Formerly the boathouse of the bishop serving the 16th-century Basilica next door, this four-story waterfront remodel on a canal off Venice’s normally well-beaten path has been restored and re-envisioned by leading Italian interior designer Ilaria Miani. Stunning views, waterfront gardens, a roof terrace and boat-storage-turned-vast-meeting-space serve as the backdrop for the refreshing reuse of salvaged woods and original bricks, imaginatively offset by vivid walls and handsome utilitarian furnishings.

Renowned designer Ilaria Miani spent three years restoring this former boathouse sandwiched between two historical sites—a church from 1558 by Palladio and its older neighbor, a circa 1480 bell tower by Mauro Codussi—on Venice’s San Pietro di Castello island. The canalfront residence covers four stories, sleeps 17, and includes two private docks, a lofted living/sleeping space with a sunset roof terrace, and a stunning, 15th-century former boat storage-turned-gallery for conferences, screenings, performances, parties/events or even private feasts within its coved-ceilinged, 10,000 square feet.

An expert in the detailed and delightful preservation of ancient structures, Miani travels back in time to find inspiration. It was in examining artworks by 18th-century painters that the designer discovered the villa’s original boat storage and roof terrace and lobbied to revive them. But while the residence has a storied history, today it offers little of the stiff gilt and glitzy mirrors found in many of Venice’s ancient buildings and palaces, showcasing instead Miani’s signature crisp, clean-lined, neo-industrial modern styling. The huge space feels like a home—an easygoing, casually elegant waterfront remake that Miani herself calls home.

Throughout the residence’s outrageously generous rooms, Miani’s thoughtful hand shines through. A master at combining the ancient and modern, she’s polished old wood and weathered terracotta, bringing out their alluring patinas before placing them alongside sleek new additions like steel cabinetry, upcycled and reinvented antiques, and breezy textiles. Rooms are then furnished with comfortable chairs and contemporary sofas, custom four-poster beds and convenient en-suite bathrooms created for relaxation. A varied selection of 20th- and 21st- century art adds a cool, playful finish to the rooms, and modern architectural additions include open metal staircases and reframed, multipaned openings out to the canal and deck spaces.

Equipped for serving a crowd across its restaurant-quality kitchens, ample dining rooms, and vast gallery, expressly created to be an in-home conference center or wellness retreat, with its gym, spa, pool, hot tub and shower, this vacation home rental in Venice nonetheless remains an intimate residence, with thoughtful, homey comforts. 

Read more about designer Ilaria Miani here.

EXPERIENCES

Additionally, guests have access to concierge services and professional guide and catering services who can facilitate immersive experiences, historical site visits, dialogues with writers and artists, and architecture and gastronomy/viticultural tours.

AROUND

An ideal location for those seeking to discover the real city and/or deepen their understanding of it, its waterways and architecture, this vacation home rental in Venice is located on an island connected to its heart by bridges. For more than 500 years, San Pietro di Castello served as the city’s patriarchal religious authority, evidenced next door at the ancient Basilica, Bell Tower, and Palazzo del Patriarca. 

Located between Venice’s two major exhibition centers, the Giardini della Biennale, site of the prestigious cultural organization and festival, and the Arsenale, or historic dockyard, the island was first settled by the Romans fleeing the Barbarians in the 5th century. Today the area is primarily residential, offering a true taste of Venetian life. Private boats or water taxis depart directly from the home’s docks, and the area is easily visited on foot, surrounded by private gardens, museums, and neighborhood butchers, fish mongers, bakeries and grocers. 

The villa’s two private docks overlook the Canale San Pietro and the sweet garden space offers both open air and covered alfresco living and dining areas. Only one small bar fills the island’s central church square, a favorite gathering spot of locals. Walk to the Scuola di San Marco to admire its ancient marble statues, haggle alongside locals for fresh produce off a boat, or up your Instagram or Be Real game with a photo session on the picture-perfect Ponte di Quintavalle, a wooden bridge backed by the colorful boatyard with its bobbing rigs, drying nets and rainbow hued fishermen’s houses. 

The Sestiere del Castello neighborhood does stretch to the center of Venice. To the west lie the city’s most-visited sites, Saint Mark’s Square, the Ducale Palace, the Guggenheim and Academia. To the east more typical, workaday Venice appears. Locals jog and children play at Sant’Elena park, small beaches, bridges and humble canals are abundant along the waterfront, and fishermen try their luck between luxury yachts moored in the historic shipyard.

LOCATION

Venice, Italy. Nearest airport: San Marco (1 hour)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Year round