crafted by corporate chef Iacopo Falai, stays true to Sant Ambroeus’s Milanese roots while sourcing from the bounty of Rocky Mountains rivers and farms. Ossobuco alla Milanese and baked langoustine come with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, while wild mushrooms appear in polenta and liver appetizers. Seafood features prominently, from raw bar offerings to branzino all’isolana and Scottish salmon. As with all Sant Ambroeus offerings, the menu’s crown jewel remains its handmade pastas, which includes classic dishes like tonnarelli cacio e pepe, rigatoni strofinati, and paccheri rosa. Cocktails, meanwhile, fuse Italian spirits with American mixology—think martinis, spritzes, and aperitivi accompanied by refined bar snacks.
The Aspen opening builds on the Sant Ambroeus coffee bar, also by Tagliaferri, that debuted in 2023. “The café was conceived as a more casual, cozy environment—a place for breakfast, light lunches, or après-ski gatherings,” explains the designer, who deepened his foray into Sant Ambroeus’ rich history and approachable warmth to articulate a sophisticated interior suitable for white-tablecloth dining. For Sant Ambroeus, which also operates in Manhattan, Palm Beach, and Southampton, the Rockies resort town marks a deliberate expansion. Skiers might pause for aperitivo after hitting the slopes; others will linger over multi-course dinners. In either case, the restaurant cooks up a richly composed experience that makes room for classic Milanese style in the heart of Colorado’s rugged terrain.