With the inauguration of the international station in 1882, Luino attracted entrepreneurs and visitors from all over Europe. The small village was about to undergo a transformation, involving a process of modernization and urbanization to meet the needs of rapidly growing tourism. Luino Belle Époque flourished with the construction of elegant villas, but also with the opening of grand hotels: the Simplon, the Hotel de la Poste, the Internazionale, and the Verbania. Among these, the Grand Hotel Métropole boasted a strategic location near the pier and the tramway connecting Luino to Varese. Completed in 1900, the hotel overlooked the park that the Crivelli counts had donated for public use. A center of social life, it contributed to the development of tourism in Luino. However, it was short-lived: it closed in 1913 when, as a result of the war, the Gotthard railway service was interrupted. It was the end of the Belle Époque in Luino.