Dimora Lucrezia Terrace

NEW LISTING!





Gently push the brass ‘Moor’s head’ doorknob*, its features softened by time and wear

And step into your dream address in the San Polo sestiere…





Take our hand as we guide you through this exceptional Venetian townhouse – a fine example of an antique terra-cielo (earth-to-sky) residence – oozing refinement and a sense of intimacy within its history-laden walls and overlooking a church with Tintorettos** on the canal-fringed Campo San Cassiano.



Wonderfully situated at that sweet spot just west of the bustling Rialto Bridge and Market where the crowds start to peter out, noise gradually diminishes, and the well-beaten pathways give way to a magical maze of hidden alleyways, pretty bridges and a tangle of secret shortcuts (knowledge held dear by locals in a hurry and only discovered by the regular visitor!), the remarkable Dimora Lucrezia sleeps 6 in 3-bedroom / 5-bathroom contemporary comfort in one of the very oldest, most charming and authentic parts of Venice.



Impeccably laid out over all 4 floors with rooftop terrace (no lift), and named in celebration of the 17th-century, Venice-born noblewoman, scholar, musician and polyglot Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, whose wealthy family resided in the district of San Cassiano and who became one of the first women in history to receive an academic degree from a university and the first appointed a Doctor of Philosophy (huge respect!), this lavishly appointed home has undergone a recent architectural renaissance and offers that quintessential Venetian experience your friends and family have always dreamed of.



Within a gondolier’s hop, skip and jump of a plethora of Venetian pleasures, from the Ca’ Pesaro Gallery of Modern Art and the sacral splendours of the Frari to sunny Campo San Polo and fabulous restaurants galore – take your pick! – leave the everyday far behind and come revel in the quiet luxury of its fully air-conditioned spaces comprising:



Directly on the campo, your own heavily patinated (and gently creaking!) typically Venetian private wooden front door that ushers you into the ….



Ground Floor, where we enter



An immediately welcoming entrance hallway where burnished overhead timbers and the rustic charm of exposed brickwork are highlighted by the soft and inviting glow of a hand-blown Murano cage-glass lamp, while the traditional terrazzo polished flooring, which has admirably stood the test of time, indicates in marble the date of its last restoration (1907)



A few steps to the rear of the hallway take us into…



A quaint and cosy TV room / snug which doubles up as an additional double en suite bedroom upon request. Dressed in warm tangerine colours to soothe the weary traveller and furnished with double sofa bed, the room flows seamlessly past a custom-made wardrobe*** and hidden laundry space (with a combined washing machine / dryer – so essential for longer stays) ending with a gorgeous en suite bathroom with shower in a vibrant all-embracing orange



A staircase (no lift) continues up to the…



1st Floor of the dimora where we discover



An adorable and very private additional beamed sitting room (which doubles as a single en suite bedroom upon request) – an incredibly chic and beautifully attired little Art Deco-style haven in salvia green and blue grey, furnished with a piped single sofa bed flanked by cabinetry and, acting as delightful ‘visual headboard’, a feature panel in Morris & Co.’s Melsetter wallpaper in ivory and sage (inspired by historic embroidered bed hangings created by May Morris around 1893) resplendently lit by a pair of gorgeous silk seashell wall sconces which shine a spotlight on the marvelous wooden beams up above. The room is completed by a spotless modern en suite bathroom in matching colours with shower



A further set of stairs (no lift) rises to the…



2nd Floor where we enter



The enormously impressive main open-plan sitting / dining / kitchen with towering ceilings, where you can all hang out together and share news of your latest adventures… a freshly ‘popped’ bottle of chilled Prosecco at the ready!



Bathed in the afternoon and evening sunshine streaming in from its 3 tall, west-facing windows overlooking the campo, and showcasing the home’s original tiled fireplace (no longer in use), the room comprises a generously proportioned sitting area with ample comfortable seating, a feature wall panel in Papiers de Paris’ exotic Chasse Au Tigre setting the tone, and a dining suite seating up to 8 guests beneath a wall of decorative art from the La Femme collection by artist Fernando Boville… all rounded off by the well-equipped kitchen to the side where you can rustle up a storm at the stove with fresh ingredients from the Rialto Market and its neighbouring alimentari / food shops – go check out Aliana Casa del Parmigiano (for a fab selection of cheese, meat and more) and Drogheria Mascari (for speciality items and spices), both long-established Rialto favourites of many a Venetian!



Or contact us for further details of our popular A Tavola cooking classes, some of which begin with a tour of the market!



Leading off the main living space are 3 impossibly elegant double bedrooms with bathrooms, each exquisitely decked out in carefully considered colourways, opulent fabrics and boasting tall beamed ceilings soaring overhead, while polished terrazzo / parquet flooring gleams underfoot… what a pleasure to ‘hit the hay’ at the end of a perfect day!



Situated to the front of the dimora, the super-romantic principal bedroom is enveloped in rosy florals with crimson accents and furnished with a stylish contemporary four-poster bed and original artwork, while its fabulous en suite bathroom in a bold Venetian red and marble has a luxuriously large shower big enough for two!



To the rear of the apartment, the restful and equally impressive 2nd bedroom is dressed in stripes with salvia green and mostarda accents and furnished with smart rattan furnishing, a luxurious double bed (which can be made into 2 singles upon request), while its pretty-as-a-picture en suite bathroom in Papiers de Paris’ Chinoiserie wallpaper has a shower decked out in complementary bold stripes



Also to the rear, the charming 3rd bedroom in slate blue with apricot accents, features a classic-style double bed set beside a delightful mirrored alcove in Venetian Gothic style serving to underscore the long history and heritage of the building, while its beautifully presented separate bathroom with large shower has diamond-patterned flooring and walls of powder blue



And finally, a further set of stairs (no lift) rises to …



Dimora Lucrezia’s thrilling altana rooftop terrace which you have all to yourselves – a very rare privilege in Venice – elegantly furnished for chilling at your leisure and taking in enthralling views all around, from the faded-ochre Church of San Cassiano passing ancient chimneypots across to the enormously imposing 17th-century Palazzo Muti Baglioni – amongst the very tallest buildings in the city and one of the locations featured in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett







OUR COMMENT



Not merely a place to stay but a genuine ‘Living in Venice’ experience in a remarkable Venetian house that you can now call ‘home’... and in one of our absolute favourite locations to boot!



Offering flexible accommodation in a hugely convenient pivotal position which allows you easy access to nearly every part of La Serenissima… right on the doorstep of the sestiere of Santa Croce (the border sits at the little Sotoportego de Siora Bettina at the farthest end of the campo)... a gentle stroll south through the sestiere of San Polo to the wide, open canals of laid-back Dorsoduro, the Accademia and the Zattere promenade… and just a short 2-minute (approx.) ride across the Grand Canal on the traditional traghetto gondola ferry departing Rialto Mercato for the northern district of Cannaregio and another departing the Riva del Vin near San Silvestro for the sestiere of San Marco to the east (and all the iconic attractions of St. Mark’s Square!) – you really are spoilt for choice…



Within a short stroll of the wonderfully authentic Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio, where families get together to catch up on news and locals meet for lunch, aperitivi and to tango! **** beneath its towering plane trees (Enoteca Al Prosecco is our firm favourite)... plus the stately 17th-century Palazzo Mocenigo Museum of Textiles, Costume and Perfume, the Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art and Oriental Art (and its super little cafe right on the Grand Canal!) and the Museum of Natural History at the spectacularly ornate Fondaco dei Turchi.



Or put your busy agenda to one side, take your time and discover the area’s many charms at a slower pace – there’s no better place in Venice to discover the true heart, soul and history of the city. And as the Venetian novelist Tiziano Scarpa wrote in his book ‘Venice is a Fish: A Sensual Guide’... ‘Getting lost is the only place worth going to’.



Close to a fabulous selection of restaurants, cafes and bars including Antiche Carampane (early reservations an absolute must), La Zucca, Birreria La Corte, Regina Sconta, Pane Vino e San Dianiele Rialto, Alla Madonna (an old-school favourite), Bancogiro on the Grand Canal, Osteria Antico Giardinetto and Ostreghetta... and if you’re chasing cicchetti then look no further! – All’Arco, Bacaro aea Pescaria, Al Merca (THE place to be for mini-panini and a spritz after shopping at the Rialto on Saturday morning!), Do Mori (frequented by Casanova!), Do Spade, Da Zamei, and many others, are all close by.



Within easy reach of shops and supermarkets to satisfy all your self-catering needs including Panificio Albonico bakery, the long-standing Da Aldo delicatessen, NaturaSi just across the campo on Calle Regina (organic products and a selection of gluten-free foods), the little supermarket Despar on Campo de la Beccarie and the Coop on Calle del Perdon, as well as the most famous of all – the Rialto fish, fruit and veg market (open mornings only, closed Sundays with the fish market also closed on Mondays).



Also close to 3 vaporetto (water bus) stops for hassle-free travel around the city: San Stae, San Silvestro and Rialto Mercato (all served by Line 1)





*Known as ‘musi da porton’ in Venetian dialect and historically created to act as protectors of the home, they are often crafted in bronze or brass and take the form of animals, mythical creatures and intriguing faces from Venice’s past. A characteristic of traditional Venetian architecture, such doorknobs can be seen fronting doors throughout the city, from grand palazzos to more modest dwellings



**The famous Venetian painter Tintoretto had a studio in Campo San Cassiano and the district itself was once home to the long-disappeared Teatro San Cassiano, opened in 1637, demolished by Napoleon in 1812, and the world’s first ever public opera house



***Note that the handsome bespoke cabinetry throughout Dimora Lucrezia was crafted by respected local wood-working artisans Lunardelli Venezia based just minutes away on Calle Seconda dei Cristi, where they offer guided tours and hands-on experiences / demonstrations for small groups by reservation – feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to know more!



****Tango – taking place on Tuesday evenings during the hot summer months, dance the tango beneath the stars in Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio… magical!





For arrivals between 8.00 pm and midnight there is an additional cost for ‘late arrival’ of Euro 50, to be paid in cash upon arrival. We organise arrivals between midnight and 1.00 am with an additional cost of Euro 100, after this time we reserve the right to accept the customer always with a supplement to be quantified according to the time of arrival.



Beds will be arranged as either doubles or twins as shown in the photos. The possibility of turning a double bed into twins or vice versa can be found in the description and must be requested at least 7 days before arrival.