< ITALY | TREMEZZO: Grand Hotel Tremezzo

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Grand Hotel Tremezzo was envisioned by Bellagio native, Enea Gandola who traveled throughout Europe with his wife Maria Orsolini in the early 1900's. Upon their return, they decided to build a Grand Hotel, suitable for the emerging international tourism of the time. Sophisticated and aristocratic international travellers of the time arrived from England, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, as well as, Tsarist Russia.

Bordering the gardens of Villa Carlotta with the most exquisite views on Lake Como, the Gandolas chose an ideal location for their establishment, and on July 10th 1910, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo opened its doors with a party and public celebrations. The hotel quickly became an obligatory stop for any traveller.

A period of great splendour followed until the outbreak of the First World War, which radically changed the world and its geography. For more than a year the Grand Hotel was requisitioned for use as a military hospital. With the return of peace the Hotel began a rebirth. But in the meantime tourism had changed too: the Grand Tour, with its cultural and sentimental connotations, gave way to the vacation as we know it, focused on leisure and relaxation.

In the 'thirties the Grand Hotel Tremezzo was bought by the Sampietro family. It was during this period that the Hotel became a target for cosmopolitan tourism: Greta Garbo refers to the happy, sunny place in the film Grand Hotel (1932). During the Second World War the Hotel never closed its doors, and when the war ended it was ready to welcome with its customary grace a new type of clientele: this time society had changed irredeemably too.

Today, following in the footsteps of the Gandolas and the Sampietros, another family is proudly carrying forward the Grand Hotel Tremezzo tradition, celebrating a century of charm and authentic Italian hospitality.

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