The History

The origins

The exact date of opening is set around 1815 but our historic inn seems to have existed before the construction of the current building, specifically in the house designed by the engineer Carlo Bernardo Mosca (1792-1867).
“According to the Torellian catalogue, therefore, the oldest hotel in Turin, of which news has come, would be the one called del Pino near Porta Susina, to which a document of 26 October 1446 mentions […] but above all the hotel of San Giorgio had achieved some fame in that century. It stood at the very ancient church of S. Pietro del Gallo; and at the end of the fifteenth century it was held by Master Sebastiano di Collet.”

The ancient times

“The Cibrario in its important History of Turin reminds us that in 1481 the princess Chiara Gonzaga took up residence there and married the dauphin of Auvergne. In 1496, Marino Sanudo, ambassador of Venice, Galeazzo Visconti, ambassador of Milan, and the legates of Bern and Fribourg stayed there.” This is what Gaudenzio Claretta says in his book ‘Of the ancient hotels of Turin and the impressions of illustrious travellers’ published in Pinerolo in 1891.

The ancient building

The inn of San Giorgio was originally located at the beginning of the Pellicciai district, on the island of the Church of San Pietro del Gallo, in the current Piazza IV Marzo. In 1886, in fact, to create the diagonal that leads from Piazza San Giovanni to Via Milano, in correspondence with Via Corte d ‘Appello, one of the oldest parts of the city was demolished. Thus disappeared the district of the Cappel d ‘Oro, part of the district of the Quattro Pietre, the square of the Corona Grossa and part of the districts of the Fur and Pastry chefs.

The relocation

With the construction of Via IV Marzo, the business moved to Borgo Dora, replacing a post stop known as the “Ponte Dora” inn under the ownership of Maria Salvetti. Subsequently, it was transformed into a hotel-restaurant with an elevation of the building built in 1904 at the behest of Michele Truffo.
In the second half of the last century, several owners succeeded, from the illustrious Bartolomeo Olivetti of the 1950s, to Piero Banchi from the 1960s and up to Giancarlo Cristiani, a well-known Turin gallery owner, in the early years of this century.

A new beginning

The architect Simona Vlaic took over the structure in the summer of 2017 and wanted to restore the “San Giors of yesteryear”, from the furnishings to the atmospheres to the typical dishes, to make it once again one of the protagonists of Savoy catering and hospitality.

In February 2012 Eleonora Pollano had already carried out the restoration of the ancient enameled metal sign with an extraordinary result. In 2018, some renovations to the upper floors and rooms of the hotel allowed the San Giors to be further renovated without losing its soul.

The origins

The exact date of opening is set around 1815 but our historic inn seems to have existed before the construction of the current building, specifically in the house designed by the engineer Carlo Bernardo Mosca (1792-1867).

“According to the Torellian catalogue, therefore, the oldest hotel in Turin, of which news has come, would be the one called del Pino near Porta Susina, to which a document of 26 October 1446 mentions […] but above all the hotel of San Giorgio had achieved some fame in that century. It stood at the very ancient church of S. Pietro del Gallo; and at the end of the fifteenth century it was held by Master Sebastiano di Collet.”

The ancient times

“The Cibrario in its important History of Turin reminds us that in 1481 the princess Chiara Gonzaga took up residence there and married the dauphin of Auvergne. In 1496, Marino Sanudo, ambassador of Venice, Galeazzo Visconti, ambassador of Milan, and the legates of Bern and Fribourg stayed there.” This is what Gaudenzio Claretta says in his book ‘Of the ancient hotels of Turin and the impressions of illustrious travellers’ published in Pinerolo in 1891.

The ancient building

The inn of San Giorgio was originally located at the beginning of the Pellicciai district, on the island of the Church of San Pietro del Gallo, in the current Piazza IV Marzo. In 1886, in fact, to create the diagonal that leads from Piazza San Giovanni to Via Milano, in correspondence with Via Corte d ‘Appello, one of the oldest parts of the city was demolished. Thus disappeared the district of the Cappel d ‘Oro, part of the district of the Quattro Pietre, the square of the Corona Grossa and part of the districts of the Fur and Pastry chefs.

The relocation

With the construction of Via IV Marzo, the business moved to Borgo Dora, replacing a post stop known as the “Ponte Dora” inn under the ownership of Maria Salvetti. Subsequently, it was transformed into a hotel-restaurant with an elevation of the building built in 1904 at the behest of Michele Truffo.

In the second half of the last century, several owners succeeded, from the illustrious Bartolomeo Olivetti of the 1950s, to Piero Banchi from the 1960s and up to Giancarlo Cristiani, a well-known Turin gallery owner, in the early years of this century.

A new beginning

The architect Simona Vlaic took over the structure in the summer of 2017 and wanted to restore the “San Giors of yesteryear”, from the furnishings to the atmospheres to the typical dishes, to make it once again one of the protagonists of Savoy catering and hospitality.

In February 2012 Eleonora Pollano had already carried out the restoration of the ancient enameled metal sign with an extraordinary result. In 2018, some renovations to the upper floors and rooms of the hotel allowed the San Giors to be further renovated without losing its soul.

Our prestigious guests

There are many distinguished guests (painters, musicians, poets, writers, photographers, architects, etc.) who have stayed at the San Giors and perhaps this place was also their inspiration. Among these:

Dario Voltolini

writer

Marta Cai

writer

Piero Bianucci

journalist and writer

Simonetta Rho

journalist

Sergio Rubini

actor and director

Carlo De Ruggieri

actor

Paolo Fresu

musician and composer

Guido Catalano

poet

Axel Bernolin

musician

Alessandro Baricco

writer

Patrizia Mottola

voice actress

Giovanni Caccamo

singer

TRE ICS

street artist

U G O A R T

visual artist

Carlin Petrini

writer

Giobbe Covatta

comedian and writer

Luca Bianchini

writer

Manuel Agnelli

singer

Sergio Vastano

actor

Neja

singer

Ezio Mauro

journalist

Christian Greco

archeologist

Michele Sinisi

actor

Lorenzo Torasso

painter

Paolo Crepet

writer

Ferdinando Baratelli

painter

Francesco Randazzo

radio host

Marlen Pizzo

radio host

Opiemme

visual artist

Samuel

singer

Piero Maranghi

producer and theater director

Mauro Tarantini

comedian

Matteo Negrin

musician

Willy Ghia

interior designer

Wubik

street artist

Gad Lerner

journalist

Diego Perrone

singer and musician

Germano Tagliasacchi

architect

Gianfranco Gritella

architect

Marco Missiroli

writer

Enrico Pandiani

writer

Luciana Littizzetto

comedian and writer

Ernesto Morales

painter

Gianluca De Angelis

comedian

Marco Crespi

sports commentator and coach

Giorgia Madonno

painter

Roby Facchinetti

singer

Cristiano De Andrè

singer

Motta

singer

Carolina Crescentini

actress

Sergio Di Gennaro

musician

Veronica Perego

musician

Sofia Elena Taglioni

actress

Eugenio Franceschini

actor

Milovan Farronato

art critic and curator

Saverio Raimondo

comedian

Cauleen Smith

artist

Brunori Sas

singer

Niccolò Ammaniti

writer

Truly Design

urban artists crew

Riccardo Cecchetti

painter

Fabio Petani

street artist

FanniDada

visual & sound artists

Etnik

street artist

Roby Vaio

dj

Dan Solo

musician

Ugo Venturini

sculptor

Max Casacci

musician

Serena Dandini

tv host and writer

Daria Bignardi

journalist and writer

Anna Barbero Beerwald

musician

Lord Theremin

musician

Pierfrancesco Favino

actor

Walter Leonardi

actor

Niccolò Fabi

singer

Marco Damilano

journalist

Alessandro Sciaraffa

architect

Antonella Frontani

journalist and writer

Bruno Petronzi

art designer

Cornelia Badelita

art graphic

Michele Liuzzi

visual artist

Daniele Galliano

painter

Fabiano Speziari

visual artist

Mr Fijodor

urban artist

Filippo de Sambuy

painter

Corn79

urban artist

Flavio Stroppini

writer and storyteller

Gianluigi Carlone

actor and comedian

Alessandro Berardi

designer

Giorgio Ramella

painter

Giorgio Caponetti

writer

Jan Meissner

photographer and film maker

Johnson Righeira

singer

Anna Vinzi

painter

Laura Cantarella

photographer and architect

Matteo Pericoli

architect and illustrator

Natalino Tabasso

director and writer

Octavio Floreal

painter

The real Turin

Walking through the streets surrounding Piazza della Repubblica, you can enjoy the real Turin with its markets, houses, details, courtyards, doorways, stores and cafes. Cultures, flavours and experiences combine in a neighborhood that reatin its precise identity and a strong sense of beloning.

The Balôn

Near the hotel, every Saturday morning and the second Sunday of every month, there is plenty to get lost in among the fine brocantage and adorable knick-knacks for sale on the stalls of the Balôn, Turin’s oldest and most famous flea market.