This lovely hotel of 45 rooms – it currently has 20 and 25 more will be added toward the end of the year-, many of them suites or junior suites with spectacular views over the Rialto Bridge or the Grand Canal, was founded, designed and curated by husband and wife team, Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo. Both were born in Venice and are known for their creative and entrepreneurial minds that, more than 20 years ago, conceived and founded Golden Goose, a brand that has become known worldwide. They have been the creators of all the details in this project: from the interior design to the selection of the works of art.

“The Venice Venice Hotel is the hotel that Venice was missing.”

What is the concept behind The Venice Venice Hotel?

The fundamental idea behind the project was to reinstate the avant-garde concept in Venice, almost like returning to its “Venetianness” (venezianità). And in order to do so, they backed what is a very original proposal within the hotel sector, in which the hotel becomes the connection between the Biennales, the most avant-garde exhibitions of international contemporary art, and Venice, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world.

“Our concept of sober luxury, not at all ostentatious, relatable and connected to the world of art, opens out to the city through spaces which not only the hotel guests can access.”

With this vision in mind, it is easier to understand the “postvenezianità” concept, presented in a manifesto published in 2021, that evoked the anticipatory scope of the new style that The Venice Venice Hotel, together with a broad collective of artists involved in the project, offers its international audience. It was for that reason, and with the desire to reclaim the eternal spirit of the avant-garde that underlies Venice, that The Venice Venice hotel chose the ancient Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto and the adjoining Palazzo Ca’ Dolfin as the ideal location to unveil what “the Venice of tomorrow” will look like.

What distinguishing elements make up The Venice Venice Hotel?

Every space at The Venice Venice Hotel tells a piece of history, the vision of an artist or an artistic movement that has contributed to defining the contemporary art world over the past seventy years. Here you can find prominent works and recent installations designed specifically for the hotel by artists such as Francesco Simeti, Pol Polloniato, Fabio Viale, Igor Mitoraj and Renato d’Agostin, along with spaces dedicated entirely to movements such as Fluxus and Poesia Visiva with works of artists ranging from Joseph Beuys to Giuseppe Chiari.

As if this weren’t enough, radical architecture is also present through Works by Superstudio and Gruppo 9999; Arte Povera with masterpieces by Kounellis, Zorio, Fabbro and Boetti; conceptual art, including a large installation by Hanne Darboven, as well as a room dedicated to the “cycle of hands” (1980- 1983) by the Austrian artist Arnulf Rainer.

Also, a significant space has been allocated to the informative material, “Ephemera” and “Livre d’art”, that contribute to narrating in a more profound way the lives and times of the distinguished artistic movements and artists represented.

And what about the Palazzo in which the hotel is located?

It is marvellous to have seen the rebirth of this majestic building, Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto, that has amazing views over the Grand Canal towards the Rialto Bridge and the ancient markets.

“Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto is one of the oldest palaces in the city.”

Above all because this Palazzo is a Byzantine dream as, for centuries, this area was the hub of the republic’s commercial activities: the perfect place to trade goods and exchange knowledge of the distant worlds gradually being discovered. That’s why, Ca’ da Mosto has a long history that speaks of adventurers, navigators, illustrious personalities, and above all, hospitality. From the 17^th to the 19^th century, the palace was the seat of the most famous hotel in Europe, the Leon Bianco, deemed the favourite destination of royalty, czars, artists, poets, writers, and aristocrats taking part in the Grand Tour.

Despite its glorious past, Ca’ da Mosto was abandoned for decades. This meant that, unfortunately, the Palazzo surrendered to a future of decay, depriving Venice of one of its most significant and vital symbols of economic dominance.

Luckily, today, after a challenging restoration that has taken 5 years to complete, it has finally revived becoming a secret refuge for the eternal avant-garde spirit of Venice.

In regard to gastronomy, how many gastronomic spaces do you have and what services do they offer?

At The Venice Venice Hotel there is a restaurant that offers exquisite breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners.

The fun aesthetic and the pop-inspired style of the menus available throughout the day invites diners to enjoy international dishes and regional specialties, such as the vast selection of “cicchetti”, which are small plates typical of Venetian cuisine.

At sunset, amber light envelops the ancient Byzantine façade of the Palazzo and it is an ideal time to have a drink, dine and allow yourself to be carried away by the Dolce far niente…

“We offer a unique experience in an evocative, historic space in which there is a strong connection between architecture, art, design, gastronomy, fashion and fun.”

But if you feel like dancing and/or attending an event, they also have The Venice Bitter Club which can only be accessed by invitation or The Altana Roof Top, where private celebrations are held.

Your shop holds several treasures. What can you tell us about that?

The Venice M’art is a new shopping concept. All the fashion garments and designer objects are specially selected so that both the guests and anybody else that is interested in the shop, may have the chance to purchase something unique, often locally sourced and always with the unmistakable hallmark of the hotel.

In fact, there is a purposely created Golden Goose model that can only be purchased here.

Every one of your rooms is a project in itself and conveys a variation of the post-Venetian style of the hotel. And that implies making us feel as if we are part of a work of art itself.

Yes. Thank you very much! Our rooms do not follow the strict parameters generally specified to fit into typical hotel categories. In our case, each room is a composition unto itself: the expression of a unique project representing the best possible architectural solution that the team was able to develop while respecting the layout of the ancient Palazzo and its inalterable partitions.

The Venice Venice Hotel has extraordinarily large, spacious rooms with astonishingly high ceilings coupled with spectacular views over the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge, that also coexist with rooms that are smaller but by no means inferior. All of them are characterized by the same high level of furniture and decor, regardless of their size.

What other services do you offer your clients?

The Venice Venice Hotel offers many experiences both in this historic city as well as in the hotel. An example is the felix anima spa, where we carry out body treatments inside an environment that is in turn an artistic installation.

(*) Photos by The Venice Venice Hotel.

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