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Above: The main suite in the Palazzo Vendramin
offers a spectacular view of San Marco through its Venetian Gothic windows.
Palazzo Vendramin and Palazzetto Nani Barbaro
As delightful as the Cipriani may be, it has one shortcoming: It's open only
from mid-April until the beginning of November. Fortunately, guests with deep
pockets and a penchant for privacy can still enjoy the Cipriani's location and
service by staying at the hotel's year-round annexes: the Palazzo Vendramin and
the Palazzetto Nani Barbaro.
The Palazzo Vendramin is a 15th Century palace and is linked to the
Hotel Cipriani via the hotel courtyard and a flowered loggia. It connects to the
more recently acquired Palazzetto, which served as Venice's Accademia
di filosofia (Academy of Philosophy) before falling into ruins in the 1600s.
The Palazzo Vendramin offers three double rooms with whirlpool bath, two
junior suites, and five suites--some with private terraces or gardens. The
suites have kitchenettes and bars.
Next door, the Palazzetto has four junior suites and one mansard-style junior
suite with views of San Marco. It also houses
Cip's pizzeria and grill.
All suites include butler service, and guests can congregate in a private
living room when they feel like socializing. The Cipriani's decorator, Gérard
Gallet of Paris, has created an atmosphere of what the hotel calls "relaxed
elegance and refined simplicity," which translates into the generous use of
pastel colors, traditional furniture, and fabrics by the Fortuny and Rubelli.
 Suggestion:
If you decide to stay in the Palazzo Vendramin or the Palazzetto Nani Barbaro,
insist on a suite with a waterfront view (See inset photo). The suite that we
visited faced a courtyard, and--though it was pleasant enough--the view of the
gardens wasn't nearly as dramatic as a view of the Campanile di San Marco, the
Doge's Palace, and water traffic (including the occasional cruise ship) in
St.Mark's Basin.
Page 6 -
Celebrity guests
Photos:
Hotel Cipriani. Used by permission.
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Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's
