Palazzo Albrizzi Apartment

Page 2
Continued from page 1

More photos

Like many Venetian palazzi, the Palazzo Albrizzi has a well-worn façade, but first impressions can be deceptive: The building's interior is richly decorated and immaculately preserved.

As you step into the entrance hall on the ground floor, you'll encounter a massive ship's lamp from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when the Holy League--which included ships of the Venetian Republic--defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patras.

An elevator takes you to the Great Hall on the piano nobile, the most important floor in any Venetian palazzo.

When these photos were taken, workers were performing restoration and maintenance in the apartment. The lower photo shows the ornate plasterwork that decorates much of the palazzo and the neighboring Ca' Albrizzi, where the family has a second (and smaller) vacation apartment.

The living room has seating for 10 people. Note the silk-covered walls.

The dining room has a red, white, and blue theme. Its large table seats 14 guests.

The apartment's ceilings are spectacular: We first saw them at night, looking up from the square outside the palazzo when the apartment was illuminated and the shutters were open.

The apartment's impeccably restored and maintained floors include Venetian terrazzo and an organic, traditional flooring called pastellone (shown above), which is made from plaster, linseed oil, and natural pigments.

One of the palazzo's nicest features is the roof patio, where most of the plants are green year-round in Venice's relatively mild climate.

The apartment has views in two directions. Above is the Campiello Albrizzi (the narrowest street in Venice, the Calle Stretta, is in the corner between two buildings). Below is  view toward the ruins of the first private theatre in Venice, which is connected to the palace complex by an aerial bridge.

In the Campiello Albrizzi, you're more likely to encounter Venetians (especially children and nuns from the Suore Salesie elementary school) than fellow tourists. The boys mostly play soccer during recess, while the girls tend to gather in clusters along the edge of the campiello. In the lower photo, a gaggle of schoolgirls pose with Maggie, the canine protagonist of Maggieinvenice.com.

Back to: Palazzo Albrizzi Apartment - Page 1

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

PC Magazine has called this "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." Over the years, it has helped more than 30 million travelers. For more information, see About our site, our Europe for Visitors press clippings, and our reader testimonials.