HISTORY

Name: Hotel Villa Paradiso
Address: Via Sempione, 125, Meina, No, 28046, IT
Telephone: +39 0322/660488
Price range: $$

Discover the history of Hotel Villa Paradiso, from an ancient residence in the late nineteenth century to a hotel by the lake.

Many have attempted to describe the beauty of Lake Maggiore over the centuries. Poets, novelists, simple lovers have sung the praises of this enchanting place, without however being able to do it justice.

Some have also tried to study its beauty by resorting to science, complex mathematical formulas, complicated schemes, in a vain attempt to understand its secrets, its charm, and researching what resonates most intimately in the heart of those who admire it and fall in love with it. This is still unanswered, but perhaps, continuing to read its history, those who wonder where so much beauty comes from will find what they are looking for.

In times immemorial, when the deities still used to mix with mortals, a curious fact happened in that place where today Lake Maggiore gleams.
Once upon a time, the world was a magical place, where men and gods lived peacefully together, in balance and harmony, without however joining one another.
Legend has it that in times of peace, a beautiful goddess, for some Aprus, Flora for others, found herself walking in the woods, intent on caring for the branches of trees and scattering flowers on the meadows. While walking one day, her gaze was enraptured by a young man who was nearby. The sight of that chiseled and bright face, with soft and dark hair, made the Goddess go out of her mind and, disrespecting the millennial traditions, kidnap him and take him with her, away from everyone’s eyes, especially from those of Jupiter, whose wrath she feared. The place chosen by the goddess was exactly the same where Hotel Villa Paradiso stands today.

The Goddess kept her young man hidden; she loved to gaze on him without ever daring to touch him, afraid of killing him. When Jupiter discovered her, he decided to punish her by depriving her of what she held most dear: the young human.
At first, the desperate Goddess mourned the loss of her love and cursed herself for her selfishness, but then decided to honor her memory, creating something special: a monument to beauty, which would stand the test of time and celebrate their story.

In the place where the two had loved each other, the Goddess created a lake: the same body of water that is today called Lake Maggiore. The Goddess gave it life with crystal clear and luminous waters, surrounded by white coasts and rocky slopes; every corner of that land was covered with soft turf. Colored and fragrant flowers were placed on the ground, on the bushes, at the foot of the mountains, scattered profusely in memory of the wonderful moments that the two lovers had spent together; trees with long and luxuriant fronds also emerged to dot the plain around the lake.
The Goddess took care of every detail of that “Paradise” built entirely for her love. Every leaflet, every tuft of grass, every flower and every drop of the splendid lake are still the result of the love and powers of the Goddess of the Gardens.

Today, Lake Maggiore continues to shine for its beauty, thanks to the love of the Goddess for her mortal, a love that has never died out and continues to live, renewing itself over time.
Love is the secret that makes the lake so fascinating, irresistible for those who pass by it. A deep and kind love, which the memory of the Goddess made common to all men.
We would like to give space to adults, men and women, who “divinely” experience the beauty of those lands every day; we would like to talk about passions, love, enthusiasm, right because these are the ingredients that still make Lake Maggiore and its surrounding lands a unique place in the world, the fishermen who have not given in to the charm of the big cities, the mothers who raise their children by handing down their craftsmanship from generation to generation, because as with the Goddess and the Human, every story is worth being listened to, lived, loved.