9 minute read
ITALY Venice and Beyond Adventures Around the Lagoon
VENICE AND BEYOND: ADVENTURES AROUND THE LAGOON
While visitors to Venice tend not to wander far from the principal island, often venturing only to nearby Murano or Burano, rich rewards await more curious travelers who use the floating city as a base to explore the attractions of the wider Veneto region.
Text Olivier Reneau – Photos Roberta Valerio
Left: A Franciscan friar, a resident of the San Francesco del Deserto island. This page: Canals of the Sestiere Castello, behind the Londra Palace Venezia.
EVEN IF YOU RETURN TO VENICE AGAIN AND AGAIN, the Queen of the Adriatic always offers something new to discover, especially if you allow yourself to roam into its lesser-known areas. For nearly 170 years, the Londra Palace Venezia has had the privilege of overlooking the Riva degli Schiavoni with its 100 iconic windows. It is also located at the gateway to the Sestiere di Castello quarter, full of authentic charm but not always a destination for visitors exploring the main island. The hotel’s director, Alain Bullo, a pure-bred Venetian, knows this part of the city like the back of his hand. Not only was he born at the nearby Pio Ospedale della Pietà, but as a youngster he would often visit his father at work–he was concierge at the very same hotel. Today, he keeps the memories of his early years in Castello alive, from his childhood adventures to his wedding at the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora. As we stroll through the neighborhood, he regales us with stories of its surrounding facets: first to a nearby footbridge, next to admire a hanging garden on a terrace, then to pause in front of Sotoportego dei Preti. “This place commemorates a love story between a fisherman and a mermaid,” he says. “Venice is brimming with such legendary spots.” After an espresso at the Al Leone Bianco bar–named in honor of the feline statues facing it–we head for Burano island by boat to discover the colorful fishermen’s houses and a culinary hidden gem, Trattoria Al Gatto Nero, again named for a cat. “You’ll see, Lucia and Ruggero Bovo are in a class of their own when it comes to cooking fish,” he says. Without hesitation, he orders a risotto di gò, made with stock prepared using this bony fish; and a plate of moeche, the soft-shelled crabs of the lagoon, leaving no doubt why he frequents this trattoria.
On our return journey, navigating between some of the city’s 117 islands, Alain shares further curiosities gleaned from a lifetime on the lagoon. “San Francesco del Deserto is occupied by a convent that the Franciscans built in tribute to Saint Francis, who lived on the island upon returning from Egypt in 1220.” The place is perfectly calm, with a timeless beauty. Pulling up alongside Sant’Erasmo, he shows us the vineyard that produced the white wine we enjoyed at lunch. Here on Venice’s largest island, known as the city’s ‘kitchen garden’ and well known for its artichokes, the Frenchman Michel Thoulouze planted old-fashioned grape varieties, such as Malvoisie Istrienne, some 20 years ago. “Orto, which is Italian for ‘kitchen garden,’ is the only wine produced here. But what a wine it is, and it paved the way for other wine-making initiatives in the lagoon,” says Alain. He disembarks at the foot of the statue of Victor Emmanuel II that faces the hotel (newly renovated in 2022), but our boat continues westward. In fact, this waterway follows one that Venetian nobles in the 16th century would take to reach their country homes. Back then, the Republic of Venice
Top left: The Londra Palace Venezia overlooking the Riva degli Schiavoni. Top right: Alain Bullo on the Campo de le Gorne. Above: The dining room of Do Leoni restaurant, at Londra Palace Venezia. Bottom left: Ruggero Bovo, chef of La Trattoria Al Gatto Nero. Bottom right: The colorful facades of houses on Burano island.
LONDRA PALACE VENEZIA, Venice, Italy
© LONDRA PALACE VENEZIA
This page: Villa Foscari, the only building located along the Brenta designed by architect Andrea Palladio. Right: Detail of a fresco by Pietro Liberi at Villa Foscarini Rossi.
© MR MRS PORTER VILLA FRANCESCHI, Mira, Italy
Read our Venetian stories Above left: Villa Franceschi’s façade. Above right: Flamboyant statuary at Villa Pisani, now officially a museum. Below left: The owning family of Villa Franceschi: the father Remigio Dal Corso, the chef of the property with his sons Alessandro and Dario. Below right: A guest room in the Villa Franceschi.
stretched from the lagoon to Padua and the architect Andrea Palladio was making a name as one of the region’s major figures of architectural innovation with his eponymous Palladian Villas, alongside other architects’ equally grandiose visions. For convenience’s sake, many such Villae Veneta were built along the Brenta River. “At the time, no fewer than 150 majestic villas dotted the banks of the Brenta,” says our guide Silvia Vallerin. “The term villa today indicates a luxurious home, but can also mean a farm estate, encompassing arable fields and service buildings.” Today, some 60 such villas remain. The first one we come across, Villa Foscari, was designed in 1550 by Palladio for the powerful Foscari brothers, who wished to be able to reach Venice quickly from there. Surprisingly, this is the only building constructed directly on the Brenta riverfront that the architect actually designed. Its nickname, Malcontenta, refers to floods that inundate the surrounding land, though some say it refers to a certain Elisabetta Dolfin, who became a recluse there to atone for her infidelity. There is never a shortage of legends around here. Next comes Villa Franceschi, originally the residence of the doge’s goldsmiths, and now a hotel that has sought to preserve the integrity of the architecture. It is also an ideal home base to explore along the Brenta, not least because it has its own boats. Don’t miss Villa Foscarini Rossi, built in the 17th century, featuring frescoes by Pietro Liberi. It also includes a shoe museum that the Rossi family, expert shoemakers, created to showcase collaborations with couture houses such as Dior, Celine, Saint Laurent, and Loewe, among others. Just a few hundred yards away is the imposing Villa Pisani, built in the first half of the 18th century in honor of Doge Alvise Pisani. To demonstrate the excessive nature of this building, it has 114 rooms simply to commemorate the fact that Pisani was the 114th doge of Venice. Now a national museum, it features an extensive collection of significant artwork, including an impressive ballroom ceiling painted by Tiepolo.
Continuing along the Brenta we quickly reach Padua, and our thoughts turn to food. Here, the city is enthralled by the talents of the celebrated Alajmo family. Since 2003, its Le Calandre restaurant has maintained three Michelin stars. Massimiliano Alajmo–known as Max–was the youngest chef in the entire history of the guide to reach that gastronomic grail, just 28 at the time. The chef is certainly a true genius of the culinary arts–able to reconceive ragù bolognese as a cappuccino or to dare adding licorice to a saffron-infused risotto. However, he attributes the success of this restaurant, and the wider Alajmo group, to his partnership with his older brother Raffaele–known as Raf–and a family history that stretches much further back. Their grandfather Vittorio, a cheese merchant at the city’s market, paved the way for their parents, Erminio and Rita, to found Le Calandre in 1981. A few years later, Raf joined his father in the wine cellar, while Max finished his studies and spent all his free time in the kitchen with his mother. In the early 1990s, a tour of the best
This page: “Like a needle pulling a thread through a series of holes, cuisine connects us to one another̋ – Max Alajmo. Right: Preparing the Cappuccino Murrina.
restaurants in France (Paul Bocuse, L’Espadon and Le Buerehiesel) was a revelation for the brothers, and they became obsessed with the idea of making Le Calandre one of Italy’s foremost culinary destinations. Before long, the parents allowed their sons to take over and barely ten years later, Le Calandre was named in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. From Padua, the family brought their unique dynamic to Venice in 2010, taking over Quadri Restaurant directly on Piazza San Marco, and bringing designer Philippe Starck into the adventure to lead a major renovation. Now, the Alajmo touch can also be found in several other locations across Venice: from the chic Amo bistro inside the T Fondaco dei Tedeschi concept store, to the casual hostaria on La Certosa island and the three restaurants located within the innovative H-Farm agricultural campus on the Venetian mainland, Le Cementine, Amor and Al 4 Pizza. The journey to the campus completes our full-length tour of the lagoon, placing us inland from its northern shores. But as we travel back to the nearby airport we’re leaving with the knowledge that there’s plenty more to discover on a trip to Venice, and the wider Veneto area, next time we’re in the vicinity.
ROBERTA VALERIO Photographer “Having grown up in Udine, just 62 miles/ 100 km away, I have a strong attachment to Venice. My favorite season is late autumn, when fog invades the city and makes the cobblestones shine.”
Left: The Alajmo brothers: Raffaele (left) and Massimiliano. Right: Designer Philippe Starck has completely revamped the Ristorante Quadri’s baroque ambiance in Venice. Below: Raw fish with ginger, caviar and octopus liver pâté at restaurant Le Calandre. Bottom: Sleek decor in Le Calandre’s dining room.
LE CALANDRE RESTAURANT, Padua, Italy QUADRI RESTAURANT, Venice, Italy
