© Ugo Carmeni ist centres. Fortunately, in Venice, there is always something new to visit. An example of these off-the-beaten-track museums has led to the renovation of Palazzo Grimani, which has shown the interest of public bodies and foundations for recovering a past which is out of the limelight. The palace was built in the 16th century, at the height of the family’s splendour, and the restoration has returned the original appearance of the Tribuna, the hall where Giovanni Grimani received visitors beneath the gaze of 130 classical sculptures. In Venice, it is not unusual for the names of palaces to be repeated, with power struggles between various fam-ily branches leading to their proliferation. On the Grand Canal, in the San Polo district, stands the Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, opened after a rigorous renovation, and financed by the Albero d’Oro Foundation. Inside, visitors can enjoy tapes-tries, frescoes, damask walls and family memorabilia accu-mulated over some five centuries. Mattia Agnetti encourages travellers to step off the beat-en track and explore a Venice that is largely unknown to the general public. “Not only because of the collections them-selves, but also because many of them are found in places not touched by mass tourism. It’s the best way to see the city from a different perspective,” she says. Baron Giorgio Franchetti saved Ca’ d’Oro, one of the most famous palaces on the Grand Canal, from neglect and installed his collection there, includ-ing works by Mantegna, Titian and van Dyck. The Franchettis were not Venetians, and their accession to the nobility was recent, but they were extremely wealthy. By the 19th century the aristocracy of the Republic had fallen into decline, with wealth more relevant than a family name. The Franchetti family palace, opposite the Accademia, has recently undergone restoration. The neo-Gothic interior extends into a stunning garden between the Grand Canal and the Campo di Santo Stefano. The venue is hosting two exhibi-tions at the Biennale of contemporary art. As many palaces as there are families There are times when a collection conceals a tragedy. The industrialist Vittorio Cini lost his son in a plane crash in 1949 and went on to establish the Giorgio Cini Foundation, which today occupies the island of San Giorgio, in his name. He also bequeathed his family residence to the Foundation. The Palazzo Cini in San Vio reopened in 2021 and boasts an overwhelming collection of art objects and works by Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico and Botticelli. This is one of the great fami-ly homes in Venice. A museum may also come from a wish to safeguard the heritage of a family that is dying out. Giovanni Querini, the last of the Querini-Stampalia family, passed on his palaz-zo and a large library in the 19th century to a foundation, which has maintained its spirit in the work of architects Carlo Scarpa and Mario Botta, renovating its premises to exhib-it the Intesa Sanpaolo art collection. Palazzo Querini is also a house-museum with an impressive collection of Murano chandeliers. “The Palazzo Fortuny is perhaps the most charming museum in Venice, and the one which attracts the most sophisticated of visitors,” says Agnetti. The son of the paint-er Mariano Fortuny set up his silk and velvet fabric printing workshop in this Gothic building in 1902. Artist, set design-er and creator, together with his wife Henriette Negrin, he envisaged his residence as a theatrical space. It reopened in 2022 and is an immersive experience within his creative uni-verse. VENECIA En su interior, el visitante encuentra tapices, frescos y muros entelados en damasco. // Inside, visitors can see tapestries, frescoes and damask walls. venecia Vuelos // Flights: ¿Nos escapamos a la ciudad de los canales? Madrid y Venecia están conectadas con dos vuelos al día. Ya no hay excusa… // How about a getaway to the city of canals? Madrid and Venice are connected by two flights a day. Now there’s no excuse... www.aireuropa.com