The story of Mota is a great family tale, the Rodigari family, characterized by simple and substantial values, a strong desire to do things, and a willingness to offer the guest, before the customer, an experience worthy of being remembered.
The 1970s
The Mota hotel officially opened on December 23, 1973, on a Sunday; the property is located on land owned by a priest who, in turn, had received it as a donation from the Motta family, "Mota" in the Livigno dialect. The hotel, born from the merger of two blocks of apartments, was among the first in Livigno to offer rooms with bathrooms and telephones.
Managing this new venture with enthusiasm and perhaps a little recklessness were the two Rodigari sisters, Tullia the elder, and Claudia, only 17 years old. After working for some time in hotel facilities in St. Moritz, Claudia proposed to her parents, who were already involved in other hospitality-related activities such as inns with accommodation and restaurants, to open a proper hotel.
"We used to see the waitresses, and we liked how they were dressed," Claudia recalls with a smile, reminiscing about those days when, with little experience, she embarked on an endeavor that would become the family's business. This spontaneous memory, perhaps a bit naive for a teenager who had just started to explore the world, linked to the waitresses' attire seen in exotic St. Moritz, conveys the idea of simplicity (a great foundation for any successful idea) and the enthusiasm with which a young woman embarked on a great adventure.
Almost immediately, Claudia's sister Tullia chose to continue her academic path, effectively leaving the management to her younger sister. Thanks to her excellent knowledge of German, which helped with the initial forms of tourism from Germany, and with increasing familiarity and experience, Claudia, with particular attention to details and care, tried to make the stay at Mota as comfortable as possible. Over time, she managed to build a solid customer base, who still remember her affectionately, even fifty years later.
Claudia's great insight into entering the hotel world found new momentum between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s when a series of events and investments in Livigno marked the early foundations of the strong tourism industry that it is today. The tunnel that connects Livigno directly to Switzerland opened, serving as a catalyst for foreign tourism. Simultaneously, the Carosello ski lifts were inaugurated just as the concept of the "week in the snow" was gaining popularity. These were the roaring years of Mota, during which an essential aspect of the current hotel took shape: the cuisine.
The excellent quality offered today by Mota's restaurant originates from this period, thanks in part to the outstanding work of Lorenzo, Claudia's brother. Freshly graduated from the Bellagio hotel school, he had the opportunity to put his skills to work in the hotel's kitchen. Pizzoccheri, cannelloni, lasagna, boiled meats, stews, stews, and braised dishes were the most renowned dishes, and even then, it was known that there were few places in Livigno where you could eat as well as at Mota.
The 1980s
The 1980s were also the period when Claudia started a family with Flavio, who, by fate's coincidences, also bore the Rodigari surname and had a solid background in the field of catering and hospitality.
Running a large hotel requires a large family, and Claudia and Flavio know this well. They became parents to five children. Still, they also understand the need to keep up with the times and be prepared to innovate.
In the second half of the 1980s, Livigno shifted from a tourist focus primarily on Germans to one with a greater Anglo-Saxon presence, especially in the winter. Italian tourists, on the other hand, concentrated more in the summer. These were the years when Mota's restaurant took on a different character. One can tell this change from the signature dish of that time, the Chateaubriand Filet, which Chef Decimo prepared masterfully, along with a highly successful buffet and some seafood dishes introduced to Livigno for the first time.
The opening of the outdoor restaurant was the first step toward more significant modernizations that would follow in the years ahead. This coincided with the creation of the pedestrian area surrounding Mota, enhancing its appeal. Also, the opening of a chairlift with a direct connection to Carosello 3000 behind the hotel, still a hallmark of Mota today, allows all customers to put on their skis right outside the hotel and immediately access the slopes.
There are still many more stories to tell; the Mota's story continues...
