The Gallia Family
The name Gallia is closely linked to the history of Italian hotel hospitality.
Carlo Gallia was the founder of the family. Fascinated by the brilliant career of Cesar Ritz (considered the ‘hotelier of kings’) at the end of the 19th century, at the age of 17 he left his family to learn what at the time was known as ‘the art of the visitor’ and stayed abroad for 15 years. He worked in various European countries alternating tourist locations with metropolis (London, Paris, Berlin, Lucerne, Monte Carlo and St. Moritz).
After establishing himself in his profession, he returned to Italy and opened the Hotel Excelsior Gallia and the Grand Hotel Continental in Milan. The luxury hotel trade had become the centre of life of high society and, as a result of its exclusive hospitality, the Gallia family soon became the symbol of the best hotel tradition in Italy.