Grand Hotel Muralto

Designed in 1866 by Francesco Galli (1822-1889) for the Società del Grande Albergo, promoted by Giacomo Balli, the Grand Hotel was built between 1874-76.

It has a sumptuous atmosphere of “Belle Epoque” with its large hall at the entrance of honour with vaulted ceilings adorned with allegorical frescoes and its large surrounding garden.

This was the place where the most important events of the region, hosting eminent personalities from national and international political and cultural life would be held, as the famous Peace Conference of October 1925, known as the Locarno Pact.

Today, the Gran Hotel is closed to the public but its “grandeur” remains imbued in the collective memory. As in the carpets in the halls that are worn and the bathroom tiles chipped, the remains of this splendid place reflect the hotel’s glorious past.