100 years of the Grand Hotel Sitea
A century of hospitality in Turin
04 July 2025 · Alexandra Gorsche
Turin is rich in history, but few places tell it as vividly as the Grand Hotel Sitea. Since it was founded on February 19, 1925, the hotel has shaped the city's upscale hotel industry and in a century has evolved from an elegant city hotel to a culture-driven symbol of Turin's entrepreneurial and gastronomic spirit. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2025, it is worth taking a look behind the scenes of a hotel that has never looked back, but has always looked forward with attitude and style.
One family, four generations, one vision
Emiliano Lera, an experienced hotelier with an international background, acquired the then Società Italiana Terme e Alberghi (S.I.T.E.A.) hotel in 1925, laying the foundations for a family tradition that continues to this day. With each generation, the hotel has evolved without ever losing its soul. Today, Federico and Niccolò Buratti are the fourth generation to run the Grand Hotel Sitea with the aim of being a place of openness, encounters and elegant urbanity.
A place of history and stories
Famous names such as Louis Armstrong, Maradona, Rita Levi Montalcini and Tim Burton are among the long list of guests. But it's not just celebrities, political history has also left its mark: in 1944, the hotel was confiscated by the Reparti Anti Partigiani - one of the few interruptions in its long period of operation. Even during the 2020 pandemic, the team realized for the first time that the Sitea had never needed keys on its doors before.
Cuisine as a cultural institution: the Carignano
Since 1925, the Grand Hotel has also had its own restaurant, which is now known as Ristorante Carignano for its Michelin-award-winning cuisine. Under the management of Davide Scabin, it has become Turin's culinary flagship in recent years. To mark the anniversary, Scabin is serving the exclusive “250/100” menu: a journey through 13 iconic dishes from his career. The Carignano has deliberately opened up to the local population and has evolved from a classic hotel restaurant into a destination for gourmets.
Expansion with vision: Royal Palace and Sitea Events
Since 2019, the Royal Palace Luxury Suites have complemented the ensemble: six historic suites in a baroque palace, restored with sensitivity. This was followed in 2023 by the Luxury Lodges in Grange Sises-Sestriere, a chalet experience with five-star service. At the same time, Carignano Banqueting gave rise to the event label Sitea Events, which stands for exclusive weddings and business events in Piedmont.
“Il Valore del Tempo”: The value of time as an attitude
As part of the anniversary celebrations, the hotel launched the Il Valore del Tempo project together with Exclusive Brands Torino (EBT). The aim is to make the entrepreneurial history of Turin visible and also to give space to the hotel's own development. The event kicked off with an exhibition by watch manufacturer Allemano - a quiet yet impressive plea for consistency and change in equal measure.
Our conclusion
The Grand Hotel Sitea is more than just a luxury hotel: it is a living archive, a cultural hub and a role model for the concept of hospitality in the 21st century. If you want to understand Turin, you should not only stay overnight here, but also linger, listen and taste. Because time is not just a clock here - it is part of the experience.
