History
The architecture and other colonial elements, such as the palm trees in the gardens, are typical of the period in which the hotel was built.
Origins
In 1896, the prestigious architect Gaietá Bohigás built the house for the family of Severiano Virella Cassañes, son and heir of Francisco Virella, an “Indiano” (someone who was successful in the former Spanish colonies) who made his fortune in Venezuela and was the owner of “La Deseada”, a large farm where the main crops were corn and tobacco.
Bohigás, the architect behind major works such as the Columbus monument in Barcelona, built Can Severiano in less than a year. The property was designed as a private residence. Severiano Virella himself, his wife, his brother and his three children, Severianito, Pepita and María, lived in the house, which was named “Villa María” in honour of the latter.
Josefa Solé Claret was the wife of Severiano Virella, a native of Lleida and the daughter of a well-known landowner. At the age of 12, she was sent to a French boarding school in Barcelona, where she received the typical education for women of high society at the time.
It was in Barcelona that she met Mr Virella, and the couple married and moved to Sitges. Josefa took an active part in various local activities, particularly charitable work.
The Virella-Solé couple had three children. Severianito died of pneumonia when he was still a child. The family was then struck by more misfortune, losing their daughter María at the age of 20 to one of the occasional outbreaks of typhus that plagued Spain in the early 20th century. Luckily, the youngest of the three siblings, Pepita, survived and excelled as a concert pianist to the point of being considered a child prodigy.
María José Virella Solé (Pepita) studied with professionals of the stature of Enrique Granados, Frank Marshall and Arthur Rubinstein, among others. At the age of 13, she performed in the Royal Palace of Madrid for Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg.
The Virella-Solé family shared their life with another member of the family, Francisco Virella Cassañes (alias Tío Panchito), Severiano’s brother, a well-known opera critic and music historian in Catalonia, as well as a columnist for La Publicidad and a prominent member of several cultural institutions of the time. Francisco practised law in his early career, but blindness led him to abandon his legal career. He died at the age of 37.
For personal reasons, the family temporarily moved to Lleida. During their stay, Severiano died of a heart attack and Josefa, his wife, decided to return to Sitges and sell the house.
Over the years and with the many changes of ownership, the building has undergone significant structural changes. In fact, rooms have disappeared from the house and elements of the property have been transformed, such as the carports, where we now find the bar and pool. In its heyday, Villa María had a staff of nine domestic servants.
The hotel
In the 1960s, the family home was converted into a hotel, and under the name of Sitges Park Hotel, it played an important role in the tourist boom of Sitges.
In 2012, medium hoteles took over the management of the hotel and modernised the facilities, maintaining the personality of the chain and offering modern comforts while respecting the original architecture.
hotel medium sitges park is very bright and decorated in Mediterranean tones, in keeping with the traditional nautical standards of Sitges and its famous blauet (the characteristic blue of the area). All our rooms have been designed to provide peace and relaxation. Enjoy an oasis of tranquillity in the centre of Sitges.
