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VENICE HOTEL GRITTI PALACE
For, quite by chance, there I found the splendid Francesca Forni, the lady who – certainly, as long as I have known the establishment – has ensured that the marketing of the Gritti has been done with taste and discernment. She seemed delighted to see me, and I was certainly delighted to see her. We shared a bottle of bubbly and some stories in the cosy bar, and I felt yet again that sense of rightness which has always accompanied my sojourns in this truly grand hotel.
There was the Grand Canal itself, the most beautiful and admired waterway in the world. And my two tall windows did not look out at just any part of the Grand Canal. For on the other side of the water was Santa Maria della Salute, one of the visual gems of the city and the masterpiece of Baldassare Longhena. The church was built between 1631 and 1681, in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Venice from the plague, and it still sends the heart soaring heavenwards. It was a real privilege to be able, each morning, to open these windows to let in not only the cool breeze from the Canal, but also the sound of the bell, summoning the faithful to Mass at the Salute.
You will note from the pictures that the public rooms of the Gritti do not subscribe to the minimalist school of interior décor. Nor should they. In a palace on the Grand Canal, just a five minute stroll from St Mark’s Square, it is entirely proper that I should be surrounded by marble, gilt, crystal and the finest silks. And it is right, too, that my every need should be supplied by those who so obviously take pleasure in their ability to provide service which is proper, courteous and friendly. The Hotel Manager, Marco Novella, has every reason to be proud of his staff, some of whom have been at the hotel for many years. The concierge desk was particularly helpful, telephoning to the various places I wished to visit on this trip. (I would recommend that you always use the expertise of the concierge in Venice: guide books can be very unreliable about opening times.) Thus I was able to go on a guided tour of the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore and marvel at its cloister by Palladio and its library by Longhena.
The dining room at the Gritti is on the ground floor and is called the Club del Doge. Its terrace enjoys the same view as my room, but, with the weather inclement, I ate inside the restaurant (pictured). Believe me, this was no penance. As a mist swirled over the dark water outside, I sat back under the heavy beams. Before me was an off-white tablecloth, on which stood a single candle and good Schott glassware. My feet rested on a floor of marble. Ancient paintings of food hung on yellow walls. The scene was illuminated by the glow of crystal wall lights. Truly, my fellow diners and I shared an atmosphere of seclusion and luxury. And we were confident that we would be looked after well, for in charge was Davide Spader. Signor Spader has been at the Gritti for twenty years and is the model of a good maitre d’ – full of skill and dignified good humour.
I began with marinated salmon, with ‘strudel’ of wild mushrooms and sour cream with herbs. I liked the careful balance of tastes and textures of this opening course. Then I moved on to two of my favourite dishes in Venice. They come from that part of the menu which is entitled, ‘La Cucina Dei Dogi’. Each needs 24 hours notice and each is served only for two persons. But the modest effort this requires on the part of the diner is amply rewarded. First came sea bass, baked in salt. Plated by the table, this firm flesh was thrilling for my palate. If all fish were as good as this, I would probably eat no more meat. But then I would have to deny myself the Gritti’s stuffed capon with truffle sauce, so such a commitment on my part is unlikely. Again, the intensity of the flavours on my plate – particularly from the roasted meat – was really impressive. (I told the Chef afterwards that I would have liked more meat and less stuffing, an appeal which he received sympathetically – so I look forward to my next visit.) I ended with a decent tiramisù from the trolley, balanced with some fresh raspberries. (160 euros for these four courses.)
I returned to the Club del Doge for breakfast (55 euros). It was pleasing to watch as the sun crept above the domes of the Salute. Occasionally, this celestial movement required the adjustment of the curtains, to save my eyes from the glare – but the waiters were quick to spot and carry out the necessary action. They also brought to me pots of coffee and my hot dishes (sometimes bacon and tomatoes, sometimes mushrooms on toast). I secured from the buffet dishes of melon, pineapple and stewed pears and plates of tarts and cakes. Thus did I breakfast long and well, before each morning’s concluding cappuccino. I left the Gritti Palace as I always leave – sorry to be parting, but glad that this wonderful hotel will be there when I next need her. If you are going to Venice, my advice to you, dear Reader, is clear: make friends with the Gritti.
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ADDRESSES
HOTEL GRITTI PALACE
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© Francis Bown 2003
Some hotels are so good that I begin to regard them as friends. I like them and they like me. We enjoy each other’s company. We share the same tastes and the same outlook on life. We greet one another warmly and say goodbye with a tinge of regret. Thus it is with the marvellous Gritti Palace. It occupies a prominent place among the hostelries of Venice, having received guests of the paying sort for the past one hundred years; but it wears its grandeur with the insouciance of the true aristocrat. The warmth of the welcome at the Gritti is genuine – as genuine as the fine pieces of antique furniture and the gilt-framed Old Masters which decorate its sumptuous salons. And that welcome was there in its plenitude, as the liveried doorman helped me from the water taxi onto the hotel’s private landing stage on the Grand Canal.
Soon I was in my air-conditioned room – number 212 – on the second floor. Here was the sort of apartment about which most visitors to Venice dream. Through the little hallway was a chamber of decent size (my estimate was 16 feet square). From the high ceiling was suspended a 9-branch chandelier of Murano crystal. Four table lamps cast further light upon the pink easy chair and upon the ormolu mounts of the green writing table. Two ancient oil paintings decorated the walls. Their subjects – a galleon in a rough sea and Adam and Eve, being expelled from the Garden of Eden by an angry God – introduced a sense of drama to the gentle scene. But it was what was through the swagged and tailed curtains of heavy pink brocade which stirred the heart.
More than a century before the Salute was begun, the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti (whose painting, which I reproduce for you, adorns one of the hotel’s sitting rooms), chose this spot for his palace. Now it offers 85 rooms to its visitors. Not all of those rooms, of course, enjoy the view of room 212. That is why it is designated a ‘Double Deluxe Grand Canal’ (900 – 1,330 euros a night for two, according to season, breakfast extra). Those of you who travel heavily (as I do), will be relieved to learn that my billet had a whole wall of wardrobes in which to hang all your essential outfits, and a private safe, for the storing of those twinkly accessories so necessary for civilized excursions. The bathroom, reached up two steps, was of modest size, but I found that I was able to perform my ablutions quite comfortably within its walls of brown and beige marble.
I also took myself off to the Accademia Gallery (a walk of only ten minutes, even at my stately pace) to gaze once more at some of the most moving interpretations of Our Lady & Child ever painted, the works of Giovanni Bellini. Staying at the Gritti, it really is so very easy to reach many of the city’s best attractions. Then, the appetite stimulated by Art of the finest kind, you can look forward to a jolly good dinner.
The kitchen here is the domain of Executive Chef Daniele Turco (pictured). Having worked in Malta, Sicily and Istanbul, Mr Turco is full of enthusiasm for his craft. His cuisine is marked by clarity and intelligence, with good ingredients honestly handled to reveal their true flavours. I enjoyed my eating here.
Most of the 100 offerings on the wine list are Italian, with prices running from 31 euros for a local white to 550 euros for 1996 Dom Pérignon rosé champagne. Super Tuscans from the 2004 vintage include Tignanello (172 euros), Solaia (250 euros) and Sassicaia (148 euros, half). I was intrigued by the selection of wines by the glass (there are about two dozen), so I chose a New Zealand sauvignon blanc to accompany my salmon (the reliable, grassy Cloudy Bay – 15.50 euros) and a clean, acidic German riesling for the sea bass (Ruedesheim, Berg Roseneck – 11.50 euros). But my best drinking by far was my bottle of Italian red, a complex, rather austere Brunello di Montalcino, with notes of bramble, damson and blackcurrant (Castello Banfi, 2002 – 105 euros). 
