La Famiglia è dove sta il Cuore (Family Is Where the Heart Is)

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 fifth principle below covering 1943 to 1952.

1943 to 1952 saw the end of World War II and the start of a new era at Grand Hotel Miramare.

In 1945 Giovanni Fustinoni acquired Grand Hotel Miramare and it has remained in the Fustinoni family ever since.

Giovanni was a Milanese entrepreneur and he and his wife, Franca, turned Grand Hotel Miramare into a legendary haunt frequented by Italian and global jet-setters.

The glamour that Giovanni brought to Grand Hotel Miramare caught the attention of many famous and interesting guests, not least Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh who stayed at the hotel in 1947 while on their honeymoon.

Giovanni’s father had bought a hotel at the end of the 19th century so the industry was not new to the family. That said, Giovanni came with a new mentality: to create a place for both summer and winter holidays.

Giovanni loved sport and would run water skiing camps in the winter which changed the face of Santa Margherita Ligure.

But more than just sport, Giovanni wanted the town and Grand Hotel Miramare to be a reference point for a variety of different people to have a good time. He felt it was important to offer a wide range of activities to amuse and entertain. A mantra we still hold dear today.

All of this leads us to our fifth life principle: la famiglia è dove sta il cuore. Or in English: family is where the heart is.

Every year since we can remember, returning guests will ask to see a member of the Fustinoni family. The family, and all of our staff, are a reference point of comfort and care.

Being family-run, and owned, for so many years provides a link to tradition and sense of continuity. It has allowed us to create a strong culture and set of values that has been passed from one generation to another.

We live and breathe Grand Hotel Miramare because it’s in our very blood. Family is at the heart of the hotel - whether it’s the Fustinoni family or the family of staff we have here - and the end result is an experience for guests that is comforting, restorative and authentic.

Because family is where the heart is.