We have been hosting guests in Milano Marittima since 1978
Chapter I. Milano Marittima
During the 1920s and 1930s, Milano Marittima was an elegant holiday resort and a popular destination for aristocratic families. The pine forest offered guests the opportunity to go for a ride at breakneck speed or enjoy a picnic in the shade, served by waiters in white gloves. On Viale Luigi Cadorna there were three small villas belonging to General Italo Balbo, Dr Agostino Arani from Cervia and Raffaele Cadorna. And it’s right here that Hotel Luxor’s story begins.
Chapter II. Hotel Luxor
In the sixties, my grandparents, Giulio and Adriana, decided to buy Villa Arani and turn it into a hotel. Inflation and the economic boom helped them with the investment. And when Giulio came to bed at night, Adriana would say to him: “go to sleep, leave the debts to me!” And so, in 1968 a small hotel with 35 rooms opened to the public. Nobody knew what Luxor meant, but it sounded beautiful and evoked an atmosphere of luxury and abundance – and so the hotel was baptised.
Chapter III. It’s a family affair
Catia, my mother – the daughter of Giulio and Adriana – had a degree in classical literature but was unable to find a teaching post. She married Otello, my father, and together they started managing Luxor with little experience but a lot of passion and one certainty: that the best way to a guest’s hearts (just like a husband and wife) is through his or her stomach. And so came the homemade tagliatelle and lasagne – as tradition dictates – with hand-rolled dough and succulent meat sauce, swirling cappelletti and piadine, golden like the sun. The tourists kept on coming. Many came back, everyone got to know each other, summer romances blossomed, and then came the children, who would return on holiday with their parents every summer.
Chapter IV. Taking our first steps
My sister, Francesca, was born in 1978, and I, Paola, arrived in 1988. Remember the low white table in the middle of the hallway? There’s a reason it’s always been there despite various renovations over the years… we learnt to walk holding onto it, and so it has an invaluable emotional value for our family. The hotel continued to run non-stop while growing and transforming, along with us. First off, the attic was renovated into an air-conditioned and usable floor and then the swimming pool was built.
Chapter V. Growing up together
Meanwhile, my mum got a job as a professor and decided to leave my father at the helm of Hotel Luxor, while continuing to keep tabs on the goings-on from behind the scenes. Francesca travelled abroad… and I came home bursting with ideas after graduating with a degree in design. In the winter of 2017-2018 we commenced the biggest renovation project in history on Hotel Luxor. Two additional floors were added, as well as two lifts, two suites, a large terrace to be kitted out with a spa, expanded and improved rooms, an extended kitchen with a new pastry area and new rooms for hotel staff members (because our employees also have the right to relax and feel at home). These days, the historical Hotel Luxor is almost unrecognisable following its transformation.
Chapter VI. Dreams do come true
Some things never change. The time we dedicate to our guests and our love of good food, such as organic dishes, sustainably-sourced vegetables and vegetarian and gluten-free dishes – all of which can be found on our menu alongside our traditional wraps and homemade cappelletti with the aim of satisfying all people and palates. Think mum and dad have stepped aside? Not by any stretch of the imagination! Otello continues to get up at dawn to do the shopping and solve impossible situations with a simple: “Ai pens me,” (“leave it to me” in Romagna dialect), Catia takes care of the flowers and menus while dishing out emotional support (mum is always mum). In the meantime, I study, come up with new concepts and make plans in a vibrant bubble of ideas, with some mistakes along the way, but also some very successful projects… it’s a job I really love and I do everything I can to make sure Hotel Luxor is the perfect place for your holiday in Milano Marittima.
