Grand Hotel Locarno: past and present

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Once adorned with glamourous faces... Locarno Film Festival, 1947

...the arcades now cater to the needs of modern man. Laurine Chiarini

The ground floor housed a restaurant, a hairdresser’s salon, and a disco. Locarno Film Festival

Now the entrance has been taken over by Mcdonald’s tables. Laurine Chiarini

Of the 1,200 seats, the best were just by the screen at the bottom of the garden. Locarno Film Festival

One can now barely imagine a film session in the abandoned garden. Laurine Chiarini

Hotspot of the Festival, the grand salon was home to many a piano improvisation, where the paths of Pasolini, Antonioni, Ana Magnani or Fassbinder would cross. Locarno Film Festival

For Frédéric Maire, the piano bar was the very heart of the festival (apart from the screen, of course). Eduardo Simantob

Late-night poolside parties were a popular event after the last screening of the day. Travel Republic ltd

Today, the pool is virtually inaccessible. One can only catch a glimpse of it from a first-floor veranda Laurine Chiarini

After its opening in 1876, the hotel was also a privileged venue for grand parties like this wedding, dated to the turn of last century. Locarno Film Festival

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