Recently, en route home from some time in Italy we decided to take advantage of the fact that, for the first time in 100 years, dolphins had been seen in Venice. With the pandemic having had an obvious effect on life as we once knew it, one of the positives is that the planet has had a second to breathe; albeit seemingly a little too late. With the decline in tourists visiting the city over the course of the past 18 months, the canals of Venice are playing host to types of wildlife that haven’t dared come near the polluted waters in over a century.

Having never been to Venice myself I was excited to experience it for the first time. So, of course, first things first, I booked a date night at Harry’s Bar. Home to the Bellini (my go-to cocktail of choice.. well that or a French ‘75) not to mention a whole series of historical + fabulous moments, glamorous visitors + seductive secrets, Harry’s Bar is a not-so-secret must when visiting this distinctively remarkable city.

Thankfully my younger self no longer plays a part in how we now travel. The perfectionistic part of me used to think it was imperative to see + experience absolutely everything possible no matter how short our stay somewhere. Now, without that pressure to do it all, travel is a treat to be slowly enjoyed at a much deeper level. The rich culture + historic nature of Venice is overwhelmingly intriguing + somewhere that requires little but a desire to stroll with ease + soak it all up. Beyond it’s beauty, Venice is undoubtedly awe inspiring. One must stop to take it in; the extraordinary way in which the city was first imagined + then brought to life is as though to be immersed, almost 1500 years after it’s birth, in beauty that not only envelopes your soul but transports to you an entirely other world long before this digital, fast-paced life we live in. For this one we put our phones away (ok when I say phones I mean, more honestly, just Google Maps) + got entirely lost each day, strolling through the pretty streets + taking a water taxi to another part of the city; all for the simple pleasure of exploring. Unlike most who visit Venice, we didn’t take a Gondola ride through the canals - perhaps an obvious mistake on our part but it felt extremely touristy + as a walker, we were content to stay on foot.

Experiences I loved were, of course, the Prada Foundation, our sweet date night at Harry’s Bar, the glamour of the Aman, sailing past ‘Building Bridges’ by Lorenzo Quinn by night + visiting the Peggy Guggenheim collection. On the contemporary side of things, I was so thrilled to water taxi over to the island of Certosa to see the Doug Aitken kaleidoscopic catwalk which was commissioned specifically by Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello for the fashion houses menswear spring summer 2021 fashion show which took place just before we arrived. The installation was out-of-this-world incredible. Breathtaking. Unfortunately only there for a short two week stint but Doug Aitken’s mirrored house in the Swiss Alps is one of his more permanent structures to check out.

Back to Venice, the endless jaw-dropping architecture + the sheer way in which it was constructed has to cement it’s place as the coolest, most dramatically interesting city in Europe. Three nights though, I will admit, is perhaps just one too long. Were we to revisit, it would be for just two + with a specific reason to be there; say the Biennale or one day perhaps, a visit to the Opera or something fabulous like that. And without a doubt, any future visits will be out of season. It’s a place with a sense that, unless you could magically remove all the tourists (+ we were blessed to be there without that many in July this year as Europe scrambles to recover from the pandemic) needs to be experienced intimately. Venice, were it a verb, is a moment in life to immerse yourself in the depth of it’s charm, a moment to savour as privately as possible.

The HAUTE so FABULOUS Venice List

HOTELS // AMAN // Hotel Danieli // Hotel Londra Palace // San Marco Suite 755 // Belmond Hotel Cipriani // San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice // Cima Rosa

ART // The Peggy Guggenheim Collection // Fondazione Prada // Palazzo Grassi // Pinault Collection: Punta Della Dogana // Victoria Miro // Ca’ Pesaro // Grassi Palace // Scuola Grande di San Rocco // Building Bridges by Lorenzo Quinn //

THINGS TO SEE + EXPERIENCE // Wander Saint Marco Square // Visit Doge’s Palace // Enter Saint Mark’s Basilica // Take a trip to the Murano Glass Factory // Look up the history of Bridge of Sighs (people love Rialto Bridge but I much much preferred this tiny bridge + it’s history) // Take a water taxi to San Giorgio Maggiore // Climb the Campanile di San Marco //

WINE + DINE // Date night at Harry’s Bar // Dine in old-fashioned Venetian mode at Locanda Cipriani // Treat yourself to a fancy lunch at Osteria Boccardoro // Chic Cocktails at the AMAN //