Giuseppe Gianella

 Antonio Balbiani in his book "Como, its lake, its valleys and its described and illustrated villas", issued in 1877 describes the landing at Cadenabbia in the following way:

Giuseppe Gianella came to Cadenabbia with very little money, but with a strong will and an undertaking spirit. He took the management of an Inn. At that time, nobody could imagine that later on that humble building would be turned into the charming Hotel Belle Vue. Giuseppe Gianella was industrious, bold, of right views, self confident, honest in his business, kind to his inferiors and noble with the great. He was able to earn the sympathy of the rich English, who came to this Riviera in increasing number year after year. The local people gratefully remember him for having been one of the promoters and supporters of the road that now connects Cadenabbia to Menaggio, as he sponsored it with large amounts of money; and it is for his good action that Cadenabbia has now a telegraph office. Nowadays the great man rests in the cemetery of Griante, but his memory will last for a long time in the charming cluster where he lived such a laborious and honoured life.

Augusto Giacosa in his book Sulle rive del lago (1956) writes:

"..Because the Hotel Belle Vue at Cadenabbia is an institution, like Villa d'Este at Cernobbio and the Hotel Volta in Como. Because of its origins and its history, it is something more than a Hotel, it is a monument the artist erected to himself through his many years' work: Giuseppe Gianella".

"Let's go and have a drink at the Ca (house) de la Nabbia" said the boatmen at the beginning of 1800, as they landed at this sheltered harbour for the night or to avoid the inclemency of the weather. By the harbour there was an old and modest inn called "Ca de la Nabbia" after the name of the its backyard, now part of Villa Carlotta gardens.

It was a beautiful Sunday of May or September, who knows, when a young-man, who allowed himself the pleasure, a real treat for him, of a tour on lake Como, happened to land here. He was a kitchen boy in a restaurant in Como and the owner, together with the permit, gave him the money for the trip as a token for his good behaviour. The young-man stepped off at Cadenabbia and maybe he, too, had a good glass of the celebrated wine, but for sure, he did not think about the excellency of it. Instead, he was raptured by the glorious and ravishing beauty of the spot that, in that very day or May or September, should have been at the top of its splendour, in a triumph of colours and perfumes. The young-man was Giuseppe Gianella, Italian Swiss for birth. When back in Como, Gianella could not help thinking about the old inn by the harbour at Cadenabbia. He felt that his future and his life were bound to that place, too nice to be left only to the boatmen, who did not even appreciate it. He decided to speak about it to a dear friend of his, who was like a father to him, who was a master-builder in Como and who, certainly, would have helped him in realising his dream: to buy and transform that modest inn into a Hotel for visitors and tourists. Camanni, the master-builder, decided to go and see the place. He liked it and trusting in Gianella's skill, he decided to give him both the money and his work for realising the project. So the old and modest inn was bought and turned into a Hotel. It was the year 1801. In no time the hotel thrived and had to be enlarged by the acquisition of the neighbouring houses of the Gianzini and Brentano. Celebrated clients flowed there and the fame of the hotel spread throughout the world so that Cadenabbia became a delightful resort for those who chose to come here".  Augusto Giacosa carries on by interviewing the manager of the hotel and writes: ". Chevalier Fedele (a Gianella's descendant) shows us an old album on which the foreign travellers used to write their impression on the place together with their signatures. The album is a valuable historical document and bears the signature of three Emperors. Going through the yellowish pages of the old booklet the manager keeps in the hotel safe, in the year 1839 we read: Victoire Alexandrine d'Angleterre et des Indes. Queen Victoria of England knew very well and appreciated the best Italian spots, therefore we are not surprised to find her signature in the Cadenabbia Hotel Belle Vue album. How many memories come out from the safe! There is a photo of an old man in a plane leaves carved wooden frame; the gentleman is H. W. Longfellow, the American poet. His family wanted to give the photo to the hotel where he used to come so frequently for inspiration. Well known is the poetry he dedicate to Cadenabbia, dated 1872.