The rebirth of Palazzo Donà Giovannelli recounts a new idea of hospitality between memory, architecture and contemporary Grand Tour
Photo credits: Jeremy Zaessinger
There is a Venice that continues to elude the faded postcards of mass tourism. It is the Venice of patrician mansions overlooking the water, of frescoed ceilings, monumental staircases, and palaces that for centuries have welcomed merchants, artists, diplomats, and travelers from every corner of the globe. Palazzo Donà Giovannelli rightfully belongs to this secret world.
Today, thanks to the project signed by Aline Asmar d’Amman for Orient Express , one of the most fascinating residences of the Serenissima is coming back to life as a place of hospitality.
For the Lebanese architect, founder of the firm Culture in Architecture, the project is first and foremost an exercise in listening: not to impose a new image on the building, but to bring its identity to light, making the layers that have defined its character over the centuries legible again.
More than the opening of a hotel, this is the rebirth of a mansion. A new life for Palazzo Donà Giovannelli and, at the same time, the brand’s second Italian icon after the opening of La Minerva in Rome.
And therein lies perhaps the most interesting aspect of the project: the ability to transform a historical heritage into a contemporary experience without betraying its memory.
Six centuries of Venetian history
Built in 1436 in the Cannaregio district, Palazzo Donà Giovannelli is one of the most important examples of Venetian Gothic architecture that has come down to us.
Over the centuries, the palace has gone through transformations, expansions and changes of ownership that have gradually enriched its identity.
The Donà and Giovannelli families, among the most influential of the Serenissima, left traces that still tell of the central role these residences played in the political, economic, and cultural life of the city.
The challenge faced by Aline Asmar d’Amman and her firm Culture in Architecture was not to reconstruct an idealized past.
On the contrary.
The project works on layering, allowing the different eras that coexist within the building to emerge and making memory one of the central elements of the architectural narrative.
The art of restoration as a contemporary gesture
At a time in history when many art cities are in danger of turning their heritage into mere tourist attractions, the restoration of Palazzo Donà Giovannelli proposes a broader reflection on the meaning of inhabiting history.
Frescoes, stuccoes, mosaics, and decorative surfaces have been recovered through a conservative approach that avoids any form of showmanship.
Nothing appears artificial.
Nothing tries to simulate what no longer exists.
The strength of the project stems precisely from the ability to accept the passage of time as an integral part of the identity of the place.
Each room retains traces of the transformations that have passed through the palace over the centuries, restoring a sense of authenticity that is increasingly rare in contemporary hospitality.
Refined design and Venice’s manufacturing sector
One of the most interesting aspects of the project concerns the dialogue with the Venetian craft tradition.
In the 47 rooms and suites, interior design work constructs a refined language that weaves together historical memory and contemporary sensibilities.
The fabrics of Luigi Bevilacqua , Rubelli e. Fortuny , Murano glass chandeliers and details made by local artisans do not represent mere decorative elements.
They become tools of storytelling.
Through materials, textures and workmanship, the interiors celebrate a Venice of knowledge, craftsmanship and material culture.
A city that continues to produce excellence far beyond its tourist image.
The Threshold of the Modern Grand Tour
It is no coincidence that the Orient Express brand—which has always been associated with the idea of travel as a journey of self-discovery and cultural transformation—has come to Venice. For centuries, Venice has served as a liquid threshold between different worlds, a crossroads of trade, and a key stop on the European Grand Tour.
This project revives its original purpose. Guests are not welcomed into a standardized hotel system, but enter a home that holds six hundred years of history, invited to experience a slower, more contemplative, and deeper side of Venice.
The verdict of MLE
In a city often suspended between mass tourism and museification, Palazzo Donà Giovannelli shows that there is a third way.
Hospitality that does not consume historical heritage, but preserves it, enhances it, and makes it habitable again.
Because true elegance is not about turning a building into a hotel.
It consists of allowing a building to continue living.
MLE Hospitality Executive Memo
Address: Orient Express Venice, Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, Cannaregio, Venice.
Architecture & Restoration: 1436 Gothic palace restored under the direction of Aline Asmar d’Amman (Culture in Architecture) through a conservation approach that enhances the building’s historical layers.
Interior Design Focus: 47 rooms and suites that weave together restored frescoes, Art Deco details, Murano glass and historic Venetian fabrics.
Design Heritage: Collaborations with historic Venetian manufacturers Luigi Bevilacqua, Rubelli and Fortuny.
Cultural Highlight: The monumental octagonal staircase designed by Giovanni Battista Meduna and the main floor overlooking the canals of the Serenissima.
Signature Experience: Experience an aristocratic Venetian residence of the 15th century through a project that combines hospitality, restoration and culture.
Web & Booking: orient-express.com
