The white Liberty Miramare opened on the Gulf of Tigullio in 1903 and never left the international set — it was from its terrace, in 1933, that Marconi sent one of his first radio links across the sea.
At a glance
The Grand Hotel Miramare is the landmark hotel of Santa Margherita Ligure, a white Liberty building of 1903 frescoed and stuccoed in the taste of the Belle Époque, looking over the Gulf of Tigullio. Built by Giacomo Costa, it was among the first grand hotels of the Riviera di Levante and has stayed in business ever since.
Key facts
- Built: 1903 (founder Giacomo Costa)
- Style: Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau)
- Setting: the Gulf of Tigullio, Santa Margherita Ligure
- Notable: Marconi made an early radiotelegraph/radiotelephone link from the terrace in 1933
- Status: a working five-star hotel (Fustinoni family since 1945)
History
The Riviera di Levante became a winter resort in the late nineteenth century, and Santa Margherita wanted a grand hotel of its own. Giacomo Costa built the Miramare in 1903, a white Liberty palace on the seafront, and it quickly drew the international clientele that wintered on the coast.
In August 1933 Guglielmo Marconi, a guest of the hotel, transmitted one of his early microwave radiotelegraph and radiotelephone links from the terrace, reaching some 150 kilometres — one of the experiments that led to modern radio communication.
Owned by the Fustinoni family since 1945, the Miramare remains one of the icons of the Italian Riviera.
What you see
A white Liberty façade above its gardens and the sea, frescoed and stuccoed in the Belle Époque manner, with terraces looking over the Gulf of Tigullio.
It is a working hotel; the building and seafront gardens are best seen from the promenade.
Practical information
- A working five-star hotel; the exterior and gardens are the draw
- On the seafront promenade toward Santa Margherita
- Combine with Portofino and the Tigullio coast
- Allow 10 minutes
Getting there
Santa Margherita Ligure is on the Genoa–La Spezia railway; the hotel is on the seafront a short walk from the station. By car, leave the A12 at Rapallo.
Nearby
- Portofino and its harbour
- The Abbey of San Fruttuoso
- Rapallo and the Tigullio coast
Sources
- grandhotelmiramare.it — history
- Historic Hotels of the World
- Touring Club Italiano — Liguria
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