Our History

Since 1904, a family at your service.

L’hotel Maderno, viene progettato e realizzato come albergo da Erculiani Bernardo Filippo (29/03/1867 -30/10/1945) nel 1904.La struttura di tipo Liberty si rifà allo stile architettonico del periodo che In Italia ebbe inizialmente il nome di «Floreale», per assumere poi il più noto nome di «Liberty» dal negozio di un commerciante di oggetti orientali a Londra, Arthur Lasenby Liberty. Questo stile presente e diffuso nelle costruzioni gardesane ne caratterizza il paesaggio..Lo spirito imprenditoriale nel settore turistico alberghiero di Erculiani Bernardo Filippo inizia precedentemente alla costruzione dell’Hotel Maderno, con la gestione di una pensione denominata ‘Villa delle Rose’ sita in via Tito Speri a Maderno, oggi abitazione privata.Nei primi del novecento Bernardo Erculiani con il fratello imprenditore edile diede inizio ai lavori per la costruzione dell’Hotel Maderno e dell’adiacente caseggiato denominato allora Hotel Maderno Villa delle Rose ubicati rispettivamente in via statale 12 e 13.Dal matrimonio con Cescotti Caterina avvenuto nel nel 1821 nascono 6 figli. Inizialmente è l’unico figlio maschio Antonio a gestire l’hotel Maderno con il padre. In seguito al figlio verrà dato un altro hotel denominato Hotel Benaco ubicato sul lungolago Zanardelli fino alla sua cessione. Ad Antonio subentra la sorella Anna che inizialmente con il padre e poi da sola gestirà l’Hotel Maderno.Anna Erculiani si sposa con Pietro Piva originario di Venezia classe 1893 Ufficiale di marina radiotelegrafista destinato nel 1918 alla flottiglia M.A.S. (Motoscafo Armato Silurante) in pattugliamento sul lago di Garda. Con il marito gestisce l’albergo che durante gli anni dall‘ottobre 1943 all’aprile 1945 venne requisito dalla R.S.I (Repubblica Sociale Italiana).Il prefetto di Brescia requisì in data 14 ottobre 1943 l’albergo Maderno come sede del Ministro dell’interno Guido Buffarini Guidi. Da Bologna arrivò l’antiquario Stanzani che arredò il pianterreno dell’albergo con mobili, tappeti, tendaggi e quadri.Ad Aprile del 1944 il Ministro si spostò all’ex albergo Bristol.L’albergo era munito di un posto di guardia di polizia 24 ore con garage per 20 auto.Anna e Pietro ebbero quattro figli (primo deceduto alla nascita) Pietro, Caterina, Luigi, e Filippo.Il figlio Pierluigi classe 1925 affianca la madre nella gestione dell’ Hotel Maderno alla sopravvenuta morte del padre nel 1947. Continua ad occuparsi dell’albergo con il supportato poi dalla moglie Irene. I figli di Pierluigi e Irene, Maurizio e Lucia Piva, pur avendo un’attività propria, all’oggi, con la compresenza del padre, gestiscono l’Hotel. Rappresentano la quarta generazione che si sussegue nel portare avanti l’attività alberghiera iniziata dal loro bisnonno Erculiani Filippo.

Hotel Maderno was designed as hotel by Erculiani Bernardo Filippo (29/03/1867 – 30/10/1945) back in 1904.The building is in Liberty style and it resembles the Italian architectural style, which initially was called “Floral”. It was only later that it took the most common name “Liberty”, which comes from Arthur Lasenby Liberty, who was the owner of an oriental items shop in London. This style is easy to find around Lake Garda and it characterizes the surroundings.Erculiani Bernardo Filippo entrepreneurial skill, especially in the tourism industry took place before the Hotel Maderno construction. In fact he was managing a small pension called “Villa delle Rose”, situated in Via Tito Speri here in Maderno. Today the villa is only for private use.At the beginning of the 1900s, Bernardo Erculiani and his brother, who was a construction entrepreneur started to build the Hotel Maderno and the close by apartment block that at the time was called “Hotel Maderno Villa delle Rose. They were respectively in Via Statale 12 and 13.He got married with Cescotti Caterina in 1821 and they had six children. At the beginning, it was the only male child Antonio and his father that managed the Hotel Maderno. In second place, Antonio will manage another hotel, the Hotel Benaco, situated on the lakefront Zanardelli until his divestiture. It was Anna, Antonio’s sister, who took his place, at first with the help of his father and then she started to manage the Hotel Maderno all by herself.Anna Erculiani married Pietro Piva, who was born in Venice in 1893. He was a navy official telegraphist. In 1918, he was destined to the fleet M.A.S. (Motoscafo Armato Silurante – Armed Sacking Motorboat), that was patrolling the Lake Garda. Anna and her husband managed the hotel, which between the years 1943 and 1945 was confiscated by the R.S.I. (Italian Social Republic).The 14th of October 1914, the Brescia prefect decided to confiscate the Hotel Maderno and to use it as a branch of the Intern Minister Guido Buffarini Guidi.The antique dealer Stanzani arrived from Bologna and he furnished the hotel ground floor with furnitures, carpets, curtains and paintings.In April 1944, the minister moved to the ex-Hotel Bristol.Hotel Maderno was designated as guesthouse with accommodations for fascist party officials and SS German soldiers.The Hotel had a 24 hours protective detail and a garage that could contain 20 autos.Anna e Pietro had four children (the first one died as soon as he was born) Caterina, Pietro Luigi, and Filippo.When Pietro died in 1947, one of his sons Pierluigi, born in 1925, helped his mother managing the Hotel. He would keep on taking care about the hotel with the support of his wife Irene. Nowadays it is Pierluigi and Irene’s children Maurizio and Lucia Piva, who despite having other self-occupations, are still managing the hotel under their father supervision. They represent the fourth consecutive generation, which is still taking care about the hotel activity started by their great-grandfather Erculiani Filippo.

On 23 September 1943 the government of RSI was officially established in the municipality of Salò (Brescia).

The nickname “Republic of Salò” was born in a way by chance. In Salò there were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Propaganda (the famous MINCULPOP), as well as the Stefani agency, the official press agency of the regime, and the offices of correspondents. The government’s main communications along with the press releases were sent by Salò, and those of the two ministries began with the words “Salò comunica”. The name of Salò then became a synonym of the government itself. The Republic fell as the German army left Italy in April 1945. It had lasted 19 months, without ever exercising de facto power. Formally dissolved on 29 April 1945

The government of the Republic of Salò was decentralized and scattered throughout much of northern Italy and saw several municipalities of Lake Garda involved, many villas and hotels from San Felice, Salò a Limone were requisitioned and used as administrative or reception places, Mussolini resided at Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano.

Among these also Hotel Maderno, with a decree issued by the province of Brescia was requisitioned from October 1943 to April 1945 and intended initially for the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior Buffarini Guidi and later destined to guest quarters of the hierarch of the government of the R.S.I.

The hotel was equipped with a police guard post 24 hours with garage for 20 cars.

From May 1945 to September of the same year it was requisitioned by the American army.

THE INTERIOR MINISTRY

RSI

Historical anecdotes

Told by Pierluigi Piva.

In 1943 I was 18 years old and my father (Pietro Piva) owned the Maderno Hotel, which was requisitioned in October of that year until March 1944 and became the temporary headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior, entrusted to Buffarini Guidi.

Throughout that period, the hotel was frequented by major figures of the R.S.I., such as General Graziani, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council Barraccu, hierarchies such as Farinacci eBombacci and even Giovanni Gentile.

In addition, the family of the Duce’s special secretary Dolfin lived there permanently. That is why I was an indirect witness to the episode concerning Galeazzo Ciano’s pardon.

In fact, during the Veronese trial against him, on the evening of January 10, 1944, an application for pardon drafted by Ciano himself and addressed to Mussolini arrived with an order-holder.

The hierarchs present discussed animatedly what to do until four o’clock in the morning and finally decided not to send the request to the Duce.

One evening in 1944 Pietro Kock arrived at the hotel with a friend; in the hotel lobby was Prefect Dolfin, Mussolini’s private secretary, who was staying at the hotel with his family, consisting of his wife and 2 small children.

Noting that Kock’s friend was suffering from an infectious disease he had an argument with Kock demanding that the lady not stay at the hotel so as not to infect her family members.

In January 1944 during an aerial machine-gun fire the car of Prefect Basile was hit in front of the hotel, which was saved but the driver was mortally wounded. Bullet marks in the columns of the entrance remain from this event.

During the changing of the guard at the Hotel Golfo, a soldier tapped the butt of his machine gun on the low wall and a volley went off that killed the Bir El Gobi militant standing in front of it.