Aline Asmar d’Amman Reimagines Palazzo Donà Giovannelli as Orient Express Venezia

Venice has long existed between reality and theatre – a city where architecture, history, and imagination unfold in layered succession. Within this setting, Orient Express Venezia introduces a new chapter, transforming the 15th-century Palazzo Donà Giovannelli into a hotel for the first time in nearly six centuries. 

Set within the quieter rhythms of Cannaregio, where two canals intersect, the palazzo reclaims its role as a cultural crossroads, echoing Venice’s historic position along the legendary route between Paris and Istanbul. Under the direction of Aline Asmar d’Amman, the restoration unfolds as a layered composition rather than a singular gesture. Architectural fragments, decorative flourishes, and newly introduced elements coexist, revealing a dialogue between memory and reinvention. 

The interiors move with a sense of theatrical progression. Historic frescoes meet sculptural interventions, patinated surfaces are reflected in tinted mirrors, and richly veined natural stones are woven into the architectural fabric. The so-called Colori Persi – the “lost colours” of Venice – re-emerge across textiles, finishes, and furnishings, subtly restoring the chromatic depth of the building’s past while anchoring it in the present. 

This sensibility extends into the spatial experience. The former cortile is reimagined as il Corte del Conte, a grand, light-filled living room where Murano chandeliers and layered textures soften the scale of the architecture. Beyond, a concealed garden introduces a quieter register, an enclosed landscape where sound, light, and material dissolve into a more introspective rhythm. 

Across its 47 rooms and suites, the narrative becomes more intimate. Each space carries traces of the building’s past – from restored murals to sculptural ceilings – while framing views of canals and gardens that root the experience firmly within Venice. 

Dining, too, becomes part of the story. Under the direction of Heinz Beck, the culinary offering unfolds across a series of distinct settings, from the restrained precision of fine dining to the more theatrical expression of all-day spaces. 

What emerges is not simply a hotel, but a sequence of atmospheres, a place where architecture, craft, and narrative are carefully choreographed. Here, the legacy of Venice is neither preserved nor replicated, but reinterpreted; extended into a contemporary language that remains both immersive and enduring.