Locanda CiprianiTorcello - Venice
Painting and review are copyrighted work by Ginda Simpson
|
In 1934, just three years after opening Harry’s Bar in Venice, Giuseppe Cipriani pursued another dream. He bought an unpretentious wine and oil shop on this little known island of Torcello in the Venetian lagoon and opened a small inn. Locanda Cipriani met with immediate success, recognized and appreciated for its warmly rustic character and it simple, soul-satisfying views. Considered
the oldest continuously populated region of Venice, with archeological finds
suggesting its occupation by the Romans as early as the 1st century
A.D., Torcello is a sparsely populated island today, with less than 100
residents. After the downfall of
the Roman Empire, Torcello was the first island to be populated by those who
fled the mainland to escape repeated barbarian invasions, soon becoming the
most largely populated (10,000 people) island in the lagoon and one of the
most important trading centers of the Venetian Republic. Torcello reached its peak around the 14th century,
then began to decline as the island gradually became a malarial swamp, forcing
its populace to abandon the island, leaving behind splendid palace and church
architecture, much of which simply disappeared into the swamp or was pilfered
for its building materials. Two
relics of this era remain and attract many visitors: the Cathedral of Santa
Maria Assunta and the 12th century Church of Santa Fosca.
The vividly painted Locanda Cipriani, both inn and restaurant, is a
short walk from the ferry landing along a lovely bricked pathway that follows
the curve of the main canal, flanked on either side by green fields.
Immersed in a sumptuous garden, with a view of Torcello’s two
churches and the bell tower, the inn was a favorite refuge for Ernest
Hemingway in 1948, as he wrote parts of Across the River and Into the Trees.
Giuseppe’s grandson, Bonifacio Brass, is the current owner and he
adheres to the vision that his grandfather had for the Locanda, keeping its
six rooms, simple yet elegant, a décor that reflects an ease of country style
hospitality and warmth, a place where each guest is made to feel comfortably
at home. One
need not stay the night to enjoy what the Locanda is best known for, and that
is its restaurant, open for lunch and dinner.
Tables spill out of the inn’s dining room to a sun-filled patio,
enveloped in a garden of roses and pomegranates, lavender and climbing
jasmine, trumpet vines and hydrangeas – a veritable haven. The food, the fish, the vegetables are local and intensely
fresh. The recipes are creative,
yet uncomplicated, and utterly divine.
No wonder Hemingway stayed for months at a time, and visitors return
year after year. I am so pleased that I have been their guest as well.
|
