ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories: Venice

The BAUERs’ group is comprised of four properties, each with its unique ambience and charm. Two are located close to San Marco: the first one is L’Hotel BAUER, a luxury 5 star hotel, characterized by Art Deco style with a touch of contemporary; the second is BAUER Il Palazzo, an exclusive XVII Venetian palace facing the Grand Canal. The other two properties are located on Giudecca Island, which include: BAUER Il Palladio Hotel & Spa, a restored 16th century convent built by the famous architect Andrea Palladio.

Another Jewel To The BAUERs Crown ...

The newest property of the BAUERs is Villa F, a Renaissance villa that was restored and divided in to 11 independent apartments. Villa F has been for centuries home of noble Venetian families and, starting from the beginning of the 1900, a retreat for artists, actors and intellectual figures of the time.

Discover The BAUERs Villa F, the interview with Francesca (Vanity Fair Italy), the video 'The BAUERs walking around Venice with Ms. Bortolotto Possati' with many more Venetian insights, and the website-competition "Destination Beyond The Destination" by The BAUERs Hotel (at the end of this post).

LoL, Andrea

'Meditation Pool' of The BAUERs Villa F

Francesca Bortolotto Possati is the owner of the hotel industry in the Laguna. Born in Palazzo Mocenigo, one of the most beautiful palaces on Grand Canal, and raised in New York City where she became interior designer, Francesca is now the president and CEO of The BAUERs, the signature hotel line that includes some of the most luxurious places in Venice: from the famous BAUER Hotel with its De Pisis Restaurant, to Il Palazzo with its Settimo Cielo terrace, to the Palladio Spa recovered from the historical convent of Zitelle, to the 15th century Villa F. These locations have attracted both celebrities and stars who are now also finding their way to Giudecca, starting with the "Brad Pitt Family".

"It's a way to look at Venice from a different perspective. Deciding to stay on Giudecca Island allows one to enjoy the city without being swallowed up by its magnificence, which for some can be overwhelming. This island has held on to the simplicity of tradition, but has also managed to open its doors to modern art, with the Zuecca Project Space."

Francesca Bortolotto Possati on her Settimo Cielo terrace

of The BAUERs Il Palazzo, Grand Canal

For re-designing the Settimo Cielo terrace last year, The Hotel BAUERs of Venice has chosen the very finest in design for its furnishings. Just as in the 1950s when she chose to use Seguso’s antique glassware (a symbol of the Murano’s innovation), for that Francesca has asked Kartell to furnish the magnificent terrace on the Grand Canal, which should be transformed in a fantastic combination of both historic architecture and contemporary design.

The mounting project is centered around tones of red, crystal, and dove-grey, in perfect harmony with both the architecture of the surrounding area and the image of the Hotel. Focal pieces include divans and armchairs from the Pop Outdoor collection by Piero Lissoni in an elegant fabric of dove-grey; coffee tables from Invisible Table collection by Tokujiin Yoshioka in transparent polycarbonate; ottomans and small tables from the La Bohéme collection by Philippe Starck in red and clear; and tables from the Top Top collection by Philippe Starck and seats from the Ami Ami collection by Tokujiin Yoshioka, both in the color red. The collaboration was made possible by Altagamma, a foundation that recognizes the excellence of the Made-in-Italy brand. Both The BAUERs group and Kartell are members of Altagamma, which bears witness to the important collaborations that companies and ambassadors in the world of Italian style can develop.

As Francesca Bortolotto Possati explains: “What the Bauer and Kartell have in common is the search for innovation, quality, service, design, and prestige, to express Italian culture and Italian style to the world. This project is meant to underline these common values and also mark the beginning of a fruitful collaboration.”

Claudio Luti, President of Kartell s.p.a., also expressed his satisfaction about the collaboration: “It is a pleasure to see the products of Kartell contextualized by the prestigious frame of the terrace of the Hotel Bauer, facing the Grand Canal. The Kartell collections, thanks to their great stylistic versatility, lend themselves to be interpreted with freedom and also combined to a classic style. I believe that the meeting of these two worlds will be successful on an aesthetic level, and I hope that the guests of the Hotel Bauer relish in the comfort of our furnishings."

The BAUERS Il Palladio Garden & Spa

"This summer, enjoy the culinary charms at the BAUERs Venetian Garden Picnics, film screening, and all fresco dining."

Back to The BAUERs Villa F and the interview with Francesca Bortolotto Possati that came out in Vanity Fair Italy, August 2013:

What kind of relationship do you have with celebrities that come to your hotels?

"We have been spolling them for generations. From Arthur Rubinstein to Ernest Hemingway, from Prince Charles and Camilla, to Madonna, Al Pacino and Beyonce. We try to offer them a different way of experiencing Venice, by showing them how to enjoy both Palladio's two hectar gardens and the fabulous Spa, both of which are also a gift to the entire city."

'Meditation Pool' The BAUERs Villa F

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are not easy clients to please.

"When the director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck called me, I was renovating Villa F. It was a huge project where we used the best of our craft to create a place in which everybody would be able to find something beautiful. He wanted the rooms of the presidential apartment to film the last scenes of The Tourist. They needed it for a month. Angelina and Brad were so in love with the view of San Marco from the balcony that they came back to the "set" wit the entire family. The relationship that the BAUERs has with cinema is a long lasting one. This year we will welcome Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland to celebrate forty years of A Venezia ... un dicembre rosso shocking (Don't Look Now), which was filmed at the BAUERs."

The BAUERs Villa F

Is The BAUERs only a place for billionaires?

"No. The Villa F is divided into different apartments, all independent, that we rent for a minimum of four nights. Robin and his wife care about the customers and their needs. Sometimes we even have couples of friends with children staying at the hotel."

Garden and pool of The BAUERs Villa F

They say that Venetians don't really like tourists. What do you think?

"I don't like to think of Venice as the mere romantic place many postcards portray. I find it limiting to picture Venice only with San Marco and a gondola. I don't like when people tell me: "I'll come to Venice on a special occasion." Why, instead, do people visit Manhatten ten time? We have much more to offer."

In addition to the beautiful springtime weather, enjoy some of my suggestions, for example Spring At Palazzo Fortuny with their current exhibitions:

Dora Maar 'Despite Picasso' (From March 8th to July 14th 2014)
Anne-Karin Furunes 'Shadows' (From March 8th to July 14th 2014)
Barbara Paganin 'Open Memory' (From March 8th to July 14th 2014
Ritsue Mishima 'Tras Forma' (From March 8th to July 14th 2014)
The amazons of photography from the collection of Mario Trevisan

(From March 8th to July 14th 2014)

With Love, Andrea

"Destination Beyond The Destination"

Website Competition by The BAUERs Hotel

As an independent brand of excellent hospitality in Venice and
in Italy, THE BAUERs has created this competition for the realization and
development of a new multilingual website that would replace the former.
THE BAUERs is looking to extend its characteristics of charm and
innovation to its website, placing itself in the global market
as a “destination beyond the destination,”
and changing the old ways of conveying hospitality.

To enter the competition,

please register online at www.bandobauer.com

and enter your creative works until June 20th, 2014!

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories

Photo Credit/Source: The BAUERs Hotel

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Exhibition | Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland

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'Light Installations | Jumeirah Frankfurt'

The Height of Contemporary Luxury - Dubai-based Jumeirah Group launched 2011 Five Star Frankfurt City Hotel as Part of PalaisQuartier in Frankfurt. Located in the heart of Frankfurt, adjacent to old Stock Exchange and near prestigious shopping streets, Jumeirah Frankfurt is a stunning addition to the city's glittering skyline.

The Diana Vreeland exhibition take place March 9th to June 26th, 2012 at Palazzo Fortuny in Venice. The show celebrates Vreeland's work and her impact as a forerunner of modern fashion journalism. Her life and special charisma will be represented by her Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy outfits, as well as by a collection of the everyday objects of her life. The exhibit is curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, Director of the Fashion Design Degree Course at the Faculty of Arts and Design in Venice (IUVA) and by Judith Clark, Head of the London College of Fashion. The main goal of this exhibition is to show how fashion can be a complex phenomenon, bit at the same time can be a privileged and important observatory to interprete taste and trends of the contemporary world. This message is in perfect harmony with "the sprit of The BAUERs", where the international connoisseurs, fashion experts and press were all be meeting in Venice on March 9th, 2012 for the inauguration of the "Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland" exhibit, was followed by an exclusive cocktail at the Hotel BAUERs Venezia, hosted by Venice's premier hotelier Francesca Bortolotto Possati.

About Diana Vreeland (1903 - 1989)

It's only fitting that a woman with such a dramatic flair for all things stylish should have a three-act career in fashion. Paris-born, New York City-raised Diana Vreeland had just that, beginning in 1936 when an editor at Harper's Bazaar handpicked her to work for the magazine. As a columnist and fashion editor, Vreeland set about injecting personality into the previously monotonous fashion pages, famously saying, "Never fear being vulgar, only boring." She made an extravagant name for herself, but after more than two decades it became clear that she wouldn't be rising higher up the editorial ranks at Harper's Bazaar. So it was on to act two as Vreeland went to work at Vogue in 1963, serving as the magazine's editor in chief. There she spent years successfully creating trends with artfully executed — but exorbitantly costly — photo spreads. The magazine eventually fired her in 1971 in an effort to save money. While initially upset, Vreeland recovered in time for her final act. In 1971, she became a consultant at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She carried on at the Institute until her health began to fail her and she was forced to retire. However, Vreeland is still remembered as a fashion legend, long after her final curtain.

Diana Vreeland & Andy Warhol, Venice 1973

Diana Vreeland - Artist's Easel in Venice, 1973, by Josh Gosfield for The New Yorker

Diana Vreeland for VOGUE 1964

"Style - all who have it share one thing: originality" - Diana Vreeland

Diana Vreeland, who for 25 years was a style icon for Harper's Bazaar and editor-in-chief of VOGUE until 1971, is remembered and honored in Venice for the first time. The Hotel BAUER was the center of this celebration dedicated to her. On this occasion models, fashion editors who grew up with Vreeland and top names in the fashion world were all be staying at the Hotel. The evening of the exhibits's inauguration, The Hotel BAUER hosted an exclusive cocktail reception celebrating Diana Vreeland, which took place in hotel's beautifully appointed salons March 9th, right after the vernissage.

About The BAUERs

Francesca Bortolotto Possati, President and CEO of The BAUERs, hosted fashion lunimaries to incude Benedetta Barzini, Fiona Thyssen; Stefano Tonchi, Editor in Chief of W Magazine; Frances Corner, head of the London College of Fashion; Becky Conekin, Professor of History and Culture in Fashion Yale; Laurent Cotta, Curator of Galliera Museum in Paris; Amy De La Haye, fashion historian; Debo Kaat, Director of Mode Museum in Antwerp; Fukai Akiko, Director and chief curator of The Kyoto Costume Institute; Louise Wallenberg, Director of Centre for Fashion Studies at Stockholm University and Miren Arzalluz, Curator of the Balenciaga Foundation.

Francesca Bortolotto Possati, President and CEO of The BAUERs

'Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland' Inauguration Cocktail March 9th, 2012

Olimpia Possati, Stefano Tonchi, Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Harold Koda

Francesca Bortolotto Possati & Rosita Missoni

Olimpia Possati, Francesca Bortolotto Possati & Alexander Vreeland

Beppe Modenese, Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Piero Pinto

Francesca Bortolotto Possati, granddaughter of Arnaldo Bennati, a Ligurian shipbuilder who purchased The BAUERs in 1930. In 1997, Ms. Bortolotto Possati took control of The BAUERs divided the property into two separate wings, BAUER Hotel (Urban Lifestyle) and IL PALAZZO (Luxury Living). the result is what she calls "two styles, one soul". Over the years, Ms Bortolotto Possati has expanded the BAUER name, adding PALLADIO HOTEL & SPA (Resort Escape) and ner newest property, the exclusive VILLA F, which just opened in summer, 2011. The separate properties have an apparent synergy and are now recognized as individual parts of a whole, THE BAUERs.