Hidden Palace – Controvento

Creative team

Gabriele Chiave, Danilo Fabozzi, Francesca Mueller, Giulia Zia

A place revealed through discovery.

Tucked behind a refined façade that keeps its beauty in reserve, Hidden Palazzo unfolds with quiet confidence, echoing the measured pace of Venice. An 18-room boutique hotel crafted for guests who value privacy over display, Hidden Palazzo offers a refined retreat of calm rituals, discovery of hidden local customs, secrets, and traditions, and understated indulgence. Inside, the city dissolves into shadow and reflection: stone worn smooth by time, silken light gliding across venetian stucco walls, and hushed corridors that suggest discovery at every turn.

Spaces shaped by craft and rediscovered traditions, interpreting heritage through material expression, atmosphere, and restraint.

Designed as an ode to Venice,
the project celebrates centuries of devotion to art, exhange,
and making.

The boutique hotel unfolds as a quiet oasis within the city, shaped as a sequence of shared spaces designed for slowing down and retreat while discovering the city through a different lens: one that discreetly reveals local craftsmanship, forgotten traditions, and hidden layers of heritage. A main lounge invites reading and conversation, defined by soft details and an atmosphere of effortless ease. Beneath soaring columns and a warm stained glass glow, the space recalls a contemporary Venetian salon, where low seating, diffused light, and composed intimacy encourage guests to linger, converse, and lose all sense of time.

A material language of light, texture, and Venetian craft, ranging from blown glass and stucco veneziano through rich layered fabrics, mosaics and time-worn stones.

Restorative, almost as if suspended beneath the surface of the lagoon.

Defined by its dialogue between architecture and local storytelling, the palazzo reveals itself through light, reflection, and quiet movement. Canal-facing façades soften the interior with shifting reflections, while arrival by boat becomes part of the architectural experience. At the centre, the bar operates as a constant, a space that adapts throughout the day, from morning coffee to aperitivo and late evening moments. Composed, welcoming, and understated, it anchors the palazzo in a rhythm that feels distinctly Venetian.

A quiet retreat, held within a venetian historical palace.

Beneath the palazzo, a spa unfolds as a submerged sanctuary, inviting a slower pace. A sequence of intimate rituals unfolds, from a pool dedicated to gentle restoration to quiet heat experiences and bespoke treatments designed to recalibrate the body after long days of wandering and discovering.
Designed in response to Venice, the project reflects a place where devotion to art and beauty has quietly informed architecture, rituals, and ways of living for centuries.