Luxury hotel holiday Grand Hotel Majestic Gia Baglioni Bologna

The Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglioni typifies the striking elegance of the city of Bologna. Renowned for its grand, porticoed, brick-built architecture, Bologna is a vibrant and picturesque city and overwhelmingly pink in colour, originally due to the bricks and now also due to the colour of the plasterwork. The city also has a reputation for being learned due to its ancient university as well as being a gastronome’s delight. A wealth of architectural gems, fascinating museums and excellent gourmet treats are waiting to be discovered in Bologna. Just a couple of minutes’ walk northwards from the Piazza Maggiore at the heart of the city and situated on the grand Via dell’Indipendenza, now pedestrianised, and directly opposite the Duomo of San Pietro, is the hotel. The building was designed by Alfonso Torregiani and it was intended to be the seat of an arch-episcopal seminary; work began in 1732 and lasted for the next two decades. The portico of 23 arches on the ground floor was constructed in 1772. In the early 20th century, the building was sold and converted into an hotel, having merged with an older building adjacent, the Palazzo Fava Ghislardi. Inside the hotel there are preserved frescoes believed to be by the Bolognese Carracci brothers, Agostino and Annibale. Today the Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglioni offers the attentive service and facilities of a 5-star city hotel whilst retaining a unique character and historical elegance. There is the restaurant, I Carracci, where you can enjoy refined dishes from Emilia-Romagna surrounded by the historic frescoes and artwork of the school of the Carracci brothers. A delightful and relaxing location for an aperitif or a more casual meal (although of exquisite quality and equally representative of the region) is the Café Marinetti. There are also some outside seating areas, by the restaurant for dining, but also upstairs for a quiet moment to enjoy the air after sightseeing. A wide, carpeted staircase, adorned with artwork and antiques, leads to the long corridors where you find the bedrooms. Some look onto the Via dell’Indipendenza and the cathedral and others onto internal courtyards. The bedrooms blend tradition and modern conveniences. Furnished with antiques and parquet flooring, colours are neutral and restful. Beds are made with pure linen sheets, with 100% Egyptian cotton on request. Murano glass chandeliers grace each bedroom, and deluxe rooms and above have white Carrara marble bathrooms. A rich breakfast buffet offering eggs cooked to order is served in the breakfast room. The hotel has a welcome policy of check-in being from 2pm and check-out being before 1pm. The Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglioni is really the very best address for a very comfortable and agreeable stay in Bologna. Most places of interest are at most a fifteen-minute walk from the hotel and recommended restaurants in the city can be reached on foot or by a short taxi ride in the evening.