Venice debut for Airelles Palladio

On 1 May 2026, the first guests of the Airelles Palladio arrived in Venice. Welcoming them at the private jetty is a gentleman dressed in a brocade waistcoat and tabard, who courteously escorts them to the entrance. With its small, almost invisible plaque, the new hotel on the island of Giudecca seems almost like a secret place. Crossing the red-brick entrance, there is a garden that announces itself lush, and there a reception that in turn announces the French grandeur of the Airelles group, for the first time in Italia. We at Sole24Ore were the first in Italia to visit the new grand hotel and were privileged to witness the last two days of preparations before the official opening.

But the story begins much earlier, when we heard about it at tourism fairs, where we were teased with drawings before when it was still a project. We wondered what the much-loved former Bauer Palladio would become. At least three years have passed since those first hints, when finally, last December, wearing hard hats and workmen's boots, we entered the building site to get a first glimpse, accompanied by resident manager Audrey Di Fruscia, who told us about it, letting us imagine the extraordinary wealth of materials, details and little secrets. When we returned at the end of April, the hotel was practically finished, just two days before opening. It was like being in a live game of 'find the differences': you went down to breakfast leaving carpenters and electricians behind you, came back to the floor and as if by magic there were dozens of paintings hanging along the corridors. You walked past the spa with the half-empty pool, came back a couple of hours later and it was perfect, complete with loungers, mats and towels rolled up on top. And every time you looked at the cloisters, you wondered how three gardeners could have arranged all those plants and archaeological artefacts in the very short space of your absence. And the swimming pool? Within 48 hours it had become an oasis with a lawn, flowers and hedges along with the large garden connecting all the parts. It was a bit like watching the staging of a big show, with dozens of actors and producers. Those who played their parts, those who rehearsed them, those who arranged the scenery, those who directed so that everything ran smoothly. Without sacrificing the guests' vices: cleanliness and couverture, herbal tea on the bedside table in the evening, bouquets of fresh flowers.

And we, in that incessant swarming, watched fascinated as the work was completed. The suite (there are 45 of them): a set for a Venetian remake of Room with a View. The window frames St Mark's with its monumental profile. The terrazzo floors, the brocade tapestries, the Fortuny lamps, the unique antiques (about 10,000 in all, including furnishings, sculptures, vases, paintings), the black velvet slippers, the initialled pyjamas, the make-up remover, the herbal tea on the bedside table in the evening; the sound system with playlists (classical is perfect); the bathroom as big as the bedroom, the party-sized living room with a maxi bar and everything you need to make at least gin and tonic, negroni and spritz.

Another chapter: the kitchen. Or rather the kitchens. Between the staff trying out dishes and service, we were delivered mouth-watering dishes to the table that were impossible to say enough about, thank you. And the names of the chefs? Jean-George Vongerichten, also for the first time in Italia; Matsuhisa, or Nobu without his historical partner De Niro; Cédric Grolet, the world's best pastry chef. And Norbert Niedekofler, one of our three Michelin stars here with his Cook the Lagoon concept (in July). On the other hand, as they pointed out to us, you have to whet the appetite to snatch travellers from laziness and entice them to cross the channel for a special lunch or dinner, even without sleeping in the hotel. The shuttle bus is available from the Royal Gardens at San Marco. And anyway, the crostini with spider crab, artichoke and lobster with vegetables deserve the five-minute crossing as much as the aperitif with cicchetti at the bar.

The spa is the other good reason for a day at Giudecca: three floors, 1,700 square metres, site-specific treatments by Guerlain, the first in Italia. There is also make-up and hair styling by Rossano Ferretti. In the whirlwind of happenings, we retreated to the library (we didn't count them but the volumes are many, often ancient) for a mixology lesson. Spritz is local, true, but too easy. We tried our hand at a Margarita with mezcal instead of tequila, which we then drank while being entertained by the barman and his secrets. And it will be nice to come back in September, when Elton's Club opens, so named because it borders Elton John's flat, which he has promised to attend.