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Our story
A century-long story of hospitality
Our hospitality has deep roots. To understand how we’ll welcome you, you first need to learn about us.
1889
Everything started with an idea from our great-grandfather Girolamo Zanella. Back in 1889, when Nago was still part of Austria, he decided to open a small inn. He obtained a license to sell coffee and spirits by the glass: it was a simple tavern, but with a vibrant spirit, where even members of the Habsburg Court stopped on their way to the winter residence in Arco.
1889 - 1902
Ten years later, the inn officially became a hotel. We wanted a symbol to represent us and our region. That’s how the two-goose logo was born, inspired by a dialectal pun celebrating the house-made yellow Muscat wine: “O che vin, o che bon!” That motto and the image of the geese soon became an icon, so much so that in 1902 the English painter Edward Theodor Compton immortalized it in an illustration that made its way around Europe.
1904
It was a popular hotel, and word had spread. In 1904, Girolamo decided it was time to expand: he bought the building and enlarged it, adding the first rooms for travelers arriving in Nago, which was then a key crossroads for those heading down toward the lake.
1908
The expansion continued in 1908, when part of the neighboring house was acquired, allowing the property to be reshaped, capacity to grow, and services for “visitors”, soon the heart of our business, to be enhanced.
1912
In 1912, the official name was adopted: “Albergo alle Due Oche.” The sign was proudly displayed in German as well, reading “Gasthaus die Zwei Gänsen.” It was a gesture of hospitality toward the many travelers arriving from the north, so that anyone who crossed our threshold could feel welcome over a glass of our Muscat wine.
1914 – 1922
They were years of silence and dust. During the First World War, the hotel suffered severe damage, yet its foundations endured. In 1922, with a resilience that felt almost miraculous, we rebuilt it entirely, adding a whole new floor. For a time, the hotel was known as “Villa Giuseppina,” a tribute by Girolamo to his wife, Giuseppina Mißerotti.
1924 – 1940
The Fascist regime ordered the removal of German from all signage. The words were stripped from our façade, but not our ability to make anyone arriving in Nago feel at home. Our hospitality remained a “borderland” one: open, curious, and deeply welcoming.
Postwar Period – 1950s
After World War II, our great-grandfather, drawing on his linguistic expertise, welcomed the first foreign tourists who were once again dreaming of the lake, serving as their guide and interpreter.
1956
The hotel changed its name once again, becoming “Hotel Pensione Zanella.” As tourism evolved, we adapted, yet chose to keep the logo of the two geese: an unbreakable thread connecting us to that “O che vin, o che bon!” that had begun our story nearly seventy years earlier.
1975
In the inner courtyard, we built a small heated pool with a counter-current swimming system. For its time, it was an incredible innovation, born out of a desire to pamper guests returning tired from hikes in the surrounding mountains.
1986 – 1996
In 1986, management passed to Girolamo’s daughter and her husband, bringing the Zanella and Detoni families together under a single hospitality venture. It marked the beginning of a decade of hard work and equal satisfaction, culminating in a complete renovation in 1996 and the award of a third star.
2020 – 2026
In recent years, we renovated the east wing in 2020 and opened the wellness and sunbathing area in 2022. In 2026, epOche Hotel Zanella became epOche Hotel 1889: a name embodying our entire legacy. We journey through time with one certainty: the past has taught us so much, the present is ours to savor, and the future is already taking shape.
