32 Grand Old Railway Hotels Left Vacant Along Forgotten Routes

21. Hôtel de la Ville (Varese), Italy: Lake Como Gateway's Railway Elegance

Varese, a gateway city to the Italian Lakes region, was a significant railway hub for tourists from Milan heading to destinations like Lake Como. The Hôtel de la Ville (opened c. 1870s) was one of the grandest hotels serving this influx of rail travelers. While not as dramatically abandoned as Campo dei Fiori, many of Varese's large, elegant railway-era hotels, including parts of this one at various times, faced periods of underuse and felt like relics of a bygone era of leisurely rail holidays as travel patterns shifted.