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There is a young , carefree and cheerful Venice that has little (or nothing) to do with the City of Canals excessive, hieratic and overwhelmed by tourists. It is the everyday Venice chosen by the French company Experimental Group to open its new hotel, Il Palazzo Experimental.

Opened last September in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, it seeks to "offer local experiences in an informal space but with personality and high quality standards." Word of Benjamin West, international director of marketing and communication of the company, who acts as a perfect host showing the details and elements that make Il Palazzo a truly original hotel.

Namely, Breccia Capraia marble, hand-glazed tiles, sumptuous fabrics and, in the rooms, winks such as radios and vintage telephones, Alessi kettles or organic cosmetics. Responsible for this powerful design is Dorothée Meilichzon, a fetish architect of the group that has left its mark on most Experimental clubs, restaurants and hotels (six so far spread across Europe, including the island of Menorca).

As for the local experiences of those who show, we can ensure that they do not remain in a mere advertising claim. Who wants to enjoy Venice and return with the feeling that it has been in an authentic city and not in a mere tourist decoration, to be advised by the hotel staff. They will propose plans and provide directions where hordes of tourists do not arrive:

COFFEE WITH LAGOON VIEWS

The 32 rooms and suites of the Palazzo are distributed on the three floors of what was the Adriatic Navigation company from 1932 to 2004. Being a historic building (and what is not here in Venice), the rehabilitation of Meilichzon had to Respect the original distribution . The result is capricious rooms (formerly offices) with high ceilings, large windows and large hallways overlooking the lagoon and the Canal della Giudecca.

Complete the set a garden, a altana (wooden platform on the roof, a typical element of Venetian homes) ideal for a coffee while watching sunrise, a cocktail bar and the Adriatica restaurant, commanded by Silvio Pezzana and Toto Dell'Aringa, founders of the London Italian Supper Club. Its seasonal menu is short but offers tasty dishes made with local products and inspired by the Adriatic.

Of course, the pretty girl at the hotel is the cocktail bar , a space that takes as a reference the Paris speakeasy with which the owners of the Experimental Group (four young Frenchmen united by friendship rather than business) began their journey in 2007. Here neither spritz nor bellini, better let yourself be advised by Marta, the bartender who prepares cocktails with much skill and sympathy.

"The Palazzo's Negroni is our combined star," he says while shaking the cocktail shaker. Layered in his bar, even the most skeptical will succumb to this Venice without artifice or crowds.

MORE INFORMATION

Il Palazzo Experimental, opened in September 2019, is a five-star hotel with 32 rooms and suites, restaurant and cocktail bar. Where: Fondamenta Zattere. Dorsoduro. 30123 Venice. Price: from 247 euros. Reservations and inquiries at www.palazzoexperimental.com

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