Étienne Petitpez, General Manager, arrives at Airelles Palladio, Venezia like a moment suspended in time. The air feels charged, almost cinematic—the pause right before the story begins. The property is vast, quietly monumental, and we sense immediately the scale of what we’re about to witness. Then he appears, gliding in on the hotel’s pontoon, straight out of a movie scene. It’s giving 007 in Venice: composed, assured, unmistakably in control of the narrative.
We follow him into the Conventino, a 16th-century building behind the property, hidden within a restful Mediterranean garden. Étienne pauses here, explaining that it once belonged to a charitable institution devoted to caring for isolated young women—a place defined by protection, calm, and humanity. It’s no coincidence, he suggests. Venice, for him, is deeply emotional, a city where history lives quietly and where small moments carry weight.
He speaks of his lifelong pull toward the sea, of Italy’s instinctive elegance and reverence for craftsmanship, and of the responsibility he feels bringing Airelles’ DNA into Venice with respect rather than force. A soft amber hue follows us everywhere, warming the stone, the corridors, the silences—echoing his belief that true luxury is felt, not announced, and that hospitality begins with emotion.
We step back into the crisp Venetian air and meet Adrien Bohuon, Hotel Manager, in the Redentore Gardens. He’s easy to spot: long coat, tie perfectly in place, a cinematic silhouette against the greenery and stone. Polished but unforced, he looks every bit the hotel manager who knows exactly where he stands. Together, we wander toward the Church of the Redentore as Venice reveals itself around us.
Tucked away behind centuries-old walls, this 16th-century Capuchin garden unfolds in quiet layers, far removed from the city’s constant movement. What makes the experience so rare is the access. Normally closed to the public, Hortus Redemptoris opens privately for Airelles Palladio, Venezia’s guests, offering an intimate encounter with Giudecca’s hidden soul. Walking through the garden feels less like a visit and more like a privilege—an invitation into a sacred rhythm that has remained unchanged for centuries.
Light filters through leaves, shadows dance across stone, and the silence becomes its own luxury. There’s something deeply grounding about it, a reminder that Venice isn’t only spectacle and grandeur, but also restraint, humility, and quiet beauty.
Our senses are brimming with beauty as we wander through the property. Adrien tells us how the city first entered his life, almost by accident, during a team-building trip with Airelles that, in hindsight, feels like the opening scene. He recalls returning in March 2025 with Étienne, arriving by boat on a spring morning as Venice slowly awakened—light shifting, façades highlighted by the same beams of sunlight, the project’s scale impressively impossible to ignore. That moment, he says, made everything click: the ambition, the spirit, the collective energy.
Next, we find Lorenzo Taranto, Food and Beverage Director, at the heart of Palladio, where everything seems to revolve around pleasure and precision. There’s an instinctive confidence in the way he moves through the space—observant, intentional, always taking it in. He admits that Venice was never part of the plan, a city he never imagined calling his own. And yet, like so many before him, he fell instantly and completely.
He speaks with true excitement about shaping a food and beverage vision that honors Venetian culinary heritage while opening it up to the world, blending tradition with a contemporary, international vision. Outside of the kitchen, photography fuels him. Venice has become his creative playground, sharpening his eye, changing the way he sees, frames, and imagines. You feel it immediately: his curiosity, his ambition, his joy in creating experiences that lingers on the tip of your tongue. Here, Lorenzo gets to do more than direct, he gets to express.
And expression really is the name of the game in Airelles Palladio, Venezia. The rooms are anything but restrained. Each one feels like a world of its own, shaped by history and robed in the finest luxury. Comfort is immediate, but so is performance. The Junior Prestige Suite is where Palladio truly leans into drama. Soft cyan sets the tone, woven through plush sofa fabrics and layered bed dressings, bringing a cool, luminous contrast to the warmth of gold that seems to appear everywhere you look.
A freestanding bathtub sits directly beneath a painting, turning the act of bathing into a moment of pure indulgence, part ritual, part art installation. In the bathroom, tiles in soft red-brown and white add warmth and texture, grounding the opulence with a sense of comfort. Every surface invites touch, every corner reveals something new—a curve, a glint of gold, a quiet visual surprise.
We move through Palladio to meet Anna Tosoni, Director of Groups & Events, and instantly feel her energy—bright, precise, and endlessly imaginative. She’s the one who sees a blank page where others see constraints, and Venice itself feels like her canvas. From the very first moment, she understood the potential of Giudecca, of Palladio, and of Airelles’ DNA—and she hasn’t looked back.
Anna talks about her journey here as a process of discovery: from Val d’Isère to Venice, she learned the Maison’s standards, its rhythm, its language. Now, every event she imagines carries that DNA forward, rooted in the city yet infused with creativity and surprise. She laughs describing the thrill of conceptualizing a gathering in spaces that are centuries old, imagining experiences that feel intimate, curated, and completely unforgettable.
Of course there is no visiting Airelles Palladio, Venezia without a dive into a deeply cultural aspect of this magical place. This is where Venice lets you play. Behind closed doors, guests are invited into a legendary Venetian costume atelier, granted rare, private access to a world usually reserved for insiders. Guided by an acclaimed designer, you slip into hand-crafted pieces steeped in history—sumptuous, dramatic, unapologetically Venetian. Every fabric tells a story, every detail feels intentional, every minor moment borders on transformative.
And then comes the reveal. Cameras click, memories lock in, and suddenly you’re no longer just visiting Venice—you’re inhabiting it. It’s bold, indulgent, slightly unreal, and exactly the kind of experience that stays with you long after the mask comes off. Truly the type of unique experience made of dream and fantasy.
Speaking of fantasy, many things wouldn’t be possible without the guiding hand of Audrey Di Fruscia, Resident Manager. After a quick chat with her we realized Audrey doesn’t walk into a space—she listens to it. She tells us, “Venice has shaped me as much as my French roots. After more than twenty-five years here, I have learned to listen to the city and understand its art, heritage, and culture.”
For Audrey, Airelles Palladio, Venezia matters far beyond the professional. It’s about carrying Venice’s legacy and identity forward with care, letting French hospitality find a natural, effortless expression. She speaks of it as a meeting point—where her roots and the city she calls home intersect; where every choice, every gesture, every detail is guided by respect and intention.
We end where Venice always brings you back: by the water. Standing next to the canal, the city feels theatrical again—alive, reflective, impossibly grand. Across the lagoon, St. Mark’s Campanile rises into the sky, timeless and unwavering, watching over it all. Airelles Palladio, Venezia doesn’t try to compete with the city’s drama—it understands it. It leans in and amplifies it. What remains isn’t just the opulence, the gold, the history layered into every corner—it’s the feeling of having stepped briefly into something cinematic, emotional, memorable. This place doesn’t whisper its goodbye. It leaves you suspended in awe, already longing to return.