Grand Hotel et de Milan
The region where this once opulent hotel is situated was once an upmarket destination for the rich. However, in the last decades these people have gone elsewhere and thus, a hotel like this has suffered so much as it is now abandoned and falling into disrepair with no sign that it will be saved.
The high-class tourists have gone elsewhere to places more modern and the economic situation in this town has suffered as a result.
The Grand Hotel et de Milan Hotel dates back to the end of the 19th century. Later it had undergone expansions to what is seen today. The exterior has the classic style of that time pointing to its 5 star status.
Apparently the building belongs to a prominent family in the region. The crisis in the tourist sector has made any ideas of renovation obsolete. It finally closed for good in 2007 and has since been left to fall into disrepair and has now been the target of vandals with spray paint.
Potential buyers are apparently put off by the sleepiness of this town and its lack of potential for attracting visitors. Many have expressed an interest yet any sale has not materialised.
Visited in the summer of 2018 on our tour of northern Italy with Becci - Ninja Kitten and Kat - Obscure Serenity. Entry proved to be simple. Despite the busy crossroads this hotel faces, we were not interrupted or challenged. Maybe the locals have now given up on the building, seeing it as nothing more than an eyesore of once better times. On the way out we were asked questions by a gentleman but our non-existent Italian coupled to his non-existent English led to a pointless exchange of words. We smiled and walked away.
The hotel is - in some places - still well preserved, whilst in others there is extensive decay. An Art Deco influence can be seen throughout in the interior. The grand ballroom on the ground floor sets the pace for the obvious society living that once frequented this hotel. Sober colours sweep throughout many rooms giving a minimalist yet classy feel to the interior - or atleast until someone decided to spray them with mindless graffiti.
Most bedrooms have been stripped bare of anything useful or valuable. Copper has been stripped as have some original fireplaces. The dark green wooden shutters still looked lovely at the broken windows with the flimsy curtains accompanying them.
A grand stairway gives access to the four floors. Lush crimson carpet, covered in damp plaster from the ceilings still in situ.
On the far side of the hotel was the health spa area and fitness rooms. The equipment seems to date to the 1950s judging by that decades quintessential aqua colours. The machines still on the walls in the health spa look like vintage facial machines where the rich would come to beautify themselves.
