Utente:Gdallorto/sandbox/Hotel Astoria
Template:Orphan Template:Infobox hotel
Hotel Astoria is a historical 4-star luxury hotel in Genoa, Italy on Piazza Brignole 4.
History[modifica]
The six-floor building was designed expressely as a hotel (originally, "Astoria and Belgrano", from the name of the Restaurant Belgrano it housed) by architect .... and was built in 1860, for the family of the Marquis Serra, near the railway station of Genova Brignole. This makes Hotel Astoria the longest-operating hotel in Genua. The busy, modern area belongs in the new quarters built outside the ancient city walls perimeter, to meet the new needs of the burgeoining industrial revolution.
The architectural style is Eclectic, mixing Neoclassical, Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival features. In time, Art Nouveau furniture and decoration was added, for instance in the Jardin d'hiver (the lemon house and tea room).
The hotel aimed at addressing the needs of an emerging affluent clientele (since inception, every room had a private bathroom, which back then was a luxury feature) coming to Genoa both for business and tourism, aiming at providing a grandiose yet austere environment. However, an "Imperial suite" on the first floor (currently, the Congress hall) was designed to host royals.
The recent refurbishing left intact the original architectural features in the shared areas, while renovating the interior of most rooms.
In 1957 the building was bought by shipowner Gaetano Memore Barbagelata.
The hotel has hosted famous and notable guests such as .... One affectionate guest was popular singer Fabrizio De André, who patronised it with his female friends, and would occasionally be seen composing or singing and playing guitar in the hotel hall for them and for guests.
The hotel closed in 2017, reopening in 2021 after major maintenance works by architect Giorgio Mor, and refurbishing by architect and scenographer Manuel Giliberti[1].