Buon Divertimento (Have a Good Time)

This year, Grand Hotel Miramare celebrates its 120th anniversary. We’ve distilled the past twelve decades into twelve principles that now guide our approach to life. Each principle is a lesson learned from each decade, with our ninth principle below covering 1983 to 1992.

After some of the turbulence of the 1970s, the 80s in Italy were known as a ‘new economic miracle’. The country enjoyed growth in various sectors and small businesses flourished.

Advancements in technology and communications contributed to modernisation across various sectors, with new industries (e.g. fashion) beginning to replace traditional ones.

Italians had greater access to goods and services, and this led to changes in people’s lifestyle and behaviour.

A new cosmopolitan wave of art, food, music and more was sweeping the country. Italian cinema was booming with the emergence of internationally acclaimed directors and actors. Italian fashion and design gained global recognition. And Italian sports stars fuelled national pride with the country hosting the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

In short: the 80s was a decade of fun and excess (perhaps a bit too much!) and Italy was both influenced by, and an influencer of, global culture. Excitement was in the air.

The same could be said for Grand Hotel Miramare.

In 1988 the white façade of the hotel was lovingly restored - sensitively retaining the original Ligurian decorative technique that local painters had handed down for generations. The architect Andrea Zegna also designed a new bar for our Barracuda beach restaurant which was inspired by the jazz nights of New York clubs.

(Side note: another highlight of the 80s was Andrea Fustinoni, the son of Giovanni Fustinoni who bought the hotel in 1945, starting to work at Grand Hotel Miramare. Now our Managing Director, in our future lessons for life you’ll hear a lot more about Andrea’s work to add a new freshness and contemporary touch to the hotel.)

All of this leads us to our ninth lesson for life: buon divertimento! Or in English: just have a good time!

Grand Hotel Miramare embraces history and tradition, but reimagines it everyday to ensure we are balancing a respect for nostalgia with a courage to embrace the future. The end result is an appreciation for art, culture, and moments where joy and contentment flourish.

We want guests to enjoy the best of Italian life - the food, wine and indulgence - while still leaving us feeling lighter and refreshed. The aim of life at Grand Hotel Miramare really is this simple: just have a good time!