The Belmond Hotel Splendido is a hotel in
Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
, Italy. The site was formerly home to a Benedictine
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
which was ransacked so many times by Saracen pirates that the monks abandoned it in the 16th century. The four-storey high building subsequently fell into disrepair. In the 19th century the property was purchased by Italian aristocrat Baron Baratta, who renovated and converted it into a family summer house.
In 1901 the building was purchased by Ruggero Valentini who transformed it into a hotel which opened in 1902. Since its inception, the hotel has played host to various famous people and noble families. The 1950s witnessed the discovery of Portofino by American visitors who made the hotel their accommodation of choice. Among the visitors from this time to the present have been the
Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, ...
, Winston Churchill and Rex Harrison.in 1952,
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
in 1953,
Humphrey Bogart,
Lauren Bacall,
Groucho Marx and
Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...
in 1954,
Fredric March
Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...
in 1955,
Elizabeth Taylor and
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
in 1967. Christopher Plummer in 1971. Italian President of Republic Giuseppe Saragat in 1971. The whole Families of Counts Agusta in 1965. Valentina Cortese 1965.
In 1986 Orient-Express Hotels bought the hotel.
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. purchased an existing building on the piazzetta in Portofino which had originally been the village's first osteria and after conversion opened it in 1998 as the Splendido Mare which offers 16 rooms and suites, most with a balcony or terrace. On the ground floor is the Chuflay Bar and Restaurant.
In 2014, Hotel Splendido was renamed
Belmond Hotel Splendido as part of the rebrand of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Splendido
Hotels in Italy
Belmond hotels
Hotels established in 1901