luxury architect apartments / penthouses for sale Venice, Italy

In San Lio, between St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge, an apartment of 115 sq m commercial area (Italian measurement) occupies the top two floors of a sixteenth-century palazzetto overlooking a canal. Across the water lies the sestiere of San Marco: a stone plaque on the bridge, a few steps from the front door, marks where it begins. St Mark's Square is about five minutes away on foot, the Rialto Bridge six. A STRATEGIC POSITION San Lio is a lively, much-frequented salizada on the route from Rialto to San Zaccaria. Two minutes away are the Mercerie, the old merchants' streets linking Rialto and St Mark's. In the nearby church of San Lio, Canaletto was baptised and buried. BY WATER, OR UP A PALAZZO STAIRCASE The building has a water gate on the canal, shared by the residents: you can arrive by water taxi and step inside without crossing a bridge. On foot, you enter through the androne and climb a stately staircase, rare in Venice. LIGHT ON THE TOP FLOOR The living area is upstairs for a reason: five windows open onto the canal and across the rooftops to St Mark's Campanile, and a sixth faces the calle. The living room runs the length of the windows, so light reaches every corner; at one end is the dining area with a compact kitchen. Neutral finishes leave the next owner free to give the house a character of their own. TWO BEDROOMS, TWO BATHROOMS On the floor below, two bedrooms in separate wings: the principal bedroom, with its own hallway and private bathroom, looks onto the canal; the second double bedroom, with en-suite bathroom, faces the calle. Both bathrooms have windows. Built-in wardrobes, double-glazed timber windows, security door, alarm and fibre-optic broadband. WATERBUSES The Rialto stop (six to eight minutes) runs direct to the station and Piazzale Roma; San Zaccaria (about ten) serves the Lido, Murano and the islands, and both link to Marco Polo Airport on the Alilaguna lines. BEFORE YOU VISIT No lift: the apartment occupies the third and fourth floors, linked by an internal staircase. Energy rating G (409 kWh/m² per year), as in almost every historic Venetian palazzo; independent gas heating and air conditioning. THE GIBIGIANA Venetians call it the gibigiana: the reflection of the canal water that climbs the walls and plays across the ceilings. It cannot be photographed or explained, and it is why those who buy a house on a canal never buy one that is not. Viewings by appointment, accompanied by our Venice-based associate.