In search of the origins

30-10-2017 | Style & Culture

Written by: Giancarlo Roversi

The Grand Hotel d'Italie Baglioni and the moods of Bologna a hundred years ago

Before retracing the extraordinary path of the centuries-old activity of the Grand Hotel Majestic «formerly Baglioni» in its noble headquarters on Via Indipendenza, it is appropriate, for the completeness of the historiographical framework, to take a step back to rediscover the roots of its original presence under the Two Towers. Its history, but perhaps it is worth mentioning its prehistory, began in the heart of Bologna in 1891 on Via Ugo Bassi at the corner with Via Oleari in the ancient Palazzo della Gabella (now the seat of the Bank of Rome), built in 1574-1577 based on a design by Domenico Tibaldi. Within its walls, the Albergo Italia was already active around the mid-nineteenth century, managed by two well-known Bolognese hotel operators, Ambrosoli and Nicola. The owner of the building was Count Mario Venturoli Mattei.

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Alla ricerca delle radici | In search of the origins

On December 4, 1876, the hotel had hosted, among other things, the great banquet in honor of Richard Wagner and his wife Cosima on the occasion of the awarding of honorary citizenship of Bologna to the great German composer. Forty very select diners were present, fresh from Rienzi's performance at the Teatro Comunale. In the courtyard of the hotel, Maestro Antonelli, director of the municipal band, performed symphonies by Lohengrin, Tanhauser and Rienzi for the occasion, receiving warm applause from Wagner himself.

In its halls, an old guide reports, «ministers and deputies, illustrious men and noble foreign families stopped and high-importance political banquets were held». In 1889, as can be seen from an old account, it was managed solely by Giuseppe Nicola who, three years later, on 30 April 1892, sold it to Guido Baglioni, defined in a contemporary publication «a serious and active Turin industrialist who brought with him all the reforms required by modern needs». This is a crucial step because it marks the arrival in Bologna of a member of the great Baglioni hotel family, namely Guido Baglioni, but above all it sparks the spark that, twenty years later, will make a new star of the first magnitude shine with vivid light in the firmament of Bolognese hospitality: the Grand Hotel Baglioni, which later became the Grand Hotel Majestic «già Baglioni».

But let's return for a moment to the early years of his «incubator», the Grand Hotel d'Italie on Via Ugo Bassi, which was attracting strong praise from Italian and foreign customers thanks to the skillful guidance of the Baglioni family.

A beautiful French advertising poster from the late 19th century, enlivened by a view of the magnificent Renaissance courtyard of the ancient Palazzo della Gabella (later covered in the early 20th century and transformed into a reception hall) illustrates the comforts the hotel was equipped with: hydraulic elevator, heating with radiators, small and large suites, bathrooms and showers, reading room and smokehouse, restaurant for breakfasts and lunches served at the same price as the table d'hôte.

These improvements fully justify the change of its name, which had immediately become more high-sounding and in keeping with the ambitions of its helmsman Guido Baglioni: Grand Hotel d'Italie-Baglioni.

Guido himself, a few years later, also took over the management of a hotel at Bagni della Porretta in a pleasant location along the Reno river.

A clear photograph of the Bolognese hotel reality at the dawn of the 20th century is taken in the sixth French edition of the famous Manuel du voyageur edited and published by Karl Baedeker in Leipzig (1904).

A telegraphic and concise judgment is provided for each city hotel: an appreciation all the more interesting as it comes from what was then considered the most authoritative tourist guide at European level.

Here is the opinion on the hotel managed by Guido Baglioni: Hotel d'Italie (managed by Baglioni), in Palazzo Mattei, via Ugo Bassi 1, «de premier ordre avec ascenseur et caloriféres». Cost per room: 3.50 francs; three meal options: 1.50, 3.50, and 4.50 francs; omnibus fare to the station: one franc.

One of Italy's most esteemed hoteliers and of an enterprising and far-sighted temperament, Guido Baglioni, after two decades on Via Ugo Bassi, turned his gaze to the ancient artistic building formerly of the Archbishop's Seminary on Via Indipendenza, the new fast straight road leading to the railway station, completed in 1890. After having fulfilled his dream, thanks to his rich knowhow, he made it a new sumptuous hotel, emphasizing the name of his family: the Hotel Baglioni. Bologna was thus enriched by a new, noteworthy hotel structure destined to leave a significant mark on the history of Bologna's hotel industry and the city itself.

From this moment on, the affairs of the two Baglioni hotels diverge. In fact, in 1912 the Gran Hotel d'Italie passed into the management of Salvatore Cevenini who also managed the nearby well-known Albergo del Pellegrino. A hotelier born after traveling far and wide across Europe and living in London and Paris, Cevenini thus found himself at the helm of Petroniano's famous hotel. He spoke four languages brilliantly «with an accent that all outsiders recognize as enviable». His greatest merit was to have introduced in Bologna the improvements imposed by modern needs on the hotel industry, drawing on the experience acquired in the large hotels of European capitals.

Instead, the Grand Hotel Baglioni, in its new location on Via dell'Indipendenza, which had already become the city's elegant promenade under its porticoes, was preparing to become Bologna's iconic hotel, the most sought-after and praised by prominent figures stopping by or passing through the city.

Scenarios and ferment of Bologna

When Guido Baglioni moved to the Umbilicum Urbis, Bologna experienced a period of great fervor and stood out as one of Italy's most dynamic centers, both economically and culturally, thanks to brilliant entrepreneurs, astute public administrators, and an authoritative array of intellectuals and admired university professors. Bologna, with a population of 172,000, is increasingly becoming a hub for the country's road and rail communications.

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A century of excellence in hospitality

Thinking of a hotel as the expression of a mere commercial activity, albeit in one of the noblest and most strategic branches of the tourism sector, that linked to hospitality, means making a mistake in perspective or even a downright debasement bordering on trivialization. It is certainly an economic reality, even of a high level and in any case of strong social value, which however goes through many aspects of the historical path and lifestyles of a community and a territory with significant cultural and image implications.

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