Venice is a unique city that continuously contrasts the old and the new. Visiting here is like taking a trip back in time to a more graceful age, despite the reminders of the present, like one’s arrival at Marco Polo Airport or the proliferation of modern brands in Venice, although the latter are admittedly tucked behind colonnades and arches to blend into their storied surroundings. Venice has always called to lovers of history and by-gone eras, of culture, architecture, and artistry. Late last summer, for the 2019 Biennale, the NAVIS team had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the city’s most exceptional hospitality and food & beverage purveyors. When an opportunity presented for a quick return, we literally leapt at the chance the weekend before Carnevale was scheduled to begin. Mid-winter is always a favorite time to visit; although a bit chilly, there’s less rain than in autumn, fewer tourists, and the earlier sunsets lend to the historic feel, with a cast of romance and mystery.
Case in point: the much-lauded San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice, home to the exceptional Acquerello Restaurant and award-winning Merchant of Venice Spa. On its own little island in the Venetian lagoon, the site was originally a former monastery built some 900 years ago. A tiny church remains, as do the lush, mature gardens that welcome you as you pull up to the dock. The island is a short 10-minute ride to bustling San Marco, which you can see from some of the resort’s public spaces and rooms. The resort is a magnificently redesigned world away from the bustling city center, its room inventory boasting the largest suites in Venice, offering an outdoor pool, running trails, fitness center, tennis court and more features than possible in a city hotel.The resort relies on a helipad and private boat docking for yachts up to 35 m., and only the hotel shuttles and guests with their yachts reach here (upon prior dock reservation and availability), so guests are assured of privacy, in addition to a high level of cossetting service and care.With discreet privacy, exceptional service, and food, as well as opulent décor that blends graceful old with stylish new, what more could one want?
We were soon to explore that notion with the assistance of the head concierge and his team. We first settled into the San Clemente Suite (awarded as Europe’s Leading Hotel Suite 2018, WTA-World Travel Awards), enjoying the panoramic views that every room offered of the lagoon, neighboring islands, and the postcard fantasy of La Serenissima. This suite spans an entire floor in an off-set wing of the building. The sleek and contemporary furnishings of the suite are gracefully juxtaposed with high, exposed timber ceilings and masonry features integrated from the original monastery. By combining the San Clemente Suite with all the other regular and junior-suites in this wing, management is able to transform this into an ultra-private, 8-bedroom palazzo, independent from the hotel.
After a day or so of luxurious privacy, one would want to explore the iconic sites beckoning from across the lagoon. The concierge and his team made sure our yearnings for the call of old Venice were well-heard by arranging visits to workshops of artisans who excel in the modern by recalling the artisanship of days long-gone.
Our first visit was to Atelier Segalin in San Marco, where the quickly vanishing classic art of hand-crafted custom shoes has achieved a renaissance. On the little showroom -cum-workshop first opened in 1932 by master craftsmen Rolando Segalin and his father, Antonio. Here on Calle Fuseri, we met Daniela Ghezzo, who runs the business now. Originally studying to become an artist, she later apprenticed under Rolando Segalin and took over the enterprise after his death. Both art and craft combine splendidly here. Make no mistake, hers is a world away from those skimpy sandals you can bling up and customize from the dozens of shops on Capri. At Atelier Segalin, there are more than colored leather straps that go into a shoe. From the moment you step in, you see Sig’ra Ghezzo as first, an engaged salesperson, sizing up her clients quickly by watching where their hands and eyes stray. It’s a joy to observe her taking ultimate pleasure in showing the enticing quality hides and leathers in her showroom inventory and the dozens of shoes on display. The painstakingly measuring of a client’s foot, carefully outlines every curve, and every nuance of its outline. We counted no fewer than 40 calibrations, all the while engaged in a detailed conversation with her client about her process. Once inside her workshop, with its walls lined with shelves upon shelves of lasts, the artisan emerges. Each pair might be a 3-month project, from start to finish, with prices as considerable as the wait. Your results may vary here, depending on whether you are seeking something comfortably classic, uniquely stylish and new, restoring a treasured vintage pair, or creating something audaciously original, say, for Carnevale. Whatever your ultimate aim in commissioning your dream pair at Atelier Segalin, you can be assured that no one else will be wearing the shoes that cradle your feet.
Perhaps no more authentically Venetian handicraft exists than mask-making, the ancient craft that tiny stalls along the city’s winding streets are crammed full, but if you are seeking handmade quality from Venice than merely a potentially imported souvenir, you need to continue looking. We found Gualtiero Dall’ Osto, a larger-than-life master mask-maker, when we visited Tragicomica in San Polo, on Rio Tera’ dei Nombola, a quick stroll from the Rialto Bridge. The shop itself, a “transformations factory,” is as visually riotous, as its name – and Dall’ Osto’s profession -- are tongue-twisting. Dall’ Osto is an internationally exhibited artisan and consults on costuming and masks for theatrical and movie productions. His work, over many decades, seems in part responsible for the resurgence of full-blown Carnevale celebrations here. What strikes you as you walk in the door here are the countless masks of all sizes and guises from skulls, harlequins, angels, fantastical animals and terrifying monsters. They gaze or leer at you, and promise not just to hide or disguise but to regenerate. No matter what position you hold, behind the mask everyone is really on the same level: scholar, rogue, royal, buffoon, plague doctor or ingenue. Custom masks begin with a hand-carved to spec clay mold and, afterwards a negative plaster mold, the final product rendered in papier mache or even leather. No time for custom? Unfinished versions abound here, so you can hire one of Dall’ Osto’s team to apply gold or silver leaf, paint, feathers, crystals, lace, and reliefs to match your fantasy persona. Or, you can DIY it, which always turns into a transformation on its own.
On the return back to Isola San Clemente, we watch as bustling St. Mark’s Square recedes from view, as does the chaos of today’s world continuously buffeting the stoic, serene streets and buildings which have seen centuries pass. We were told that San Clemente is not merely one of 118 islands in Venice’s lagoons. For over 100 years, between the 15th and 16th centuries, it was known as the “gateway to Venice.” The Doge would take his ceremonial barge out to welcome and meet with distinguished visitors. On their return through the Grand Canal, the visitors would be treated to grand displays of spectacle and entertainment. We thought it was grand that some things don’t change with the times.
