Palazzo Papadopoli has stood on the Grand Canal since the 1560s, commissioned by the Coccina family and attributed to Gian Giacomo dei Grigi, its white Istrian stone facade one of the more composed Renaissance statements along a waterway better known for Gothic ornament. When Aman converted it into a 24-room hotel in 2013, the challenge was not transformation but calibration — how much contemporary furniture a frescoed ceiling of this age can absorb before the room tips into pastiche. Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston Architects resolved it with restraint: parquet floors in chevron and herringbone patterns, beds and case pieces in warm walnut and pale upholstery, Murano glass chandeliers that belong to the building's own tradition rather than being brought in as decoration. The damask wall coverings visible in the guest rooms draw from the Venetian textile lineage without attempting reproduction. The piano nobile entertaining rooms, where gilded plasterwork and swaged silk pelmets frame floor-to-ceiling windows opening directly onto the Canal, set the dining experience against one of the more arresting waterfront views in Europe. A loggia terrace above, dressed with wicker chairs and terracotta planters threaded with climbing vines, offers the same view in a more informal register. The property extends across two connected palazzi, giving it a rare sense of internal depth for Venice — a garden courtyard behind the facade providing the kind of quiet that the city, at water level, almost never grants.

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In the heart of Venice, Italy, beside the Grand Canal, Aman Venice finds home in the resplendent 16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli, just a two-minute walk from a vaporetto stop and the iconic Piazza San Marco. Almost all of Aman Venice's 24 suites overlook the canal, many also feature unique architectural and artistic features - from painted frescoes to carved fireplaces - by greats such as Tiepolo and Sansovino, redolent of the palazzo's storied past. Amenities include two signature dining venues and an elegant cocktail bar, alongside a gym, roof terrace and serene Aman Spa. The hotel also offers two private gardens - an unusual feature in this floating city.