Palazzo Zorzi Liassidi

Palazzo Zorzi Liassidi is a historic Gothic palace in Venice, Italy, located in the Sestiere of Castello overlooking the Rio di San Lorenzo, between the Ponte Lion and the Ponte dei Greci, near the church of San Giorgio dei Greci. The building is today best known as the home of the Liassidi Palace Hotel, a four-star boutique hotel that occupies the restored palazzo. The hotel markets itself on the romantic atmosphere of an ancient Venetian residence, with large rooms decorated with oil-on-canvas reproductions of masterpieces from the history of painting, and suites offering characteristic views over Venetian canals. The palace has a long documented history. According to the historian Gianjacopo Fontana, its origins trace to the Donà family, specifically the "delle Torreselle" branch, perhaps named for the small towers that adorn the palace. It is documented that in 1436 it was sold for 4,250 ducats to Francesco Zorzi, son of Paolo Zorzi. A century and a half later, Alvise Zorzi, son of Benedetto Zorzi, obtained permission to build a bridge to the land entrance of the palace. In his 1581 book Venetia Citta Nobilissima et Singolare, Francesco Sansovino described the palace on the Rio di San Lorenzo as belonging to "Luigi Giorgi (Alvise Zorzi), upright senator, with various beauties of marble and stucco by Alessandro Vittoria." Some balusters on the three balconies of the first mezzanine, added in the 18th century, gave the palace its nickname "Palazzo Zorzi dalle Colonne storte" (Palace Zorzi of the crooked columns). Fontana also noted that from this branch of the Zorzi family came Marino Zorzi, the 50th Doge of the Republic of Venice. The palace later passed to the Cypriot Liassidi family and subsequently became the seat of a university. Today it houses the Liassidi Palace Hotel. The Gothic main facade facing the Rio di San Lorenzo extends over four floors and is asymmetrical. The ground floor, in exposed brickwork, has two water portals: the left, taller one with an ogee arch, the right, lower one with a pointed arch. Beside and between the portals are six rectangular single windows of varying sizes. The mezzanine above has three rectangular single windows with projecting balconies carrying the bulging balusters described above. The main floor has a large central four-part ogee window with inscribed trefoils and small, non-projecting balconies, flanked by matching single windows with projecting balconies, and pairs of single trefoil windows on each side. The mezzanine under the roof has nine single rectangular windows under the crenellated eaves. The facade above the exposed brickwork of the ground floor is plastered and painted pink. As a hospitality brand, the Liassidi Palace Hotel positions itself as a luxury, art- and relaxation-oriented boutique property in a quiet area of the historic center, a short walk from Piazza San Marco, at the border between the Castello and San Marco sestieri. Its official website presents it in multiple languages and emphasizes the restored Gothic palazzo setting, large rooms, artistic reproductions, and canal views.

The palace that now houses the Liassidi Palace Hotel has a documented history reaching back to the 15th century. According to the historian Gianjacopo Fontana, its origins are linked to the Donà family, specifically the "delle Torreselle" branch, perhaps named for the small towers that adorn the palace. It is documented that in 1436 the palace was sold for 4,250 ducats to Francesco Zorzi, son of Paolo Zorzi. A century and a half later, Alvise Zorzi, son of Benedetto Zorzi, received permission to build a bridge to the land entrance of the palace. In his 1581 book Venetia Citta Nobilissima et Singolare, Francesco Sansovino described the palace on the Rio di San Lorenzo as belonging to "Luigi Giorgi (Alvise Zorzi), upright senator, with various beauties of marble and stucco by Alessandro Vittoria." Some balusters on the three balconies of the first mezzanine, added in the 18th century, gave the palace its nickname "Palazzo Zorzi dalle Colonne storte" (Palace Zorzi of the crooked columns). Fontana also noted that from this branch of the Zorzi family came Marino Zorzi, the 50th Doge of the Republic of Venice. The palace later passed to the Cypriot Liassidi family and subsequently became the seat of a university. Today it is the Liassidi Palace Hotel. The Gothic main facade facing the Rio di San Lorenzo extends over four floors and is asymmetrical. The ground floor, in exposed brickwork, has two water portals: the left, taller one with an ogee arch, the right, lower one with a pointed arch. Beside and between the portals are six rectangular single windows of varying sizes. The mezzanine above has three rectangular single windows with projecting balconies carrying the bulging balusters described above. The main floor has a large central four-part ogee window with inscribed trefoils and small, non-projecting balconies, flanked by matching single windows with projecting balconies, and pairs of single trefoil windows on each side. The mezzanine under the roof has nine single rectangular windows under the crenellated eaves. The facade above the exposed brickwork of the ground floor is plastered and painted pink. As a hotel, the Liassidi Palace Hotel presents itself as a four-star boutique property in the historic center of Venice, in a zone of rare tranquility a few steps from Piazza San Marco, at the border between the Castello and San Marco sestieri. Its official website describes luxury, art, and relaxation in the spacious and bright environments of the restored Gothic palazzo 'Zorzi dalle Colonne Storte', with large rooms embellished by fine oil-on-canvas reproductions of masterpieces from the history of painting of the past century, and suites with characteristic Venetian views over typical canals and breathtaking vistas.

• 2019

  The Liassidi Palace Hotel website was accessed as a reference on 22 November 2019.

• 1581

  Francesco Sansovino described the palace in his book Venetia Citta Nobilissima et Singolare.

• 1436

  The palace was sold for 4,250 ducats to Francesco Zorzi, son of Paolo Zorzi.

Four-star boutique hotel in a restored Gothic palazzo, offering luxury, art, and relaxation in a quiet area of central Venice near Piazza San Marco.

• Liassidi Palace Hotel

  Four-star boutique hotel in the restored Palazzo Zorzi Liassidi.

1. 1Liassidi Palace Hotel - Venezia - Sito Ufficialeliassidipalacehotel.com
2. 2Palazzo Zorzi Liassidi - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Palazzo Zorzi Liassidi - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org