Hotel Danieli

Venice

Enchanting Venice invokes desire and seduces anyone who ventures through its narrow streets, along its canals or in the shadow of its palaces which recall the former power and glory of this sovereign Adriatic city. Consisting of a multitude of islands (118 to be exact), connected to each other by more than 400 bridges, the city of the Doges is a labyrinth in which only veteran Venetians manage not to get lost. Venice, the Gateway to the Orient, rid itself of Byzantine rule in the 8^th century by electing its first doge and conquering the Mediterranean. Its merchants returned from remote eastern countries with silks and spices, assuring the city’s wealth and power until the 18^th century.

The architecture illustrates its prestigious past. The San Marco Basilica is a pure example of Venice’s Byzantine heritage, as are the palaces on the Grand Canal and the Saint-Mary and Saint Donat churches in nearby Murano. On the Piazza San Marco - St. Mark’s Place, the most elegant salon in Europe, the Gothic looking Palace of the Doge personifies Venetian genius. Shaped by the greatest architects and decorated by the most talented painters, it represents seat of the Venetian administration. Facing it, the Winged Lion of Saint Mark, the powerful protector of the city, watches over the palaces and other architectural treasures the city possesses. It’s a museum-city as well as a village-city with numerous “sestieri” or neighborhoods, which are ideal for walking, and getting lost in the charming narrow and winding medieval streets. And upon returning to the Piazza San Marco, under the arcades, we find the celebrated early 18^th century Florian Café where we can sip a hot chocolate and watch the gondolas sailing up and down the canals.

A symbol of the Serenissima

Just a few steps from the Piazza San Marco, facing the lagoon, the Hotel Danieli’s three palaces are connected to each other by a series of suspension bridges.

The hotel was originally located in the Palazzo Dondolo, a 14^th century palace belonging to a famous family that gave several doges to the “Serenissima” (short for “The Most Serene Republic of Venice as Venice used to be called). It was prolonged into the adjacent palace, the Casa Nuova, in 1906, and a third one was built for the hotel in 1948.

Today, this exceptional ensemble covers 150,000 square meters. The interior is sumptuous. From the regal looking lobby to the restaurants, from the reception salons to the most modest suite, we find Murano glass chandeliers, hand worked marble columns, precious carpets and voluptuous fabrics. In the Dondolo Palace, the ceilings are decorated with gold, and the doors in finely carved wood.

The rooms take their inspiration from the Gothic, the Baroque, the Italian Empire or the classical Venetian era and possess refined furniture, marble or antique parquet floors, sumptuous fabrics and vertiginous high ceilings.

In the historical suites, the immense folding doors, decorated with colored glass, open onto the balconies, offering guests a spectacular view of San Giorgio Island, the Grand Canal and the Punta della Dogana. The same precious details are present in the Casa Nuova, as is the splendor, which seems perfectly natural here.

As for the Palazzo Danieli Excelsior, the newest part was recently renovated by French designer, Jacques Garcia in the Second Empire style he is particularly fond of. Gold is used for the moldings and red for the curtains. The floors and ceilings are velvet, the furniture, 1860, lamps with frosted glass and chamfered mirrors. For the rooms of the Terrazza, the restaurant that takes up the top floor of the Palazzo Danieli Excelsior, Jacques Garcia pays a vibrant tribute to the City of the Doges. The Terrazza’s long balcony above the water gives guests an incomparable view of Venice.

Once comfortably ensconced on this promontory, it’s time to taste the cuisine of Gian Nicola Colucci, the Chef, from Turin, and his oriental dishes. While observing the constant ballet of the gondolas, the vaporetti and the motoscafi on the lagoon, one can take pleasure in dreaming of the Venetian nobles, who centuries earlier, watched the arrival of their ships returning from the far off Orient.

The Danieli has hosted a number of illustrious guests including Goethe, Wagner, Honoré de Balzac and, Charles Dickens. George Sand and Alfred de Musset lived together here from December 31^st, 1833 to March 1834.