I wonder who created the delightful paintings that form the background to the opening credits? They are in an art nouveau style somewhat similar to Mucha, but they are not by him. Alas, I don't have high expectations of finding the answer...
shareI am pretty certain that they are by Ernesto Basile, the architect also responsible for the hotel appearing at some point during the movie. I knew beforehand that the hotel was designed by Ernesto Basile and as soon, as I googled his name, the very paintings shown during the opening credits came up in the image search.
Here is some additional evidence to back the search:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/saromarina/2303500173/
http://images.alinari.it/cariplo/DEA-S-008701-8102.jpg