Two of the highlights of our trip to Venice at the end of August was a gorgeous hotel and a very special restaurant experience.
The first two nights in Venice we stayed at the newly opened Ca Di Dio Hotel, which was originally built as a palace dating back to 1272. We took a boat transfer from the airport to the Arsenale stop, and after fumbling with Google maps for a moment, we realized the hotel was right in front of us facing the lagoon, which already made us smile. The lobby, with towering ceilings, was decorated with curved couches in a soft taupe along with pine green velvet chairs and Murano glass vases and lamps. Looking up, there was a stunning chandelier with strands of cascading clear crystals.
Our spacious room on the second floor had dreamy views of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. We almost didn’t want to leave the handsomely appointed room with an unbelievably cushy bed with a headboard trimmed in linen, leather straps, and two green and gold Murano glass lamps, wood beam ceilings, two chestnut suede club chairs, and a marble bathroom with a rain shower.
The next two mornings we enjoyed breakfast with strong Italian espresso and an extravagant buffet with local specialties and home baked pastries, in a quiet courtyard garden with manicured grass lawns, and an ancient well juxtaposed with contemporary outdoor furniture.
Our main purpose of going to Venice was to attend the Venice Biennale, and Ca Di Dio was an ideal location, just a five-minute walk. Another thing we liked about the hotel, was that it wasn’t in a crowded, tourist area but just a seven-minute walk to San Marco square, and not more than twenty minutes by vaporetto to all the attractions we wanted to visit.
Ca Di Dio Hotel
https://vretreats.com/en/ca-di-dio/
After we checked out of Ca Di Dio, we were whisked away by a small, wood boat to the J.W. Marriott Venice, which is located on a private island reserved only for the hotel. We were given an extensive tour of the sprawling 40- acre complex, which was originally a man-made island built to house a hospital, and it included olive groves (they make their own olive oil), vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, gardens, a spa and gym facility, a rooftop pool, a cooking school, and four restaurants including a pizzeria and Italian style deli.
As we were walking through the vegetable garden with the PR and marketing director Andrea, he introduced us to Michael Cusumano, who is the executive chef of the Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant in the hotel. He spoke perfect English, without a trace of an Italian accent, and thought he could be American, but didn’t bother to ask during our brief introduction.
After relaxing at the spa overlooking the water, we checked into our fabulous duplex room with a living room and dining area on the ground floor and the bedroom suite upstairs.
That evening we dined at Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant, which has a subdued ambience in an intimate and luxurious dining room. The first course was light as air ravioli stuffed with luscious lobster and subtle hint of ginger, followed by Branzino fish, with polenta, delicately poached in olive oil with a light broth of mussels. One dessert was tiramisu, which was one of the best I’ve ever had, served in a white china cup, and topped with a big scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. Just when I thought they couldn’t top the tiramisu, a dark chocolate terrine with sea salt, and crystallized pineapple, with a dollop of pistachio gelato, outdid it.
During our extraordinary dinner, Michael the chef came to the table to greet us and to ask how we liked the food. After profusely praising him for his culinary gifts, we got to talking and it turns out my hunch was right: Michael is Italian American, and we almost knocked over the table when he told us he grew up in New Jersey just a few towns from where Vincent grew up. After the Jersey boys bonded, we spoke to Michael at length about how he made his way to Italy, by working summers when he was in college and eventually worked his way up the ladder, working beside top Michelin star chefs in different regions throughout Italy. Michael moved back to the U.S. in 2016 to Washington D.C. as the chef de cuisine under the helm of Fabio Trabocchi, and the pasta restaurant Sfoglina. Last year Michael moved back to Italy and was again named the chef de cuisine at Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant.
After our long chat, Michael excused himself to get back to the kitchen, but in the meanwhile he kept sending out additional dishes for us to try, and each one was more of a culinary masterpiece than the other.
I was so stuffed from the incredible meal, I had a food hangover the next day, only eating salads and light dishes.
Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant is open from late March until mid-October and to the public. Reservations can be made online. There’s a free private boat shuttle from San Marco square to take you to and from the restaurant, about 12 minutes away.
https://www.dopolavororestaurant.com
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/overview/
