Ok, so you can enter this Venetian boutique hotel in a gondola, sailing in under the portcullis into the kind of mysterious tunnel you might expect to find Cardinal Richelieu doing something crafty in; but luckily for you, this is not revolutionary France, this is modern-day Venice and you are about to enter a great hotel.

Inside, architect Mauro Mazzolini has created a minimalist space with dark wood accents and newfangled ‘mood lighting’ whilst remaining true to the original features of this historic building. The hotel is close to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a few yards away from the Cini Palace, the Galleria dell’Accademia, and the Chiesa della Salute - the center of Venetian art. The hotel also has an apartment and two suites situated nearby. The furniture has been hand-picked and hand made by top Italian artisans and much of what you find in the hotel’s interior has come straight from Milan’s most exclusive boutiques.