Lost in Venice

Taking in the picturesque canal views and immersive art during the 61st Venice Biennale.

By Bennett DiDonna 

Arriving in Venice can feel a bit like crossing the space-time continuum and entering into a parallel universe. It’s not so much a time machine or a luna park, but a floating world in and of itself. I can’t help but chuckle when I pull up maps on my phone, and it suggests that the fifteen minute walk to my hotel could be cut in half if I go by bicycle or car, neither of which exist here. I’m happy to go on foot though, and weave past narrow streets and over small footbridges through the serene neighborhood of Dorsoduro. 

I turn the corner, and with a stunning view of the Giudecca Canal in front of me, arrive at my hotel, Il Palazzo Experimental. A jewel box renaissance-era palazzo, the property has been transformed by designer Dorothée Meilichzon into a 32 key hotel, which is equal parts sophisticated and whimsical. After heading through the hotel’s airy lobby and restaurant, Adriatica, I make my way to the property’s verdant canal-side garden and docks. In case you’re wondering, yes, this does mean that a water taxi or better yet, a local friend with a boat, can drop you off directly at the hotel. 

Il Palazzo Experimental

I head upstairs to my exceptionally chic room, and take in the exposed wood beams, terrazzo floors, and what might be the largest (and most comfortable) hotel bed that I’ve ever seen. I’m already blown away, but do a double take when I open the curtains, and see the view. From the third floor, I stare out at earthy yellow and terracotta painted buildings. Off in the distance, perched above the rooftops, are the silhouettes of several of the city’s most iconic bell towers. While I easily could stare at this living postcard for the rest of the afternoon, the midday bells begin ringing out, and right on cue, I am ready for lunch. 

After a short ride on the Vaporetto, the city’s public water bus, over to Giudecca. I walk along the water to La Palanca, a low-key restaurant, which serves pastas and the catch of the day to locals and in-the-know tourists alike. After a delicious grilled fish, I wander along the neighborhood's quiet streets before hopping back on the Vaporetto to the tiny neighboring island of San Giorgio Maggiore for a visit to the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. Timed with the 61st Venice Biennale, the city is teeming with world class contemporary art, to the point where you can’t walk for more than a few minutes without running into a top notch exhibition.

From the foundation, I find myself back on the Vaporetto, bobbing through the lagoon, and taking in breathtaking views of the city from the water as I head for San Marco Square. While the city is equally stunning from dry land, I can’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the throngs of visitors and chintzy souvenir stands, and am happy to make my way back to the relative calm of Dorsoduro. On my way through the neighborhood, I stop by two of my favorite local stores in the city, Laguna~B, which offers a stylish selection of handblown Murano glassware and Olbi Paolo, which creates beautiful handbound notebooks and papergoods. 

After a quick rest at the hotel, I head downstairs to hit the garden for aperitivo hour, with drinks from the Palazzo’s very own Experimental Cocktail Club. Experimental is a Paris-based hospitality group, which began in food and beverage before expanding to hotels. The group now operates thirteen properties (with new openings on the horizon) in cultural capitals and chic holiday hotspots from London and Paris to Biarritz and Menorca. 

Ahead of dinner, I opt for the expertly crafted Haiku, Experimental Cocktail Club’s riff on a negroni with umeshu, miso, kaffir and figs, accompanied by a spicy nori crisp. From there I head inside to Adriatica, which offers a seasonal menu of refined farm to table Venetian-inspired cuisine. I start my dinner with the crispy octopus with lavender foam and marinated amberjack before moving onto gnocchi di pane and prawns in a saffron sauce, paired with a delightful crisp glass of white wine from the region. 

The next morning, I am feeling blissfully refreshed, and truly a world away as I open my window and watch boats floating down the canal in front of me. I head downstairs to the garden for a delicious breakfast of eggs, fresh bread, cured meats, local cheese, and an iced coffee (which I will admit, feels sacrosanct in Italy, but the morning sun is already blazing overhead). My marathon art-filled day kicks off with a short walk to the Gallerie dell'Accademia to see Marina Abramović’s exhibition “Transforming Energy.” Through a series of interactive installations, the exhibition explores the artist’s relationship with crystals and their ability to store and transmit energy.

From the museum I head to the Arsenale, a former 14th century armory and shipyard, which serves as one of the Biennale’s main venues. I make my way through a selection of the national pavilions including Luxembourg, India, and Italy before doubling back through the Biennale's central exhibition, In Minor Keys, curated by Koyo Kouoh. Suddenly I find myself in a multi-screen floor-to-ceiling video installation from a California artist, immersed in imagery and a project-specific perfume capturing SoCal’s foothills and streets.

I can’t help but feel a bit of whiplash, as I emerge outside surrounded by a maze of buildings which date back to the Late Middle Ages. It’s sensory overload, which you could easily spend the better part of a week, a month, (perhaps even a lifetime) exploring here. Luckily the Biennale is on through November 22nd along with many of the collateral exhibitions at museums and galleries across the city. Having taken a wrong turn, though I’m not sure there are any wrong turns in Venice, I stroll through a picturesque quiet neighborhood with laundry drying on clotheslines overhead. 

I eventually find my way to the Giardini, the second of the Biennale’s main outposts. The grounds, which alternate each year between the Biennale of art and architecture, are home to 29 national pavilions. I am particularly struck by the pavilions of Spain, Japan, and Austria, in which artist Florentina Holzinger, has transformed her country’s pavilion into Seaworld Venice, a sort of dystopian theme park. Through a series of site-specific performance pieces and installations, Holzinger explores themes of purity and pollution. 

After a Campari spritz, a few cicchetti (Venetian tapas), and a stunning sunset boat ride back to Il Palazzo Experimental, I am ready to hit the hay. The next morning, I make my way back down to the garden for a final delicious breakfast before heading home. I look up as a plane circles the city before disappearing over the rooftops beyond the courtyard, and in the blink of an eye I am back on terraferma (the mainland). As I catch my last glimpse of the city from across the lagoon, I can’t help but feel in awe of the sensory overload that is Venice, excited for my next trip back to this floating universe. 

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