Nights In The Past: Historic and Romantic Hotels in Venice and Veneto

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Hotel Gritti Palace
Campo Santa Maria del Giglio 2467, Venice

The Gritti Palace is undoubtedly one of the most famous hotels in the world. Overlooking the city�s grand canal, the building was commissioned in 1525 as the residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, and later as the official residence of the Vatican�s Ambassadors.

It is no surprise that such a well-known hotel continues to attract the glitterati, much as it has done for several decades � Ernest Hemingway once described it as the �best hotel in a city of great hotels�. Indeed, it continues a grand tradition in being one of Venice�s choice destinations for British nobility and political leaders, with Winston Churchill and numerous members of the royal family having stayed over the past century.

Locanda Vivaldi
Riva degli Schiavoni 4152-4153, Venice

Located close to St. Marks Square, this small but elegant sixteenth century hotel is famous for having been the home of Antonio Vivaldi � The Red Priest � and where the composer taught music. Indeed, it is situated alongside the church of La Pieta in which many of his compositions, including The Four Seasons, were first performed.

Hotel Villa Condulmer
Mogliano Veneto, Treviso 31020

The former home of the nobleman Marco Condulmer, who commissioned the building in 1743, the house has welcomed many famous Venetian figures over the past two centuries � and even President Reagan during the G8 summit of 1987.

It�s most historic feature, however, is that it was at the Villa Condulmer that Giuseppe Verdi stayed in 1853 for the opening of his La Traviata at the city�s Gran Teatro �La Fenice�.

Hotel Luna Baglioni
San Marco 1243, Venice 30124

Once known as the Locanda della Luna, �The Moonlight Tavern�, Hotel Luna Baglioni can lay claim to being Venice�s oldest hotel � a truly notable accolade. Situated behind St. Mark�s Square, this 12th century hostelry originally provided shelter and lodgings for The Knights Templar and other travellers en route to Jerusalem.

Hotel Londra Palace
Riva Degli Schiavoni, 4171, Venice 30122

Close to the Doges Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, The Hotel Londra Palace has been known by a fair few names in its history: The Albergo Bella Riva et Pension, the Hotel Angleterre et Pension, the Hotel Londres et Beau Rivage, and Albergo Bella Riva.
The hotel�s most famous former resident is undoubtedly the Russian composer Petr Tchaikovsky. Staying in Room 106 during December of 1877, he composed the first three movements of his celebrated Fourth Symphony. The poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, who would later become a figurehead of the Italian Fascist movement, also stayed at the Londra Palace in 1887.

Due Torri Baglioni
Piazza Sant' Anastasia 4, Verona 37121

Romantics will no doubt be interested to learn that the Hotel Due Torri Baglioni is only a few steps away from the famous balcony of Romeo & Juliet. In fact, the 14th-century hotel - loacted in the Palazzo de l�Aquila - itself pre-dates the Shakespearian characters by some time. Awash with antiques, the hotel has 90 rooms and suites, many with delightful views of the square below.

In addition to a handful of long-dead European aristocrats, the hotel has played host to Giuseppe Garibaldi, Mozart and Goethe.

Danieli
Riva Degli Schiavoni 4196, Venice

It wasn�t until the early 1700�s that the Danieli opened its doors to travellers. Before then it had been a private residence, built in the late 14th century as a palace for the Dandolo Doge of Venice. However, its reputation as a first-rate lodging house ensured that it was high on every aristocratic traveller�s �Grand Tour� itinerary. Today it is one of the city�s finest hotels offering 233 rooms and five-star hospitality.

The historical guest list is, as one might expect, of an artistic and literary nature: George Sand, Charles Dickens, Wagner and Goethe are just a few of the famous figures to have rested at the Grand Danieli.