In 1902, the anonymous company of the large hotels in San Pellegrino invited the architect Romolo Squadrelli to design the Grand Hotel “in a modern style” in collaboration with the engineer Luigi Mazzocchi, an expert and updated technologist responsible for the construction of the spa.The two elaborate a monumental building to the largest European hotels of the nineteenth century
The hotel was equipped with elevators, electric light, drinking water and telephone in all 250 rooms, whose furnishings were so sumptuous. The facade of the Grand Hotel, 128 meters long, highlights a unique decorative richness: dozens of statues, caryatids, zoomorphic elements, cherubs, festoons, contribute to the creation of a highly suggestive atmosphere.
The interior has a rigid symmetrical distribution of the rooms, with the atrium and staircase in the center, living and dining rooms. The building has been restored to its former glory, through the aesthetic renovation of the main facade.
The superb building, however, soon proved to be very expensive in management and devoid of some fundamental elements which, over the decades, made up the equipment of first-class hotels. In 1979, after a long period of slow agony, the Grand Hotel closed its doors.
Famous people stayed in the Grand Hotel whose names have been written in the ‘Guest Book’, which was recently given to the Municipal Administration by Mr. Marco Solari, nephew of Ancilla and Arturo Schisano who were the directors of the prestigious hotel for many years.
Featured Image: Grand Hotel San Pellegrino Terme / Image: unknown
Websites: comune.sanpellegrinoterme.bg.it
