Trying to be practical this time, I chose Cinque Teste 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 get easily lost, and ten minutes walking can turn into hours climbing up and down the cobble bridges over the canal.
My twenty-six-inch suitcase on a hot September day felt like a small house on wheels. After dragging it up and down several small bridges felt like a mountain climb.
When we approached a 100-foot mark, the GPS showed a “You are here” mark. Here? Where?
Of course, every person was pointing in the opposite direction. Even charming delivery guys looked less than certain. This took about an hour of wheeling, climbing, and entering almost the right courtyards.
Finally getting there
Totally beaten up by the heat, I finally called Luana, the owner of Cinque Teste. She tried to explain, but my brain was too foggy to understand. So she came out for the rescue. While she exuded polite authority, I was an angry mess of a woman. When I finally saw her slender, confident form approaching, I wiped the sweat with my dirty hand. My hair felt sticky, and my previously white T-shirt was showing large sweaty circles. She smiled and touched her perfectly styled curl. “You should have hired a porter!”
We walked together in silence; no house matching the photo of Cinque Teste on my phone was in plain view. Then we turned yet another corner where the spectacular entrance gate finally rewarded all my senses. I felt like I entered a portal to a different universe.
The Garden
The gate opened up to 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 whisper of the breeze on my face, and the peace of the place made a previous hour instantly disappear. Luana welcomed us with a glass of icy cold water, and I thought, “I can imagine what it takes to provide adequate irrigation in the city where fresh water is the most precious commodity!” Then I spotted some loungers and an elegant cafe patio- all I needed to inhale the magic of Cinque Teste.
A lazy-looking furry princess narrowed her eyes in disapproval when our luggage rattled along the ancient pathway toward the main house. Perhaps it annoyed her that the beautiful marble staircase was not so much for our overpacked luggage. The hallway of the second floor looked promising. The Murano glass chandelier mounted on the exposed beams and the artwork on the walls were enough to open my eyes in anticipation.
Windows and the view
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. The windows looked like elaborate statues, and, at first, I hesitated to open them. But then I did. After all, they witnessed hundreds of years of human touch; perhaps they will survive my hands as well. 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 view from the window was not disappointing. In fact, it was all you would expect from Venice. The lights reflected in the canal, a seagull perched on a cosy balcony, and the perspective of the ancient architecture.
At night, I was lying in bed creating stories about the furniture, especially cabinets. Were they acquiring the cabinetry from the neighboring atelier? Maybe. After all, Venice is all about the relationship of art and architecture, so why not?
The furniture was a capabe supporting actor while the windows took center stage. Like everything in Venice, what looks simple is not plain. On the contrary, everything seems to hide a secret. Easy, rectilinear forms, almost no ornament, and simple open compartments were effortless and unexpected. If all you see the bed first, then it turns into an ordinary hotel room; turn around, and suddenly—those windows. That floor. Venice.
It had pieces of the restrained style of Italian Mid-Century Modern, with a few older Venetian pieces mixed in. The low cabinet had a 1970s Italian modernist feeling—the combination of wood veneer, gray/taupe casing, rounded corners, and very clean fronts. Most likely, the little dark low table/bench is from the same general period.
But then they’ve deliberately put in that older oval-backed chair, which looks much more traditional—Louis XVI–influenced, perhaps an actual vintage/antique piece or a later reproduction. And of course all of this is sitting on a terrazzo floor beneath those Gothic/Venetian windows, which makes the room especially interesting.
Common areas
The downstairs, as well as the rooms and the garden, are calling for a closer look. At first sight, the common areas were what you expect from 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
Like a whimsical potpourri, the clay masks and objects by Gennaro Condurso are everywhere within the house and the garden. They are in the guest room, by the doors, in common areas, and in the garden. The pieces feel ancient even though they are contemporary. But you also sense that the art is not there just as decoration. They make you wonder about their hidden meaning. Nothing is as simple as it looks in this house.
And of course, Luana has many stories to tell. Maestro Condurso’s forms and symbols are inspired by very old Mediterranean traditions, rituals, and folk beliefs. Also, they follow ancient cultures and are believed to have protective qualities to ward off evil. So, Condurso’s art takes those old protective symbols and reinterprets them as contemporary art, and this is much more than colorful objects.
The people of the house
Both the owners and the people who work on the grounds are approachable, as they share their stories or just stop to say hello. 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 uses the same kind to work.
It seems that there is always friendly chatter in the library and outside.
I recall a very special conversation with Luana that started with a simple compliment. Then I asked about the house renovation and the choice of materials. She was working by the reception area, as usual. And yet, she stopped whatever she was doing and reached for a thick book of photos related to the recent renovation disaster. I didn’t know that it took thirty months to restore the house. 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. I’m sure she could tell me more about all the struggle! They breathed new life into Cinque Teste guarding the ancient beauty like a mother guards her baby.
I looked at the house now with completely different eyes:
Centuries pass, tragedies happen, but beauty is the only thing worth saving. If we can’t be happy without it, does it mean that haste is not our friend when it comes to understanding its roots?
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.
I started my trip to Venice stepping over the bridges with a heavy suitcase in search of beauty and inspiration. Perhaps I should have been less arrogant and more realistic. Then I took my time to touch upon many things that didn’t become clear at first sight.
Cinque Teste with its secret garden and wonderful art, is the source of inspiration, a place that I want to come back to and find it even more beautiful
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