On the hill dominating the bay of Portofino with a view of the point, the suburb, and the entire gulf of Tigullio, one finds the Hotel Splendido. The name was suggested by D’Annunzio and seems perfectly fitting.
The construction was originally a villa by the barons Baratta. It was a Portofinian by the name of Valentino who in 1905 transformed it into a hotel of great prestige. From the time of its opening until the second world war it also had a succession of illustrious guests. After the war it enjoyed a rejuvenation due to the presence of major American Hollywood actors and became a “little Beverly Hills“.
The famous Liz Taylor and her husband Eddie Fisher in Portofino(1954)
In the old registers of the hotel we find numerous names of international importance. We find also on the walls of the parlor a series of photographs of many of them and in which we can read nearly fifty years of history by way of actors from both the cinema and theater, important directors, men of letters and politics.
1952: Edward Duke of Windsor- Sir Winston Churchill – Rex Harrison.
1953: Gaetano Stammati – Clark Gable – Raf Vallone
1954: Humphrey Bogart – Ava Gardner – Groucho Marx
1955: Frederic March – Totò – Silvana Pampanini
1956: Margarethe Principessa di Svezia – Norma Shearer
1957: Ranieri e Grace di Monaco – Perry Como – Vittorio Gassman
1959: Esther Williams
1961: Luigi Einaudi
1962: Riccardo Bacchelli – Walter Chiari – Alida Chelli
1966: Joan Fontaine – Marcello Mastroianni – Jean Cocteau
1967: Elizabeth Taylor – Richard Burton
1968: Armando Trovaioli – Raf Vallone – H.B. Sabin
1969: Isabella di Borbone – Costantino di Greece
1971: Alain Lombard – Carlo Maria Giulini – Georges Descrières
1977: Patricia & Franklin Roosvelt Jr. – Principe Gholamreza Phalavi di Persia
1978: Alain Lombard – Yves Cousteau – Fulvio Roiter – Enzo Betiza
1979: Don Tatum
1982: Larry Hagman – Diane Feinstein
1983: Nantas Salvalaggio – John Bertram – Paul Elvstrom
1984: Egon Ronay – Henry Gault – Ali MacGraw
1986: Liza Minnelli – Ornella Muti
1987: Ben Gazzara – Franco Modigliani – Captain T. Straulino
1988: Alain Delon – Dennis Conner – Caroline di Monaco – Annie Lennox
1989: Sybil Shepherd – Larkin Malloy – Rosanne Arquette – Peter Gabriel
1990: Rod Stewart – Robert Palmer – Madonna – Don Johnson
1991: H.M. Carl e Silvia di Svezia – Ringo Starr -C. Capwell
1992: David Puttman – Paolo Villaggio – Al Copley – Axel Rose
1993: Umberto Smaila -Jean Alesi – Naomi Campbell – Patsy Kensitt
1994: Linda Evangelista – Sophie Marceau – Marcel Julian
1995: Billy Joel – Sting – Robert Palmer – Jean Michel Jarre
1996: Michael Winner – Paul Smith – Frederick Forsith – Bill Gates
1997: Freddy Kruger – Meg Ryan – Barbra Streisand – Robert De Niro
1998: Luciano De Crescenzo – James Cameron – Patrick Metheny
1999: Alessandro Cecchi Paone – Leslie Bricusse – Timothy Henman
2000: Bruno Canino – Uto Ughi – Van der Sar
2001: Ted Danson – Mary Steenburger – Pete Sampras – Ashley Judd
2002:
Richard Chamberlain,Goran Ivanisevic, Melvin Sembler, Katherine Kelly Lang , Ron Moss
2003:
Larry King, Christopher Rea, Joshua Hartnett, Bruce Weber, Nan Bush
2004:
Micheal Stipe, Francis Coppola, Emanuele Filiberto, Clotilde e Vittoria di Savoia
Brian Ferry, Mario Batali, Rita Levi Montalcini
2005:
Nancy Reagan, Steven Spielberg, Michael Caine, Paul Hogan, Denzel Washington, Anastacia
2006:
Michael J.Fox, Steve Martin, Warren Beatty, Rod Stewart, Michael Jordan, Ornella Muti, Michael Winner
2007:
Beyoncè, Claudio Baglioni, Pavel Nedved, Rod Steward and Penny Lancaster, Paris Hilton, Mick Jagger
2008:
George Clooney, Cruiz and Samuel, Rooney, Gisele Budchen, Michael Douglas, Jennifer Lopez, Caterine Zeta Jones
From the terrace of the “Splendido Hotel Mare” and from the foot road whose sides are adorned with a wonderful botanic garden, one can enjoy on exceptional panoramica view.
Portofino World, a world apart.
