Five Apartments at the Mouth of the Grand Canal
This palazzo dates to the 12th century, when the Barozzi family built Ca'Barozzi at the mouth of the Grand Canal, a crenellated structure with towers and an open gallery. Architect Bartolomeo Manopola remodelled it in the 17th century into a Renaissance palazzo. Early in the 19th century the Treves family, barons of Bonfili and a leading figure in the emancipation of Venice's Jewish community, acquired it from the Emo family and commissioned Giuseppe Borsato to revamp the interiors. Some of his furniture is still here.
The apartments have been redesigned for guests by Anna Guarini (Borsato and Canella) and architect Paolo Fiumi (Lipparini), working with a palette drawn from 17th and 18th-century Venetian painting. Opening up this historic treasure to guests was overseen by the Marchesa Barbara Berlingieri, who devoted her life to preserving Venice's cultural heritage, and whose sensibility is present throughout. Her son, Alessandro, and his family now live in the Palazzo.
There are five apartments, each honoring a Venetian painter: Borsato, Canella, Hayez, Lipparini, the very artists who were working in these rooms' orbit two centuries ago. The palette runs from Canaletto blue in Hayez's entrance hall to the gold and imperial red of Canella's master bedroom. Walls carry engravings from the Treves archive, a life-sized reproduction of Jacopo de' Barbari's 1500 bird's-eye map of Venice, and paintings from the palazzo's own holdings. The materials are antique parquet, terrazzo, marble, and original doors.
All apartments have high ceilings, antique parquet or terrazzo floors, and tall windows. Bathrooms are marble-clad with shower, hair dryer, and Merchant of Venice toiletries. All five apartments share an outdoor terrace. Canella guests have exclusive access to a private altana, a traditional Venetian wooden roof terrace on the top floor, with unobstructed views to Punta della Dogana, San Giorgio Maggiore, and the Grand Canal. Borsato's living room and master bedroom sit directly above the water, with Santa Maria della Salute and Punta della Dogana framed in the windows.
Layout
This vacation home for rent in Venice sleeps two to seven guests depending on which of the five apartments is selected. They sit across three floors, all reached by a modern elevator.
Borsato (third floor, 110 m²) has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping four, with the living room and master bedroom overlooking the Grand Canal.
Canella (third floor, 150 m²) has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a loft room, and a private rooftop terrace, sleeping up to five in the main apartment or seven with the loft.
Hayez (second floor, 104 m²) has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping four, and overlooks a quiet sunny campo.
Lipparini (first floor, Piano Nobile, 120 m²) is a one-bedroom apartment with an en-suite bathroom and guest WC, sleeping two — the largest room per guest of any unit, with the highest ceilings in the building. A third guest may be accommodated on a daybed in the salon.
Hayez & Lipparini connects these two floors via an internal staircase into one three-bedroom, three-bathroom home of 224 m², sleeping six, with two fully independent kitchens and living rooms across the two levels.
Borsato — sleeps 4
* Bedroom 1 — King, en suite, Grand Canal view
* Bedroom 2 — Twin, en suite
Canella — sleeps 5 (or 7 with loft)
* Bedroom 1 — King, en suite
* Bedroom 2 — King (twin on request), en suite
* Bedroom 3 — Single, shared bath loft — 2 extra beds, shower room, private terrace access
Hayez — sleeps 4
* Bedroom 1 — King, en suite (bath)
* Bedroom 2 — King (twin on request), en suite (shower)
Lipparini — sleeps 2
* Bedroom 1 — King, en suite, walk-in closet
* 1 guest WC
* Daybed in living room (child's bed on request)
Experiences
The concierge arranges specialist guided tours of Venice (including access to lesser-known churches and private archives), private cooking courses, in-apartment massage, babysitting, grocery shopping, fresh flower delivery, and personal laundry.
Good to know
A luggage porter meets all arrivals at the canal dock or the street entrance and handles bags to the apartment. The palazzo has its own porta d'acqua (a water entrance on the Grand Canal) so guests arriving by private water taxi from the airport or station are greeted at the dock.
Amenities & services
Wi-fi throughout, air conditioning and central heating included, Bose Bluetooth speaker, flatscreen satellite TV with DVD, Italian linen sheets, luxury bedding, Merchant of Venice toiletries, hairdryer, elevator, safe, washer-dryer, fully equipped kitchen, Nespresso machine, daily maid service, morning croissant delivery, welcome Bellini and fruit hamper, concierge service, luggage porter, cots and high chairs on request, grocery shopping on request, fresh flowers on request, babysitting on request, cooking courses on request, in-apartment massage on request, private guides on request
Around
The Punta della Dogana, the former customs house at the tip of Dorsoduro that now holds the Pinault collection, sits directly across the water. La Fenice opera house is a five-minute walk. Harry's Bar is five minutes in the other direction. The Correr Museum, which occupies the Napoleonic-era buildings along Piazza San Marco, is three minutes on foot and holds one of the sharpest collections of Venetian civic art outside the Accademia. For a less gilded evening, Trattoria Anzolo Raffaele on the Campo dell'Angelo Raffaele in Dorsoduro (a short walk across the Accademia bridge) is the kind of restaurant you find by getting slightly lost, and then keep going back to. The Rialto market is around 20 minutes on foot.
Location
San Marco, Venice, Italy. Nearest airports: Venice Marco Polo (VCE, 13km, 30 min by private water taxi), Treviso Antonio Canova (TSF, 30km, 50 min by taxi to Piazzale Roma, then water taxi or vaporetto)
Best time to visit
Venice is great in every season. Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) have mild temperatures and lighter crowds. Carnival in February fills the city, and every unit books months ahead. Summer is hot and busy. Winter is quiet and occasionally flooded.
