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History of the Hotel
The hotel’s two buildings are different both in their architecture and history.
Hotel Monte Baldo, the main building, was built at the beginning of 20th century as a boarding house.
During the World War II it housed the German doctors working in the nearby military hospital (the Grand Hotel) and the staff of the military command based in the Villa Acquarone.
In 1960, a 3rd floor was added to the hotel.
Villa Acquarone was built at the end of 20th century by the German Count Moi.
Designed by Angelo Fuchs, the villa was created in neo-Palladian style with original statues on its lakefront.
Fuchs was also responsible for planning throughout Gardone a lot of villas and hotels.
After the World War I the villa became the property of the Duke d'Acquarone, minister of the royal family.
During the Republic of Salò, it was the seat of the German Military Command, which issued administrative documents for the Italian local population.
In 1947 the Villa was bought by the Schmidt-Sari family and since then it has been used as an annex of the hotel; this allowed also the enlargement of the park and the water front area.
The building was restored in 1999 and repainted by the artist Jorrit Tornquist.
The family
The Hohl family (great grand-parents of the present owners) came from Davos in Switzerland, where they ran a hotel. In 1902 they moved to Gardone Riviera and bought a hotel, which they named Garda-Suisse.
A few years later they moved to a villa in Gardone Sopra, which they converted, named Pension Hohl. In 1925, they bought Hotel Monte Baldo from Mrs Wimmer, owner of the nearby Grand Hotel. Since then the hotel has been run by the same family who later became Schmidt-Sari.
History of Gardone
The history of Gardone as a tourist resort dates back to the end of the 19th century when German doctors praised the therapeutic qualities of its mild climate and the beauty of the area.
Luigi Wimmer was the pioneer of the hotel industry in Gardone. Born in Austria, he came to Gardone for a rest cure, took a liking to the place and settled there. He started to build hotels and villas and thanks to his cultural and scientific contacts with the Middleeuropean society, he drew to Gardone people from an elegant and cosmopolitan world. Gardone turned from a small village of farmers and fishermen into an elegant tourist resort with its enchanting promenade, the grand hotels, the Villa Alba, the Casino and especially its parks. In fact, to realize the concept of a romantic and naturalistic garden, typical of that period, new species of plants were introduced. Big deodar cedars, magnolias, camphors and palms started to grow together with the Mediterranean local vegetation.
From 1921 to 1938 Gardone was the last home of Gabriele d’Annunzio, one of the greatest Italian writers of the 20th century, hero during World War I and a man who with his “inimitable way of life” marked the taste of an era. His mansion, the Vittoriale, is a prestigious museum full of literary and historical memories.
During the “Repubblica Sociale” (1943-45), the wonderful villas and hotels became the seat of embassies, homes to German commanding officers and hospitals. |
