Italy has so much to offer: history, aesthetics, art, design, of course cuisine and so much more. A boot-shaped feast for all the senses. So to say. If you want to enjoy a variety of Dolce Vita, you don’t have to cross the Alps. A ride with the Vespa to the market square of Balingen is enough. The QUI Bar, including a deli, opened here in summer 2021. In November of the same year, two apartments and three hotel rooms were added. Sip coffee in the morning, snack on lots of antipasti during the day, add an Aperol in the evening, then sleep like a dream – everything is possible here* (*Italian qui).
But let’s start from the beginning. As soon as you walk in, your eyes will be delighted. Guests look deep into an elongated cube. At the front, the lounge area draws attention. Fat armchairs stand next to half barrels of wine, which prepare the table for small appetizers. On the right, black wood, oak and leather line the green wall, which bears the three-dimensional logo of the gastronomy. To the left: its heart, a bar that slides boldly into the room and has it all. Principally, ingredients for delectable drinks and delicious antipasti. This is complemented by an artistically staged wine rack. To take away or enjoy on the spot? The shop in bar principle leaves you the choice.
Or not. The cool ambience “forces” you to sit down. There is still so much to discover. Details such as the modern interpretation of the checked pattern of classic trattoria tablecloths, in different tile patterns. Or, in the form of red lattices that hold the wardrobe or plants. Especially appealing in the second lounge area, on a plateau at the back of the restaurant, there are preserved mosses, ferns, and other greenery that flourish along an entire wall. From “up here” there are other perspectives, with further highlights and new perspectives: to the outside area, back to the counter or … Is that a room divider made of doors and window shutters? A bit like a narrow alley in Naples. Anyone who wants to digest the countless impressions that the QUI Bar conveys, together with a good night’s sleep will find relaxation in style in the associated boutique hotel. Or more story(s). After all, the two 45 sqm apartments or the three 23 sqm rooms on the first floor write whole new chapters – with decorative and defining Reclam booklets, in free-standing bathtubs, or with decades-old craftsman sketches on the bare concrete of the ceilings. Each room embodies its own identity that tells a livable history – that of the QUI and its founders.
