Liberty style hotel in front of the train station

Mr. J. Molinari must have been a great entrepreneur in the field of hotel hospitality and catering, since for a long time Sanremo was full of activities under his name.

Perhaps the best known of all is the Hotel Molinari et de la Gare, which was in the building that until the 90s of the last century was known as Hotel Bononia, but which, abandoned for some time, now seems to be in the process of being restored.


Contrary to what is commonly told, after careful research by our staff, the Hotel Molinari was not built from scratch in 1902, but simply replaced a previous hotel called Luzernerhof, probably of Swiss origin, present in a postcard in 1901, on a structure not without valuable Art Nouveau friezes.

Before the recent restoration, in spite of the deterioration, it was still possible to notice some very fine decorations that gave the structure a sense of hieraticity, precious medallions, one per season, still today decorate the façade on the first floor in a mirror-like manner.

It was not a large hotel (only about thirty rooms), but it was very appreciated for its comfort (a stone's throw from the Railway Station and the Casino Municipale).

At the beginning of the century customers also frequented it for its cuisine: its famous lasagne and stockfish.

Immediately attached to the Hotel building, there is another one, smaller but in the same style, but with an ochre coloured facade, it was called Hotel Liberty, but now it only functions as a restaurant at street level.

Speaking about Mr. Molinari's versatility, we must point out that a Hotel Molinari was already working many years before in the historical Palazzo Roverizio in Via Privata Escoffier and a Pensione Molinari was located in Corso Garibaldi.

Before being moved to Piazza Cesare Battisti, the house was previously located in the building where the Hotel Centrale was located, on the corner of Via Roma and Via Carli.

Today, the building, after years of neglect, has been completely upset, fortunately maintaining its exterior appearance.

Inside, mini-apartments have been created, perhaps to be used as a Residence.

(part of the text, source: "Una Stagione lunga cent'anni", by Bruno Monticone; images from private archive)