Ca’ di Dio | Patricia Urquiola

The new luxury hotel in Venice has officially opened. It is the fourth hotel in the VRetreats collection, after Rome and Taormina: historic houses, an international flair and deluxe hospitality where the connection with the territory appears in each detail.
The newest luxury hotel in Venice bears the signature of the architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, who was in charge of interior design and was the art director. The historic house merges the two essential elements of the city: severity and sophistication, symbols of beauty and a new idea of hospitality.

Venice welcomes a new hotel among its intimate alleys, in the sestiere Castello along Riva degli Schiavoni, a stylish and elegant address with a long tradition of hospitality dating back to the 1200s, Ca’ di Dio was an ancient shelter for pilgrims and women in difficulty. Now five hundred years from the work of Jacopo Sansovino, it has experienced a renaissance signed by Patricia Urquiola, the internationally renowned architect and interior designer.
The hotel is part of the VRetreats collection, exclusive houses with a strong personality and a strong link to the territory, structures encompassing art and culture, in keeping with the surrounding areas thanks to terraces, cloisters and gardens.

The building came under the management of Alpitour World in 2019 and new life and light was poured into it with an investment of 25 million euro.

“Alpitour World strongly believed in this project” states Gabriele Burgio, President and MD of the Group. “We continued the work in our investment, without stopping despite the difficult period. We are the leaders in Italy in the field of travel and hospitality, and as such we have a moral duty to support tourism, first and foremost in our own country. Today for us, this is a new beginning, a symbol that we wish to share and which encompasses the value of memory and energy for the future.”

The project is a homage to Venice and its past. The environment and the detail celebrate the materials, colours and ambiance of the city that lives on the water: its palette is soft and subtle, with light, transparent hues that echo the reflections of the lagoon.
Discreet environments where each design element reflects a pre-existing line, enhancing it without overturning it.
A harmonious merger between the severity of the existing structure and the refinedness of an aristocratic building.
These are the two souls of Ca’ di Dio, the same ones that run throughout Venice. Particular attention has been paid to common areas, places where people meet and relationships begin.

A distinct welcoming environment can be perceived right from the entrance, with the Lobby, originally the church, being one of the most iconic areas of the entire hotel. The double height ceiling serves to show off the 14.000 Murano glass crystals that make up the three sails of the breath-taking light fitting.
The poetry of Ca’ di Dio continues in the Reading Room, the Alchemia bar, in the two restaurants of the hotel, Essentia and Vero, the latter being open also to external guests.
Each space displays careful research into materials, characterised by fabrics, glass, stone and marble, all worked respecting the traditions of local craftsmanship. This narrative of a “Venetian house” continues in its offering of exquisite hospitality, two rooftop loggias from where to gaze out onto the whole of Venice, and the three gardens created in the courtyards, peaceful oases in which to find oneself and connect to the external environment.

Ca’ di Dio has 66 rooms, 57 are Suites and 9 are Deluxe rooms.
Most face the lagoon, looking out onto the isle of San Giorgio and Rio Ca’ di Dio. The rooms have fabric panelling and wood frames surrounding the windows, emphasising the relationship between the internal and external space.

Light fittings have been made to measure, hand-blown by master glassblowers. In the rooms, each detail delicately fits into its surroundings and is interpreted in a contemporary reading.
“As a designer, I always work with an inclusive view, making the client an active part of the project, giving a unique character to each hotel – explains the architect and interior designer, Patricia Urquiola. “The vision with VRetreats was always in agreement on the end result: Venice had to be the nucleus from which everything had to originate. The careful choice of materials, the importance of the genius loci are fundamental elements for me. We have researched in depth to exalt the personality of Ca’ di Dio, without distorting the past but re-interpreting it in a contemporary manner.”

After Rome and Taormina, Ca’ di Dio represents the latest luxury hotel in the VRetreats collection, a brand of VOIhotels: each structure has its own personality, imbued with Italian history, art and culture. It boasts different elements that make this a unique hotel compared to the others: here luxury is not an end in itself, but it is a strong and clear identity, the wish to celebrate the beauty of a destination through the atmospheres, experiences and in each gesture of hospitality.

“This is the philosophy that guides VRetreats”, says Paolo Terrinoni, Managing Director of VOIhotels. “A story to accompany our guests in the discovery of the world and its beauties. We have big ambitions for the next few years: today we offer 4 exclusive structures in some of the most beautiful Italian cities, but the aim is to reach 12 in the next three years. We are carefully assessing each acquisition, as we are interested in the distinctive personality that must characterise each of our hotels. We, even before any of our guests, must fall in love with the project: Ca’ di Dio is exactly this, a story that everyone will love to experience.”

Hospitality is intimate, innovative and impeccable; each space is a discovery of sounds, smells and tastes. The two restaurants offer gourmet dishes, made using local ingredients and products from the internal vegetable garden, as well as carefully selected wines and alcoholic beverages skilfully balanced to satisfy any palate.
The restoration project also focused on sustainability, with investments that would guarantee systems and infrastructures able to limit any impact on the environment.

Also thanks to the use of water from the lagoon in the air conditioning system, it will be possible to reduce energy costs by 20%, as well as reduce CO2 emissions by about 110t every year.
This is just one of the many details that make Ca’ di Dio a unique hotel in Venice.
“Ca’ di Dio encompasses what I call ‘venessentia’ – explains Christophe Mercier, hotel Manager – that is, the fascination, atmosphere and the most intimate essence of Venice. I would like every guest to feel at home, in the heart of the city, but in an area protected from the more frenetic tourist routes: we are next to the Biennale, with an incredible view on San Giorgio and a generous outdoor space. More than 400 windows, two rooftop loggias and three gardens: Ca’ di Dio is really a window into beauty and in constant dialogue with one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

Molteni&C takes part in this great project furnishing the interiors of the 66 bedrooms with custom-made pieces designed by Patricia Urquiola.
The brand also enriches the hallways with wood ceilings, fabric upholstery and benches.
The setting is completed by iconic pieces of the Molteni&C collections, such as the Filigree tables designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, and the Woody chairs designed by Francesco Meda.