Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria

The Hotel

Founded in 1834, Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria was the first modern hotel in the area, offering private bathrooms, electric lighting and a link to the harbour via a funicular railway created in a Roman tunnel, the ‘crypt’, the remains of which are still visible today. The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is an historic landmark of Italy’s travel and hospitality industry. Comprising three interconnecting buildings – La Vittoria, La Rivale and La Favorita – the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria stands in an area rich with archaeological remains. Ruins of a villa belonging to the Roman Emperor Augustus are said to lie beneath the property and the remains of a ‘natatio’ or roman swimming pool, discovered next to the hotel’s main pool, can still be seen. Among the many fascinating finds are decorative marble artworks, a lead water pipe, and the ruins of a spa. This amazing piece of ancient history leads to the harbour and is still open for visitors to explore. The hotel has been owned and managed by the Fiorentino family since it opened and today is managed by the family’s fifth generation. Lovingly restored and refurbished with the modern comforts today’s guests expect, such as air conditioning and WiFi, it maintains the charm and elegance of the original Victorian style. Inside the hotel, artfully blended with the most contemporary of facilities, the atmosphere of a by-gone era surrounds them in every part of the hotel, from the 84 finely furnished and decorated bedrooms to the communal areas. The main staircases of the Vittoria and the Rivale buildings, are works of art in their own right with their beautiful original frescoes that have been painstakingly restored.