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Secret past: Inside Milan’s crumbling Art Deco ‘day hotel’
Milan's Albergo Diurna Venezia 'day hotel' —
Before the age of modern home plumbing, Milan's high society would meet at the Albergo Diurna Venezia, a beautiful subterranean bath house and spa center, to perform their ablutions.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Hidden past —
Built a century ago, the Albergo gradually fell out of use over the years as it was outpaced by modern sanitation standards. It's still there, though, hidden behind a rusted door in a Milan metro station.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Old-style 'mall' —
The Albergo "was a multi-service center with all imaginable facilities, very much like a modern airport or shopping mall today," says Lucia Borromeo of the preservation organization FAI, which maintains the building.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Daily rituals —
"Back at that time, even middle-class houses had no showers and bathtubs. These were a luxury, so people came here to wash on a daily basis," says Borromeo.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Classless and clean —
"We had room for all social classes: Elegant bourgeois ladies, young apprentices, old men, masons and even tramps queued outside," says former Albergo worker Rita Sorrenti.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Height of luxury —
The most luxurious bathrooms came with marble floors and a private toilet, a privilege few could afford.
Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Frozen in time —
Visitors can still see the 30 public "day baths" and pools, the barber shops, travel agencies, beauticians, post offices, bank, currency exchange stands and public telephones.