Corte di Gabriela

In Venice, tourists might outnumber residents, but staying in the bustling heart of the city isn’t likely to diminish your experience — especially when the bustling heart in question happens to be San Marco, home of the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. Don’t be a contrarian about it: this place is popular for some very good reasons. And what makes the eleven-room Corte di Gabriela so inviting, besides its location, is that it finds inventive ways to work within the Euro-boutique framework — yes, it’s a refurbished 19th-century building, but it plays with Venetian tropes to create an atmosphere of design-hotel chic, offering a luxurious experience that never takes itself too seriously.

That’s not to say that the guest rooms flout convention in any overblown or distracting way. Exposed beams — remnants of the original construction — preside over gilded mirrors and proudly ornate armchairs that exist alongside famously contoured Eames furniture. The décor doesn’t stick to one specific color palette, and the rooms are the better for it. Nobody does stark black-and-white better than the Italians, but this hotel livens up the proceedings with rich shades of ochre and green. The views are undeniably romantic, and best experienced on one of the balconies overlooking the canals.

Except for the continental breakfast, you’ll have to step out for food. That’s no inconvenience—after all, the whole point of Venice is to lose yourself in the maze of cobbled alleys and watery thoroughfares. If you find yourself desperately seeking relief from the tourist parade, simply retreat to Corte di Gabriela’s beguiling courtyard and have a drink in the shade of the creeping wisteria overhead.