Looming over the Grand Canal, the Gritti was built for a 15th-century nobleman and named for a 16th-century doge.

We’ll Always Have Venice

After all these years, the Gritti Palace still exerts its pull over the beau monde. But why?

By David Downton

The Gritti. Try saying it without rolling your r’s or breathing a sigh. The most glamorous and storied hotel in Venice stands sentinel across the Grand Canal from Santa Maria della Salute, the Baroque basilica immortalized in chalky hues by Sargent, Turner, and untold holiday painters.

The Gritti, seen here in 1900, was rebuilt in the 19th century before it was converted into a hotel.

Built for a 15th-century nobleman and named for a 16th-century doge, the Gritti was converted into a hotel in the 19thcentury and into the hotel in 1947 by the Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi group.