Pensione La Calcina
Venice
by Sarah Shuckburgh
If you want a friendly waterfront hotel in Venice,
without the pretentions of the grandest palazzi, the
three-star family-owned Pensione La Calcina is the place for
you. Proprietors Debora and Alessandro Szemere give guests a
warm welcome, the bedrooms are spotlessly clean and prettily
furnished, the food in the restaurant is delicious, and the
views of the Giudecca Canal are breathtaking.
A large sign on the side of the hotel boasts (in English) of
its connection with John Ruskin, but it turns out that in
Ruskin's day, a one-storey cafe was all that stood on this
spot. Ruskin rented a room at the cafe between February and
May 1877, and reputedly it was here that he wrote much of
his celebrated "Stones of Venice".
The Szemeres have become keen local historians and are eager
to share their knowledge. The name "La Calcina" refers to
the slaked lime works on this site during the 16th century.
The Calcina cafe - later known as Il Vapore - was popular
from the 18th century with bohemian artists and writers; the
Italian poet Apostolo Zeno lived and died here. The present
hotel dates from 1910, and its restaurant is known today as
La Piscina, after the swimming baths which stood nearby
until the 1960s.
Each of the 29 rooms is different, but all have wooden
floors, period furniture - some of it painted - and crisp
white sheets. The corner rooms are the biggest and the best,
with views in two directions, including the Giudecca canal.
Ask for room 22, 24 or 32.
Or, to ensure privacy, rent one of La Calcina's newly
acquired apartments and suites, tucked away in narrow alleys
behind the hotel. There are two apartments, with kitchen,
washing machine, double bedroom and sitting room, and three
suites - without kitchens. The hotel restaurant is available
for breakfast and any other meal, and the chambermaid
service is as for the rooms in the main hotel.
For a breathtaking panorama of lagoon, canals and rooftops,
climb the steep stairs to the hotel's tiny roof terrace.
Breakfast can be ordered up here, and it's a good place to
relax with a drink - at any time from dawn to dark.
For an evening stroll, just step out of the door on to the
Zattere, the waterfront on which the hotel stands. On summer
evenings, it is the place to promenade, eat at a waterside
restaurant, sip a cocktail or just watch the world go by.
Even in winter, the sheltered Zattere attracts locals to
walk in the sunshine. The Dorsoduro is less touristy than
the area round St Marks, and it is a marvellous quarter to
explore, with winding alleys and tiny canals.
The most enjoyable way to get from the airport to La Calcina,
is to take a 20-minute busride (or taxi) along the road to
the Piazzale Roma, and then take vaporetto no 1, zigzagging
down the Grand Canal, to the Accademia. From here it's a 3
minute stroll to the Zattere.
Pensione La Calcina
Dorsoduro 780
30123 Venezia
Italy
First published by Travel Intelligence Ltd
©SarahShuckburgh |
back to map >
Hotel Metropole
Venice
by Sarah Shuckburgh
The four star Hotel Metropole is situated in one of the most
prestigious locations in Venice, on the Riva degli Schiavoni,
where the Grand Canal meets the lagoon, due passi from St
Marks Square.
A painting of the Riva degli Schiavoni by de Barbari, dated
1500, shows that the hotel's facade has scarcely changed in
500 years. In the 16th century, as today, the building was
owned by La Pieta, a charitable organisation devoted to the
welfare of orphans and widows. Antonio Vivaldi lived here
between 1703 and 1740, and composed his most famous work,
the Four Seasons, at the orphanage. A small chapel had been
added at the front of the building during the 17th century,
and it was here that the Red Priest gave music lessons to
the young orphan girls. The chapel no longer exists, but in
its place is the hotel restaurant, its marble columns, and
displays of antique musical instruments reminders of its
earlier function.
The hotel is packed with curiosities belonging to the
Beggiato family, who have run the hotel since 1970.
Pierluigi Beggiato's collecting hobby began by chance when a
consignment of wine bought at auction included some novelty
corkscrews. Since then he has built up an extraordinarily
varied collection, which is displayed all over the hotel.
The nutcrackers have been joined by old musical instruments,
beaded "belle epoque" evening handbags, 19th century fans,
visiting cards, objects in mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell,
silver and ivory, porcelain teapots, make-up mirrors and
other knick knacks. Every landing boasts an antique cot,
many of them relics of the orphanage - all made up with
freshly laundered sheets, but unavailable for visiting
babies on grounds of health and safety. Beggiato's
collection of crucifixes is perhaps the most remarkable, and
is considered to be the most important in Italy - look out
for a memorable black Jesus with long, tangled hair.
Each of the 70 rooms is different - many are decorated in
opulent Venetian style, with rich fabrics, bold colours,
period furniture, and marble from Carrara and Verona.
Room 251 is my favourite: the Suite of the Angels is
wonderfully kitsch, with 19th century trompe l'oeil
hand-painted murals, a midnight blue ceiling scattered with
stars, a dozen antique golden cherubs dangling on strings,
and a four-poster bed with barleysugar posts of pale green
marble. The television is discreetly concealed behind the
curtains of a puppet theatre.
Ten rooms have windows looking out over the lagoon, but an
alternative is to choose room 403, which has its own flight
of stairs leading up to a private terrace, with wonderful
views of rooftops, lagoon and islands.
There is live music every evening, played in the Venetian
Lounge (but relayed to the restaurant, and indeed to other
parts of the hotel, including into the lift). Order a
Bellini, the Venetian cocktail of Prosecco and freshly
squeezed peaches - or a Puccini, with tangerine juice. The
Bar Zodiaco evokes Venice's historic links with the east,
with its incense sticks, coloured silks, antique cushions
and oriental carpets. If it is fine, dine in the leafy
garden, with its antique Venetian wells.
Hotel Metropole
Riva degli Schiavoni
30122
Venezia
Italy
First published by Travel Intelligence Ltd
©SarahShuckburgh |
back to map >
|
|
|
