Palazzina Grassi

If ever there were a city that needed a bit of the old Philippe Starck treatment it was Venice. Here a little design goes a long way — not that you could accuse the Palazzina Grassi of being just a little bit designed. Here Starck is at full strength: masks on the bedside lamps, comically exaggerated chandeliers, mirrors on every surface. It’s a classic Venetian palazzo filtered through the mind of a dedicated anti-classicist, and the result was always going to be memorable — and now, after an extensive refurbishment, it once again looks as new as it did on the day it opened.

In a Starck hotel the bedrooms feel less like a refuge and more like some kind of provocation. Enough of the bones of the old structure remain to firmly remind you you’re in Venice, and there’s a bit of fun to be had with the city’s famed glasswork. Meanwhile just outside is the original Venice, which is somehow made fresher and more vibrant by contrast with the Palazzina’s inventive interiors; you’ve never seen the Grand Canal quite like this.

It’s hard to believe this is the same Venice from the postcards your grandparents used to send — and that, thankfully, is entirely the point.