Trying to be practical this time, I chose Cinque Teste Luxury Home in Venice mainly for its proximity to the train station. Of course, the celebrated Venetian garden right on the property sealed the deal when I booked a room.
Getting to Cinque Teste and getting lost.
Supposedly, it would only take ten minutes from the train station to get there, which meant a pleasant walk and no porter. I forgot that Venice, unlike other Italian cities, hides its thorns behind the beauty, as nothing there is as it seems. You can easily get lost, and ten minutes of walking can turn into hours of climbing up and down cobblestone bridges over the canal.
On a hot September day, my twenty-six-inch suitcase felt like a small house on wheels. After dragging it up and down several small bridges, every bridge felt like a mountain climb.
When the GPS showed that we were only 150 feet away, the “You are here” mark appeared. Here? Where?
Of course, every person was pointing in the opposite direction. Even charming delivery guys looked less than certain. The whole ordeal took about an hour of wheeling, climbing, and entering courtyards that were almost right.
Finally getting there
Completely defeated by the heat, I finally called Luana, the owner of Cinque Teste Luxury House. She tried to explain, but my brain was too foggy. So she came out for the rescue. Even from a distance, she exuded polite authority and elegance. My hair felt sticky, and my once-white T-shirt was a wrinkled mess.
She smiled and touched her perfectly styled curl. “You should have hired a porter!” She said.
We walked together in silence; no house matching the Cinque Teste photo on my phone was in plain view. Then we turned another corner, and the spectacular entrance gate finally appeared.
I felt like I’d stepped through a portal into a dream.
The gate opened onto a splendid garden, a giant park by Venetian standards. Flowers, trees, and cascading grapevines hugged the ancient stone walls. The shadows of the leaves, the breeze whispering against my face, and the place’s peacefulness made me forget all my troubles.
The Garden
Gently, Luana offered me a glass of icy-cold water. As I drank, I wondered how they kept a garden this lush in Venice, where fresh water itself feels precious. Then I spotted some loungers and an elegant cafe patio- all I needed to relax after a long trip.
A lazy-looking furry princess narrowed her eyes in disapproval when our luggage rattled along the ancient pathway toward the main house. Perhaps he was offended that the beautiful marble staircase was used for our overweight luggage.
The second-floor hallway looked promising. The Murano glass chandeliers mounted directly on the exposed beams and the artwork on the walls were enough to spark curiosity.
Our room in Cinque Teste, Venice
Our room was on the second floor overlooking the canal. As we walked in, the two large Venetian windows welcomed us with all their glory.
If you see only the bed at first, it’s an ordinary hotel room; turn around, and suddenly—those windows. That floor. Venice!
The windows
The original Venetian Gothic windows, with playful, flame-like tops, were exquisite. At first, I even hesitated to open them. But then I did. After all, they’d witnessed hundreds of years of human touch; perhaps they’d survive my hands, too. Joy and sorrow, decay and revival – they were there in their silent presence, as if asking us to pause, look out, and finally notice the ancient Venetian panorama.
The furniture
The furniture played a capable supporting role, while the Gothic/Venetian windows were the main attraction. I noticed that most pieces had simple lines and light wood finishes, common in midcentury Italian style. Instead of predictable dark-wood furniture, the pale pieces made the room feel lighter, easier, and less precious. Yet a few pieces cleverly referenced older Venetian classics.
I didn’t mind open compartments. With almost no ornament, the furniture felt effortless and comfortable.
You could also let your child use all of it without a frantic “Don’t touch or else!”
The view from the window was exactly what I hoped to see in Venice.
The lights reflected in the canal, a seagull perched on a cozy balcony, and the ancient architecture did not disappoint.
The bathroom held a lovely old mirror that had survived Venice’s floods.
I was wondering: “Who used this mirror a hundred or two hundred years ago?”
The Common areas
The downstairs invites a closer look.
At first glance, the common areas looked like any hotel: a breakfast room, a reception area, a sitting area. But then, after a delicious coffee and a freshly made breakfast, you linger and notice how the faceted mirror plays with the objects around it, and how the iconic Venetian light reflects in the small mirrors and glass.
Art. Gennaro Condurso
Condurso draws on ancient Mediterranean rituals, folk beliefs, and protective symbols traditionally intended to ward off evil. His pieces reinterpret those old forms as contemporary art. With that in mind, the strange faces scattered throughout Cinque Teste no longer feel merely decorative. They seem to be watching over the house and its guests.
The pieces feel ancient even though they are contemporary. But you also sense the art isn’t just decoration. They make you wonder what they mean. Nothing in this house is as simple as it looks. And of course, Luana has stories to tell about Condurso’s work.
The people of the house
The owners and the staff
Friendly chatter always fills the library and the outside.
The owners and staff are remarkably approachable. Norberto likes to talk about the garden. You can spot him looking elegant even while trimming the bushes. While I wear off-white to special occasions, he wears the same kind of pants to work 🙂
The renovation of Cinque Teste
I recall a very meaningful conversation with Luana about the house. Casually, I asked about the house renovation and the choice of materials. At that moment, she was working in the reception area, as always. And yet she stopped whatever she was doing and reached for a thick photo album about the recent renovation disaster.
I didn’t know much about it. She shared that it took thirty months to restore. Then the house was flooded right after the last nail went into the wall. To make it even more devastating, COVID hit right after, and the whole world was shut down. No guests. No money, no business.
And yet, they survived. They breathed new life into Cinque Teste, guarding the ancient beauty like a mother guards her baby!
People can’t be complete without beauty
Needless to say, I looked at the house now with completely different eyes:
Centuries pass, tragedies happen, but beauty is one of the things worth saving. We, humans, can’t be complete without beauty.
And here is the paradox: We cross the oceans to see the ancient cultures, and yet take no time or effort to learn how to navigate in a fragile old world, and how complex it can turn out to be.
If it is something that we crave so much, should we give it more time, patience, and care?
I started my trip to Venice stepping over the bridges with a heavy suitcase in search of inspiration. Perhaps I should have been less arrogant and more realistic.
Cinque Teste, with its impossibly charming garden and wonderful secrets, became my silent friend—a place I want to return to years from now and find still there.
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