The city's first ever luxurious Grand Hotel.

It was built in 1861 on the upstream side of the Strada a Ponente (today Corso Matuzia) with the name of Hôtel de Londres also and above all, to help divert to San Remo the demanding visitors of Nice and Menton who were at that time the most frequent.

A bronze plaque placed on the wall facing the street and once placed in the garden reminds us of the owner and then the first hotelier, the Entrepreneur of Rivoli, Pietro Bogge.



He was convinced in his work by the authoritative people who frequented the living room of Countess Adele Roverizio of Roccasterone, who, thanks to his knowledge and the prestige of his name, entrusted doctors and scientists (among them there was Dr. Gio Batta Panizzi, author of the book "Sanremo e il suo clima") with the task of propagating the city and its climate as a climate and hygiene centre.

Equipped with 200 rooms and 300 beds, it offered its hospitality mainly to a selected English clientele.

Ruffini also spoke about it in "Sanremo revisited", defining the hotel as "a favourite meeting place for people with a romantic disposition, and especially for poets".

In the guide, "Sanremo climatically and medically considered" of 1883, written by Dr. Hassal, a member of the Royal College of physicians of England, this hotel was in fact indicated as a place of stay frequented by "the best English families", for its panoramic position, its completely renovated comfort, the ability of the owners and the large garden with entertainment.
The hotel was equipped, among other things, with a remarkable English and French library which included more than two thousand volumes.

The hotel, which is still in operation today, was subject to changes several times, starting with the name that was changed at the turn of the two centuries to London Hotel and then, after 1938, Italianised into Hotel Londra, a name that it still retains today.

It was also restructured both outside and inside, but it still manages to maintain the prestige of the time.

(elaboration by various Authors; private archive images)