Europe travel guide

Blaze at historic hotel

The historic hotel Des Bains, the Venice hotel where Thomas Mann set his novella Death in Venice, has been damaged by fire and the hotel closed.

The blaze damaged 10 rooms at the hotel, located on Venice's Lido. The hotel was alight for four hours overnight and is thought to have started with an electrical fault. There were no injuries reported.

The fire could delay the seasonal opening, set for April, after the hotel's winter shutdown. The Art Nouveau hotel also featured in the hit 1971 movie based on Death in Venice, directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Dirk Bogarde as the leading character, an artist who travels to Venice and becomes obsessed with a beautiful boy.

This article was written for TravelSavvy Europe by Val Adams. For more information see: Venice - Where to stay. If you know of an interesting European travel related news story, please get in contact.