Palazzo Papadopoli (or Palazzo Coccina Tiepolo Papadopoli) is a palace in Venice, located in the San Polo district and overlooking the Grand Canal between Palazzo Giustinian Businello and Palazzo Donà in Sant'Aponal, opposite Palazzo Grimani di San Luca.
The attribution of the work aroused various perplexities among scholars as the building presents references to different currents of the sixteenth century. The facade in Istrian stone with central serlianas recalls the work of Sanmicheli, the side tympanums the work of Palladio and the scrolls in the attic that of Jacopo Sansovino or Alessandro Vittoria.
Construction and Early History (16th Century)
The palace's origins
trace back to the mid-16th century, when the site housed smaller
buildings dating from the 14th century. In around 1560, the Coccina
family—a wealthy merchant family from Bergamo who had recently ascended
to the Venetian patriciate—commissioned the construction of a new palace
to establish their status in Venetian society. The architect was
Giangiacomo dei Grigi (active 1540–1575), son of the renowned Guglielmo
dei Grigi. Giangiacomo had previously worked on the nearby Palazzo
Grimani after the death of Michele Sanmicheli, which influenced his
design approach.
Construction was completed by 1570, resulting in an
L-shaped structure with three main floors, plus a mezzanine and attic.
The design drew from multiple Renaissance influences: the symmetrical
facade echoed Sebastiano Serlio's treatises, while elements like the
superimposed serlianas (Palladian windows with arches flanked by
columns) showed inspirations from Michele Sanmicheli, Andrea Palladio,
Jacopo Sansovino, and possibly Alessandro Vittoria. This eclectic style
has led to scholarly debates about the attribution, but Giangiacomo dei
Grigi is widely accepted as the primary architect.
The Coccina family
amassed a significant art collection during this period, including four
paintings by Paolo Veronese. One notable work, The Presentation of the
Coccina Family to the Virgin, was sold to Duke Francesco d'Este of
Modena. The remaining collection was later sold in 1745 to the Elector
of Saxony for 100,000 zecchini, forming part of the Gemäldegalerie Alte
Meister in Dresden.
Ownership Changes and Developments (17th–19th
Centuries)
In 1748, the palace passed to the Tiepolo family, likely
from the San Beneto or Sant'Aponal branch, marking a period of artistic
enrichment. The Tiepolos were avid art collectors and patrons; they
expanded the library and commissioned frescoes. Around 1750,
Giambattista Tiepolo is believed to have painted a ceiling in one of the
alcoves (though not always cataloged in his works). More definitively,
in the 1700s, his son Giandomenico Tiepolo decorated the second piano
nobile with frescoes depicting The Charlatan and The Minuet, adding
Rococo flair to the interiors.
The Tiepolo ownership lasted until
1837, when the palace was acquired by Valentino Comello. His wife,
Maddalena Montalban Comello, was a prominent anti-Austrian activist
imprisoned for a year by Austrian authorities during the Risorgimento
era, adding a layer of political intrigue to the palace's history.
Mid-19th century saw further transitions: it briefly belonged to
Bartholomäus von Stürmer, an Austrian general and diplomat. In 1864, the
palace was purchased by the Papadopoli brothers—Niccolò and Angelo,
counts of Greek origin from Corfu who had joined the Venetian patriciate
in 1791. Wealthy bankers, they expanded the property by acquiring
adjacent buildings, demolishing them to create one of the largest
private gardens on the Grand Canal—a rare green space in densely built
Venice. One brother married Maddalena Aldo Brandolini from a Venetian
intellectual family, further embedding the palace in elite circles.
Architectural Features and Renovations
The facade, built in
Istrian stone, features a grand ground-floor portal with a round arch,
flanked by monoforas (single windows). The noble floors have serlianas
supported by Doric and Ionic semicollumns, with Corinthian lesenes.
Windows are topped by triangular or curvilinear pediments, and the attic
includes seven oval openings with cartiglio frames. The roof's obelisks
symbolize naval heritage, akin to those on Palazzo Belloni Battagia.
Interiors include a mirror atrium and a late-Gothic well in the garden.
Major renovations occurred in 1874–1875 under architect Girolamo Levi,
who modernized the structure in Neoclassical style while incorporating
Rococo elements. Antiquarian Michelangelo Guggenheim oversaw
decorations, and painter Cesare Rotta frescoed the ballroom (formerly
the portego) and a monumental staircase. A new wing was added to the
garden side. This refurbishment, executed by Dottor Group under Claudio
Rebeschini, won Italy's best restoration heritage prize in 2014.
Notable Events and Cultural Significance
The palace has hosted
pivotal cultural moments. In 1921, American expatriates Gerald and Sara
Murphy resided there temporarily, turning it into a salon for modernist
figures like Cole Porter, Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Diaghilev. From
the 1970s to 2005, the top floor served as offices for the Institute of
Marine Sciences (part of Italy's National Research Council), blending
historical grandeur with modern academia.
Culturally, it represents
Venice's Renaissance opulence and patrician evolution. Its art
connections—Veronese, Tiepolo—and transformations mirror the city's
shifts from republic to Austrian rule, unification, and tourism. As one
of eight palazzi monumentali, it holds architectural significance, with
its gardens symbolizing rare urban greenery.
Current Status and
Legacy
In 1922, the palace passed to the Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga
family, descendants of the Papadopoli, who still reside on the top
floor. Since 2011, it has been leased and converted into the Aman Venice
hotel, opening in 2013 as Aman Resorts' first Italian property. With 24
rooms, it is widely regarded as Venice's premier luxury hotel,
preserving frescoes, gardens, and historic interiors while adding
contemporary amenities. The palace continues to host elite events,
maintaining its role as a venue for Venetian high society.
second half of the 16th century-1748 Coccina family
1748-1837
Tiepolo family
1837 - Valentino Comello
- Bartholomew Stürmer
1864-1922 family of the counts Niccolò and Angelo Papadopoli
1922-2013 Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga family
Transformation into a
hotel
Since 2017 it has been rented to a Greek company which has
taken care of its conversion into a hotel; since 2013 it has been home
to the only AMAN resort in Italy. A 7-star hotel with 24 rooms
distributed in the historic building.
The Palazzo Papadopoli (also known as Palazzo Coccina Tiepolo
Papadopoli) is a distinguished Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand
Canal in Venice's San Polo sestiere. Constructed in the second half of
the 16th century (around 1560–1570) by the Bergamasque architect
Giangiacomo dei Grigi (son of the renowned Guglielmo dei Grigi), it was
commissioned by the Coccina family, wealthy merchants who had recently
been admitted to the Venetian patriciate.
The palace adopts a classic
Renaissance style with strong Mannerist influences, drawing inspiration
from leading architects of the era such as Michele Sanmicheli, Andrea
Palladio, and Jacopo Sansovino. Its plan is L-shaped, organized over
three main floors (plus mezzanines and an attic), with a symmetrical
façade facing the Grand Canal that emphasizes balance, proportion, and
classical motifs executed in gleaming Istrian stone.
The façade is
one of the palace's most striking features. At its center rises a
prominent water portal (porta d'acqua) at ground level, surmounted by
two superimposed tripartite Serlian windows (also called Venetian or
Palladian windows). These feature a central arched opening flanked by
rectangular ones, separated by pairs of Ionic columns — a hallmark of
Palladian design that allows abundant light into the interior while
creating a rhythmic, elegant vertical axis. On either side of this
central loggia, the windows are simpler: single lancet openings topped
with curved pediments on the piano nobile and triangular pediments on
the upper floor. The overall composition is divided by strong horizontal
string courses that clearly delineate the levels, culminating in an
attic frieze with seven small oval openings framed by elaborate
cartouches. Crowning the roof are two distinctive obelisk-shaped
pinnacles, a rare and eye-catching element shared with only a few other
Venetian palaces (such as Palazzo Belloni Battagia).
The interior
reflects the palace's evolution through centuries of ownership and
renovations. The original 16th-century structure included a traditional
Venetian portego (central hall) extending from the water entrance to the
rear. In the 19th century (particularly 1874–1875), under the Papadopoli
family, architects Michelangelo Guggenheim and Cesare Rotta carried out
a significant Neoclassical refurbishment. This included expanding the
building, creating lush private gardens at the rear (a rarity in dense
Venice), and enriching the spaces with grand frescoes, stuccowork, and
ornate decorations. The monumental staircase, lined with frescoes by
Rotta, leads to opulent rooms such as the ballroom (formed from the
former portego) and various salons featuring elaborate ceilings,
leather-clad walls, silk hangings, and original artworks — including
contributions attributed to members of the Tiepolo family (such as
Giambattista Tiepolo's ceiling frescoes from the 18th century). Later
modifications preserved these historic elements while adapting the
palace for modern luxury use.
Today, the palace functions as the
ultra-luxury Aman Venice hotel, maintaining its architectural integrity
while showcasing layered Renaissance, Mannerist, and Neoclassical
influences that make it a standout example of Venetian palatial design
along the Grand Canal.