Dal 1904, una famiglia al tuo servizio.

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 14^th 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.

The 23^rd of September 1943 the R.S.I. government was officially formed and the main domicile was in Salò (Brescia)

The name “Republic of Salò” was, in a certain way, not pondered. The offshore minister, the propaganda minister (the famous MINCULPOP) and the government official newspaper agency Stefani were in Salò. In fact, all the main government communications and journalistic news were sent from Salò and the minister’s ones usually began with “Salò communicates”. These are the reasons why, the name Salò became the name of the government. As soon as the German army left Italy, April 1945, the Republic fell apart. It had been in charge for 19 months, but despite of that, it never really had a real power. The Republic was formally disbanded the 29th of April 1945.

The Republic of Salò government was not centred and it was scattered all over Northern Italy, and especially over Lake Garda. In fact, many villas from San Felice to Limone were used for administrative purposes. Mussolini used to live in Villa Feltrninelli in Gargnano.

Between these buildings, there was also Hotel Maderno, which was designed (between October 1943 and April 1945) as branch of the intern minister Buffarini Guidi. It all was decided with a decree released by the Province of Brescia. Later the Hotel was designed as R.S.I. officials’ guesthouse.

The Hotel had a 24 hours protective detail and a garage that could contain 20 autos.

From May 1945 to September 1945 the U.S.A., army confiscated Hotel Maderno.

IL MINISTERO DEGLI INTERNI

RSI

ANECDOTES

Told by Pierluigi Piva.

“In 1943, I was 18 and my father, Pietro Piva, was managing the Hotel Maderno. During that year, precisely from October until March 1944, the building was confiscated and it became the provisory branch of the intern minister, ruled by Buffarini Guidi.

During that period, the Hotel Maderno was visited by the R.S.I. most important people such as: general Graziani, the undersecretary of the Prime Minister Baraccu and party officials like Farinacci, Bombacci and Giovanni Gentile.

Moreover, Mussolini’s secretary Dolfin family was living there permanently. That is why I was a direct witness of Galeazzo Ciano’s grace.

During the process against him (10th of January 1944), a mail carrier arrived with a grace request. Ciano wrote it for Mussolini.

The fascist party officials discussed about the situation until four in the morning, and finally decided not to give the request to Mussolini.

An evening of the year 1944, while prefect Dolfin was in the hall, Pietro Kock and one of his friend arrived to the Hotel. Dolfin was Mussolini’s secretary. He was a peculiar man and he was staying at the Hotel Maderno with his wife and his two children.

He immediately noticed that a contagious disease infected Kock’s friend. Dolfin had a discussion with Kock because he did not want the woman to sleep there, so no one could be infected.

It was January 1944, when prefect Basile’s car was hit by an aerial attack in front of the hotel. Luckily, Basile was safe, but his driver did not survive. Today, we can still see the bullet marks on the entrance pillars.

In June 1944 Dr. Ricci’s son tragically died because of an accident in his bathtub of Villa Serraglio where he used to live

During a switch of sentry to Hotel Golfo, a soldier hit the stock of the assault rifle on the wall, and it started to shoot everywhere. This event caused Bir El Gobi death, who was just in front of him