Breaking

The Cipriani of Venice: timeless luxury on the lagoon.

Hôtels / July 16, 2025

© Cipriani Venice – Belmond

The Cipriani of Venice: timeless luxury on the lagoon

Venice fades away. Slowly. From the varnished mahogany boat gliding close to the silence, the lagoon vibrates only with a diffuse glow, between the lead of the sky and the mother-of-pearl of the water. Over there, San Giorgio recedes. And already, the Giudecca emerges. It is not yet noon, but everything seems suspended. At the dock, a silhouette waits. Dark glasses, impeccable suit, discreet smile. You have arrived at the Cipriani. Not a word. Just a hand extended, a scent of elegance, and a promise: that of entering another world.

A mythical refuge on the Giudecca

Founded in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani, already famous for his Harry’s Bar — the birthplace of the Bellini and carpaccio, which became legendary in the Venice of artists and diplomats —, the hotel was conceived as a silent counterpoint to the agitation of the Serenissima. Here, one does not traverse the alleys: one traverses time. The Belmond Hotel Cipriani is not just a simple palace. It is a world apart, a cozy sanctuary where refinement is cultivated in secret, where the staff anticipates desires without ever anticipating the gaze. All the greats have stayed here. Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren, Mick Jagger, Henry Kissinger, Jane Seymour, George Clooney, and many more. One does not come here to show off. One comes to disappear, beautifully.

The hotel has also hosted scenes of discreet diplomatic life, celebrity weddings, authors’ retreats. A piano softly played at night. A silent bartender who knows all the stories. The Cipriani is a stage, but without spectators.

The hand of Peter Marino, the soul of Cipriani

In 2025, the palace reinvents itself under the artistic direction of Peter Marino. The famous New York architect, known for his work for Chanel or Dior, signs a subtle transformation. Thirteen suites redesigned in the historic wings, an enlarged lobby bathed in natural light, a palette of materials that oscillates between Venetian terrazzo, Italian lacquer, light marble, and golden details. Among the jewels: the Serenissima Suite and the Laguna Suite, true private apartments with a breathtaking view of the lagoon and reception lounge.

The Casanova garden, for its part, retains its evocative power. One traverses it as one would turn the pages of an old love novel. The fountains whisper, the cypress trees barely dance. It is said that this is where Casanova loved to stroll at dawn. Even today, a few isolated tables slip in for a weightless breakfast. Sometimes, one hears a voice, a discreet cello. Luxury is there, invisible, impalpable.

A direction in continuity with excellence

Since December 2024, Thomas Schwall has held the position of General Manager of the Cipriani. With a long experience in prestigious hospitality, he embodies the desire of LVMH Hospitality to make the Cipriani not a museum, but a living, vibrant place capable of making heritage and innovation dialogue. Under his leadership, the Cipriani adopts new codes but maintains its silence.

© Cipriani Venice – Belmond

A culinary heritage between memory and creation

For more than three decades, Renato Piccolotto has embodied the culinary signature of the Cipriani. Entering the hotel’s kitchens in 1983, he shaped a gastronomic tradition rooted in the Venetian lagoon, between generosity, refinement, and discretion. His cuisine, elegant without ostentation, has managed to traverse the ages while preserving the soul of the place.

“I have always considered the cuisine of the Cipriani as a transmission of elegance, rooted in Venetian identity.”

Renato Piccolotto, historical chef of the Cipriani

Since 2024, it is chef Vania Ghedini, originally from Ferrara and having passed through the kitchens of Massimo Bottura, who has taken up the torch at the Oro restaurant. She continues with sensitivity a contemporary, starred vision, faithful to the spirit of the place but looking towards tomorrow. Her cuisine blends lagoon products, garden vegetables, and an emotional exploration of taste, in a fine and luminous writing.

“My ambition is to create a taste emotion rooted in Venice, but resolutely looking towards tomorrow.”

Vania Ghedini, chef of the Oro restaurant

A nocturnal scene: the Cip’s Club in chiaroscuro

In the evening, the light lowers. The lanterns cast their halos on the warm wood of the dock. At the Cip’s Club, the tables are set facing San Marco. A light breeze lifts the tablecloths. In the kitchen, the team perpetuates an art of detail inspired by Venetian elegance. The sommelier, discreet, pours a glass of Sassicaia or Brunello with the grace of a ceremony. Conversations are hushed, gestures measured. One dines here as one would meditate: slowly, deeply.

© Cipriani Venice – Belmond

The Dior Bar and the twilight confidences

In the summer of 2025, the Cipriani welcomes an unexpected guest: the house of Dior. A Dior Bar has taken place on the private dock, facing the lagoon. Signature cocktails, Bonacina woven furniture, floral touches from Korakot, blown glass by Simone Crestani. Everything here dialogues with grace. The Dioriviera Boutique adjacent offers exclusive pieces, between beach elegance and Mediterranean sensuality.

A poetry of hospitality

The Olympic saltwater pool, heated and bordered by cypress trees, remains the largest in Venice. The Casanova Wellness Centre, discreet and cozy, offers four treatment rooms, a spa signed by Sothys, and a panoramic fitness room. In the suites of the Palazzo Vendramin, the ceilings reflect in Murano glass. In the evening, the service lowers the curtains, leaves a calligraphed note and strawberries in a silver bowl. Everything is there.