bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

John Brunton

What is it? Venissa is an unusual concept in one of the world’s most popular destinations, Venice.
Some 30,000 tourists stream into the not-so-Serenissima each day, but this resort is located on a peaceful island, Mazzorbo, with just 300 inhabitants, in the middle of a magi­cal lagoon.
Venice’s Piazza San Marco and Doge’s Palace are just a 30-minute boat ride away, and even closer are the popular islands of Burano; Murano, and its glass-blowing workshops; and Torcello, with its Byzantine cathedral.
Wine has been made here for more than 2,000 years, but the endeavour had all but died out until the Venissa vineyard was planted 10 years ago, around Mazzorbo’s ancient campanile bell tower. The resort has grown up amid the vines, offering a chic retreat, not far from the Italian city’s ever maddening crowds.


Is Mazzorbo really that quiet? Absolutely. But that’s the key attraction. In the morning, while crowds flood into Burano, which is connected to Mazzorbo by a wooden boardwalk, take the almost empty ferry into Venice and sightsee at leisure. Sail back in the evening, when the islands are deserted.
Enjoy fabulous sunsets over the lagoon’s unspoilt wetlands, join Burano’s fishermen for a Spritz at their raucous water­ing hole, the Bar Sport, and wander through bucolic Mazzorbo as far as the 8th century Santa Caterina church, once a favourite haunt of British prime minister Winston Churchill, who liked to paint watercolours here.
Venice in winter is a hazy, horde-free, living watercolour
Who is behind the place? This is a labour of love of Gianluca Bisol, whose family has been making prosecco in the nearby hills of Valdobbiadene since 1542. A man with a mission, he planted a vineyard here of the almost extinct lagoon grape dorona, reviving the legendary wine of the doges of Venice.

What does the resort look like? Abandoned farm buildings and a red-brick wine storeroom looking out over a narrow waterway and neighbouring Mazzorbetto island have been transformed into a chic six-bedroom hotel.
Rooms are minima­list but comfy, with avant-garde Italian designer furniture and lighting, while the ground floor has been given over to a cool lounge and wine bar, with a casual, contem­porary osteria.
The surprises start when you walk out of the back door, into the romantic, flower-lined vineyard, lush vegetable gardens and a fine-dining restaurant.
The good, the bad and the ugly sides of Venice: how to get the best out of your visit

What if Venissa’s rooms are all booked? The Bisol family have recently bought and renovated five brightly painted houses on Burano. In Casa Burano, as the whole is known, guests can choose between a dozen luxury B&B rooms and suites.
Is the food good? It’s fabulous; light, creative one-Michelin-star cuisine, served in a contemporary, glasshouse-style dining room overlooking the vineyard and vegetable garden, to where cooks scurry from the kitchen to pick fresh herbs.
Crowned Italy’s best young chef, Francesco Brutto favours a zero-carbon-inspired menu centred on fish, other seafood and vegetables fresh from the lagoon and its islands: crunchy castrauri baby artichoke, deep-fried moeche soft-shell crabs, line-caught sea bass or red mullet and wild duck delivered by local hunters during the game season.
Go all James Bond at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
And the wine? Tasting a glass of luscious, golden Venissa is an experience in itself, with just 4,000 bottles produced each year, while the restaurant’s excellent sommelier proposes an innovative pairing menu that heavily features – surprise, surprise – Bisol’s own prosecco. Wines from the nearby hills of Slovenia, Sicilian vintages and even artisan beer also feature.
Posh Venice hotel Villa F ideal for celeb spotters and thrill seekers alike
How much does a room cost? Room rates start at €180 (HK$1,640), including breakfast for two.






Get away from it all in Venice at luxury vineyard refuge Venissa, far from the tourist hordes

The Venissa vineyard, planted with the almost extinct lagoon grape dorona. Pictures: Venissa Wine Resort

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- Handout image shows the Venissa Wine Resort (Lopwer) and Mazzorbo (upper), Italy. [30JULY2017 HOTSPOTS POST MAGAZINE]

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- Handout image shows the kitchen of the Venissa Wine Resort, Italy. [30JULY2017 HOTSPOTS POST MAGAZINE]

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- Handout image shows bedroom at the Venissa Wine Resort, Italy. [30JULY2017 HOTSPOTS POST MAGAZINE]

Venice in winter is a hazy, horde-free, living watercolour

Russian poet Joseph Brodsky picked the perfect season to fall in love with the Queen of the Adriatic, and so can you when you find there are seats to be had at Harry’s Bar and the Venetians’ favourite bacari

Joseph Brodsky.

---- ONE TIME USE ONLY ---- St Mark's Basilica in winter fog. Venice, Italy. Photo : Gary Michael JONES / SCMP [TRAVEL POST MAGAZINE]

---- ONE TIME USE ONLY ---- Morning winter fog in Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark's Square), Venice, Italy. Photo : Gary Michael JONES / SCMP [TRAVEL POST MAGAZINE]

---- ONE TIME USE ONLY ---- The Bridge of Sighs in winter fog. Venice, Italy. Photo : Gary Michael JONES / SCMP [TRAVEL POST MAGAZINE]

---- ONE TIME USE ONLY ---- Canal view in winter fog. Venice, Italy. Photo : Gary Michael JONES / SCMP [TRAVEL POST MAGAZINE]

The mellow winter light creates a watercolour effect in this view from the Accademia Bridge along the Grand Canal towards the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. Photos: Gary Jones

The good, the bad and the ugly sides of Venice: how to get the best out of your visit

Expect to pay €80 for a 40-minute gondola ride taking in some of Venice’s 177 canals.

This Shutterstock image shows a cruise ship passing Venice, Italy. [17JULY2016 GOOD BAD UGLY POST MAGAZINE]

Crowded bridge in Venice

Dawn in Venice

Pizz in Venice

Overrun Venice and underrated Ljubljana a study in contrasts

The Grand Canal, in Venice.

Dawn in the Italian city.

Boats transport goods and tourists on the canal.

The Church of the Assumption on Lake Bled.

Ljubljana Town Square.

A cyclist makes use of the pedestrianised square.

A view of the Slovenian capital from Ljubljana Castle.

Posh Venice hotel Villa F ideal for celeb spotters and thrill seekers alike

Magazines

PostMag

Travel

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Set amid vines and with a Michelin-starred restaurant, six-bedroom hotel offers peace and tranquillity in one of the world’s most visited cities
