Venetian palazzo from 1436 reborn as Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli with 47 keys, canal arrivals and restored baroque salons

(IN SHORT) Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, a 15th‑century palazzo in Venice’s Cannaregio district, is now accepting reservations for 47 accommodations—29 rooms, 16 suites (six Signature) and two Orient Express Apartments—ranging from 30 to 148 square meters. Built in 1436 under architect Filippo Calendario and once on the original Orient Express route to Constantinople, the building has been meticulously restored by Aline Asmar d’Amman, preserving frescoes, mosaics and a façade with seven Gothic windows overlooking the Rio de Noale. Guests arrive via private boat through a Gothic portal, through Santa Fosca’s secret garden or from the Strada Nova courtyard. Inside, an octagonal staircase by Giovanni Battista Meduna leads to the Piano Nobile, home to the Baroque Vittoria Ballroom (created for Princess Vittoria Farnese’s 1548 wedding), the lapis-hued Library of Cultures and the Music Room. Dining options include a boat-accessed fine dining restaurant, an all-day venue facing the courtyard and garden, and the Wagon Bar inspired by rail travel. Rates begin at €1,320 for Superior Rooms, €2,310 for Suites and €4,400–€20,000 for Signature Suites and Apartments, breakfast and VAT included. CEO Gilda Perez-Alvarado describes the property as a moving heritage experience that embodies Orient Express’s poetic vision.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 2025-Jul-23 — /Travel PR News/ — Bookings are now open for 47 individually designed guestrooms, suites and apartments inside a 15th‑century Venetian palazzo reborn as Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli.

Following the Roman debut of Orient Express La Minerva, the legendary travel name turns its attention to Venice, unveiling a sanctuary where the city’s opulent past and the romance of rail-era wanderlust intersect. Once a glittering stop on the original Orient Express line to Constantinople, Palazzo Donà Giovannelli awakens as a place to feel—history, artistry, atmosphere—rather than merely observe.

Tucked into Cannaregio—the first sestiere of Venice and one of the last where everyday Venetian life flows unfiltered—the residence occupies an enviable perch at the junction of two canals. Commissioned in 1436 under the guidance of Filippo Calendario, the visionary behind the Doge’s Palace, the structure now stands renewed. Architect and interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman has choreographed a restoration of many layers: theatrical scale softened by light, patina cherished rather than erased, original frescoes and mosaic floors coaxed back to brilliance with meticulous care.

Venice has long been a cultural crossroads, and the palazzo’s fabric reflects that confluence. Neogothic height, Baroque exuberance and classical symmetry converse throughout the building, telling the story of centuries in dialogue. The exterior—distinguished by seven filigreed Gothic windows—glitters above the Rio de Noale, catching reflections that shift with the lagoon’s mood.

“Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli is not simply a hotel; it is a journey across ages of splendour,” says Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express. “It channels the brand’s poetic spirit—heritage that moves forward—so that each guest lives a passage through memory, art and feeling.”

Originally the stately home of the Donà and Giovannelli families—patrons of the arts—and later a gift to the Duke of Urbino, the palace carries an air of celebration and intrigue. Today, its gilded salons and discreet corridors return to life as a cultural refuge at the heart of Cannaregio.

Arrival sets the tone. Guests may glide in by private launch through a majestic Gothic portal, slip via Santa Fosca’s hidden garden gate, or step in off the Strada Nova into a hushed courtyard. Each route is a prologue, hinting at the uncommon narrative within.

Inside, a sunwashed lobby of dramatic proportions greets visitors beneath timbered ceilings. Curated relics and contemporary finds create a setting worthy of a noble household. All eyes lift to the octagonal staircase—a 19th‑century marvel by Giovanni Battista Meduna, the architect behind Ca’ d’Oro and La Fenice. Topped with a celestial stone-and-glass oculus, it beckons upward to the Piano Nobile, where the palazzo’s glamour is most fully expressed.

On this principal floor, a suite of historic rooms opens one after the other, each revealing another facet of the building’s soul. There is the glittering Baroque Vittoria Ballroom, conceived for Princess Vittoria Farnese’s 1548 wedding; the lapis-laden Library of Cultures, its pigments intense against gilded woodwork; and the Music Room, still resonant with the intellectual electricity of Venice’s golden age.

The accommodation inventory comprises 47 keys—rooms, suites and apartments—where historic fabric mingles with contemporary craft. Six Signature Suites on the Piano Nobile and first floor channel the Serenissima’s grand manner in utterly individual layouts. In an adjacent structure, the very first Orient Express Apartments introduce a residential rhythm and sweeping canal vistas, reinterpreting Venetian living for the present day. Sizes range from 30 to 148 square meters, allowing for intimate hideaways and expansive private quarters alike.

Culinary life unfolds in three distinct settings. A discreet fine dining restaurant, accessible directly by boat, promises intimacy and haute cuisine. An all-day dining room gazes over a lively courtyard and lush garden—an exceptional amenity in Venice—inviting guests to linger from breakfast through aperitivo. The signature Wagon Bar tips its hat to the golden age of trains, translating railway romance into a convivial Venetian salon.

Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli writes a fresh stanza in the brand’s enduring poem—a noble spirit, rediscovered and renewed on the lagoon.

Reservations are open now at palazzodonagiovannelli.orient-express.com or via +39 041 8858004. The hotel offers 29 rooms, 16 suites (including six Signature Suites) and two Orient Express Apartments. Nightly rates start at €1,320 for a Superior Room, €2,310 for a Suite, and from €4,400 up to €20,000 for Signature Suites or Apartments, all including breakfast and VAT.

Press contacts

ORIENT EXPRESS

Stephanie Le Badezet
Vice President, Global Brand & Communication
stephanie.LEBADEZET@accor.com

Jessaline Fynbo
Senior Manager, Global PR & Influence
jessaline.fynbo@orient-express.com

Orient Express Trains & Hotels Italy

Fabiola Balduzzi
Director Marketing & Communications
fabiola.balduzzi@orient-express.com

Culture in Architecture

Alexandra Public Relations
Rita@alexandrapr.com
Salima@alexandrapr.com

FRANCE

Pierre Cauchois
Agence Douzal
pcauchois@douzal.com

USA

LDPR
Dana Curatolo
dana@ldpr.com

UNITED KINGDOM

Gribbonberry
Jo Berry
jo@gribbonberry.com

ITALY

Allumeuse Communications
Stefania Agnello
s.agnello@allumeuse.it

SOURCE: Accor