#historic-hotels

#historic-hotels

The historic Southern California resort first opened in February 1888, and entering the landmarked Victorian building feels like stepping into a storybook. I could just imagine why an author as whimsical as Lyman Frank Baum, the man behind The Wizard of Oz series, felt so inspired there. Baum wrote at least three Oz books at "The Del," as it's affectionately known, between 1904 and 1917.

All these years later, here I am to do the same. Bill loved this place, naming it after his daughter and declaring it 'the sweetest hotel that ever was'. Nowadays his legacy is stamped all over town. The Irma sits on the US National Register of Historic Places, and Cody's charming wide streets, nightly rodeo, and excellent shopping proves almost as much a draw as Yellowstone itself.

Originally built in 1888 as a hunting lodge for the Austrian imperial family, Grand Hotel Fasano has evolved over the decades from a regal retreat into a gathering place for Europe's creative elite. (The guestbook includes names like Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, and German writer Paul Heyse-all luminaries who reportedly found inspiration here.) In 1989, it was designated a National Heritage Site by the Italian Ministry of Culture, and today, the hotel remains one of the region's most glamorous addresses.