Grand Hotel Vesuvio

The end of the nineteenth century brought with it profound changes to the city's town planning. The government began action to renovate the most deprived areas of Naples and to construct the sea-front from scratch. This exciting atmosphere of urban renewal also attracted a Belgian financier named Oscar du Mesnil, who was in Naples with his wife. He was so fascinated by the city that he decided to construct a hotel on the new sea-front to do justice to the beauty of the site. "Grand Hotel du Vesuve" was duly constructed in 1882. The hotel provides the public with little information about its history. Our team researches the hotel's past, from the very beginning, verifying its exact opening date and providing an overview of its history up to the present day. If you have any useful information and would like to share it, please send it to archives@famoushotels.org. Thank you This is what we know (attention: unverified history!): "Grand Hotel du Vesuve" was constructed in 1882. The new hotel was the height of luxury and elegance and immediately became an important stop for international tourists who had started arriving in Naples. The new breed of travellers arrived by modern inter-continental trains from London, Paris, St Petersburg and Vienna. The growing number of American travellers made a notable impact on the hospitality industry. Ocean liners called at the most important Italian ports, unloading wealthy tourists - often visiting the country (or at least the continent) they or their ancestors had left in search for a new life. Two years after its inauguration, the hotel hosted Queen Victoria of Sweden and her personal doctor, Axel Munthe, already a writer of some repute. In 1885 Guy de Maupassant stayed at the hotel. The great French writer described his impressions of the city in bold terms: "The people gesticulate, and the way they drive is always a little wild: these people make the city so colourful and unique! Women and girls with pink and green dresses, wrapped in red, blue and other bright-coloured shawls. They spin along the quays, calling to passers-by, selling all manner of shell-fish, drinks and fruit. They wave, raise their arms and faces to the sky and sing about the excellent quality of their merchandise in a simple, colloquial manner." The tradition of important guests at hotel Vesuvio continued with people like Oscar Wilde, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Enrico Caruso who called it his "Neapolitan home" (he spwnt his last night at the hotel). The dark years of the Second World War put a halt to this and finally it was destroyed during the bombardaments. The hotel was painstakingly rebuilt, taking skilled craftsmen over two years.It took on its present shape, and two extra floors were added. The inauguration took place on the 26th of April 1950, since then, the Vesuvio has retaken its place in the ranks of prestige. The first famous guest from the period was President Einaudi and his wife, followed by Ranieri of Monaco and Grace Kelly, King Gustav of Sweden, Rita Hayworth, Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida, the Nobel prizewinner Rita Levi Montalcini and many others who have lent international fame to the Grand Hotel Vesuvio. Concluding this short history of Hotel Vesuvio's guests, one cannot avoid to mention the G7 summit of 1993. The Hotel was honoured to host the delegations from the White House, Bill and Hillary Clinton, from the Elysee and Palazzo Chigi. Recently renovated, preserving the atmosphere of an old world hotel.

President Einaudi and his wife, followed by Ranieri of Monaco and Grace Kelly, King Gustav of Sweden, Rita Hayworth, Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida, the Nobel prizewinner Rita Levi Montalcini , Enrico Caruso, Ornella Muti, Oscar Wilde, Pablo Picasso, Placido Domingo, Ralph Fiennes, Riccardo Muti, Richard Dreyfuss, Ricky Martin, Rita Hayworth, Rita Levi Montalcini, Roberto Benigni, Rocco Barocco, Roman Polansky, Rudolf Nureyev, Shimon Peres, Sofia Loren, Queen Sofia of Spain, The Spice Girls , Spike Lee, Sting, Thornthon Wilder, Tim Robbins, Valeria Golino, Vanessa Redgrave, Queen Victoria of Sweden, Vittorio De Sica, Vittorio Gassman, Woody Allen, Zegna, Pavarotti, Humphrey Bogart, Giorgio Armani...

Tenor Enrico Caruso loved the hotel so much that he called it his home in Naples. Caruso died in 1921, from what is thought to be complications of pleurisy, which was apparently not diagnosed in time to save him. He was 48 when he died at the hotel.