From North to South of Italy, a selection of luxury Grand Hotels that offer dream pools and special experiences for summer 2025.

Born in the 19th century at the dawn of tourism, driven by the fashion of the Grand Tour, the cultural journey through Europe, and in particular Italy, of the elite of the time, Grand Hotels have always enchanted with their charm thanks to monumental buildings, furnishings precious like works of art and a liveried with white-gloved service that remains legendary.

Grand Hotels, which have inspired the great artists of the past and have witnessed the most significant events of the cities that host them, continue to enchant modern grand tourists due to their important history and non-replicability.

Commonly, “Grand Hotel” is defined as a luxury accommodation facility, housed in a building of great architectural importance, with a history of at least 100 years, more than 25 rooms and, of course, a doorman in white livery ready to pamper us.

Added to these characteristics are romantic suggestions, difficult to explain, which make every moment of the stay magical and unforgettable, in which living the hotel becomes a primary part of the travel experience.

Let’s start from Veneto and Venice, where we talk about two hotels linked to the name of Giuseppe Cipriani, an innovator in the world of hospitality and one of the last creators of “Grand Hotel” in Italy before an epochal change in habits and customs.

Giuseppe Cipriani began his career working in some of the most famous Grand Hotels in Italy (such as the Grand Hotel et Des Palmes in Palermo, which we will mention later) and from there, he began to dream of opening a bar “just like those in hotels (…), an elegant bar where the customer does not have to get past a line of doormen”.

Thus was born the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice, a success so great that it led Giuseppe to find enthusiastic financiers also for the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca Island, opened in 1958, built on a piece of abandoned land that he had purchased in 1953, who then asked him to also manage the Hotel Belvedere in Asolo, which was inaugurated in 1962 with the name Hotel Villa Cipriani.

Also thanks to the legendary hospitality signed by Cipriani, today Belmond Hotel Cipriani Venezia and Villa Cipriani Asolo are still among the most renowned structures in Italy, the first owned by the famous chain that also has the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in its portfolio, and the second purchased by the entrepreneur Massimo Zanetti and his wife Sigrid Guillion-Mangilli who looks after it as if it were her own home.

Both hotels are perfect for a summer stay, in particular for the uniqueness of their swimming pools: the first boasts, in fact, the most beautiful Olympic-sized swimming pool in Europe (so large because, curiously, it is the result of an architectural error in converting feet to meters), and the second an infinity pool overlooking the hills of Asolo, immersed in a wonderful English garden that has won several international awards.

Given their importance at the time of the Grand Tour, we cannot help but continue by telling the story of two world icons of hospitality, respectively on Lake Como and Lake Garda.

In Cernobbio, you will find Villa d’Este, which became a hotel in 1873, a favorite destination of the great European aristocracy, wonderful in the summer thanks to its panoramic terraces overlooking the lake with a scenic floating pool served by the Platano and Sundeck restaurants and bars.

In Gardone Riviera, the Grand Hotel Fasano, inaugurated in 1888, originally a hunting lodge for the Austrian royal family, perfectly combines nineteenth-century heritage with ultra-contemporary design and Belle Époque touches.

With an enchanting view of the lake, the hotel has a 3,500-square-meter spa that dialogues between the interior and exterior with wonderful pools. And in the summer, you cannot miss booking a trip on the lake with the historic sailing ship or the Riva motorboat.

Moving to Friuli Venezia Giulia, we discover the DoubleTree by Hilton Trieste, located in one of the most sumptuous palaces in Italy of Renaissance inspiration and Habsburg charm, inaugurated in 1914 as the headquarters of one of the first insurance companies, RAS, Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà.

Even though the hotel was opened in 2019, it has an undisputed charm of a Grand Hotel thanks, in particular, to the majesty of its historical furnishings, perfectly preserved, and the beauty of the spaces open to the public such as the Berlam, the wonderful café and cocktail bar located in the hall on the first floor, once the meeting room of the RAS. The hotel is a partner of the 57th edition of the Barcolana, the largest (and funniest, it seems) regatta in the world that is held every year in Trieste in October and for which it has planned special experiences dedicated to its guests.

In Tuscany, one of the most illustrious Grand Hotels is the Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte in Viareggio, inaugurated in 1922, which recently celebrated its first, magnificent hundred years. Its summer spaces are wonderful, such as the panoramic rooftop with a swimming pool overlooking the sea and a gourmet restaurant for romantic dinners with a view, and the Maitò Beach Club with 64 imperial tents, bar, restaurant, swimming pool, Wellness & Spa area.

Going down to Southern Italy, the tradition of Grand Hotels and their hospitality is legendary throughout the world, especially in the structures that have had a family tradition since their foundation.

Overlooking the sea on the “Golfo di Surriento”, since 1834 the legendary Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, owned by the Fiorentino family for 6 generations, has embodied the myth of 5-star hospitality and continues to make us dream with its romantic terrace that inspired the famous song “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla.

Here you can have breakfast just like in the time of Princess Sissi, a loyal customer, and enjoy the swimming pool immersed in the archaeological site with fascinating classical ruins where the villa of the Roman emperor Augustus stood.

In Amalfi, the most famous Grand Hotel is the Hotel Santa Caterina, the only five-star hotel with private access to the sea in the seaside village, nestled between the cliffs of the coast with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Salerno.

Its glorious history began in 1880 when Giuseppe Gambardella built the original building initially as his home, then transformed into a hotel in 1904. Still managed by the same family today, the hotel offers a wonderful swimming pool with solarium overlooking the sea and various panoramic restaurants.

Arriving in Sicily in Palermo, one cannot fail to mention the Grand Hotel et Des Palmes, which “is” the history of Sicily itself. Built around 1856 as the home of the English Ingham-Whitaker family, who became famous for their Marsala wine trade, it was purchased by the entrepreneur Enrico Ragusa who commissioned one of the most famous architects of the time, Ernesto Basile, to transform it into a luxury hotel, inaugurating it in 1877.

Today the hotel, recently restored, has entered the portfolio of the Mangia family from Palermo who are bringing it back, as in the past, to the center of the social and social life of the city.

In Taormina, we conclude with a poetic license, as Villa Carlotta is not “technically” a Grand Hotel, but it embodies its essence when transferred to the contemporary world. The structure, originally a Moorish villa with ancient origins, was transformed into a hotel in 1930 and since 1993 has been owned by the Quartucci family.

Through QRA Hospitality they have managed to create a group of “boutique hotels” with the glorious characteristics of Grand Hotels in a “petit” version that make guests experience the authentic soul of the places where they are located. Could this be the future of Grand Hotels?

Villa Carlotta offers a breathtaking view of Taormina, the sea, Etna and the Strait of Messina, with a wonderful swimming pool immersed in a Mediterranean garden and, inaugurated in June 2025, the new Euphoria Restaurant located on the hotel terrace with a spectacular panorama.