After a century of neglect, a magnificent palace built by Napoleon in Venice has re-opened its doors to the public on the island city’s famous St. Mark’s Square thanks to a French restoration effort.
The reasons for the long abandonment are easily explained — Venice is not Napoleon’s biggest fan.
Nor do canal residents have fond memories of the Royal Palace’s most famous resident — 19th-century Austrian empress Elisabeth or “Sisi” — a symbol of the city’s imperial domination.
“In popular consciousness, Napoleon is primarily the man who ended the glorious republic of Venice (697-1797),” said Andrea Bellieni, director of the Correr Museum which oversees the Royal Palace.
A group called French Committee for Safeguarding Venice has financed the restoration of this sumptuous palace, which was in a pitiful state. With a budget of 2.5 million euros ($ 3.2 million) from private donors, the committee has restored the main halls and the empress’s apartment to its old-time splendour when a 19-year-old “Sisi” and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph I, stayed there.
The furniture decorating the restored chambers is in the same neo-Baroque style popular at the imperial court in Vienna at the time.
The empress’s boudoir is a highlight with its images of feminine allegories and flowery garlands.
Napoleon proclaimed himself King of Italy in 1805 and ordered the palace built in 1807 in front of the iconic St. Mark’s Basilica after visiting Venice, but never actually lived in it.
Built in six years and decorated by French-inspired painter Giuseppe Borsato, the structure is now the only neo-Classical royal palace in Italy.
“We came across it by accident but we were pleasantly surprised,” said Marc and Marie, a couple of 30-somethings visiting from Nimes in France.
“We thought it would just be a museum with paintings but the ballroom is very, very beautiful,” they said.
Bellieni said he hoped it could rehabilitate Napoleon’s image.
“It’s true that Napoleon took a number of artifacts that were part of the history of Venice and sent them to the Louvre, starting with the horse statues on St. Mark’s Square,” he said.
“But it’s also thanks to him that many artworks were saved.”
“Sisi” is also a candidate for rehabilitation.
“She was an extraordinary woman, not just beautiful but also very sensitive and it was here that she managed to convince her husband to liberate political prisoners,” said Jerome Zieseniss, director of the French restoration committee.
The empress visited the palace one last time in 1895 for tea with Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita during a sailing stop on her way to Corfu.
The palace’s most notorious guests were dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, who held their first meeting in Venice in June 1934.
The last king of Italy, Umberto II, also visited in 1946 before leaving for exile in Portugal after the country voted to become a republic.
After restoring nine rooms of the palace and opening them to the public this summer, Zieseniss now wants to tackle the emperor’s apartment: four rooms which will cost 800,000 euros to rehabilitate.
A Russian oligarch and a luxury company have agreed to donate the money and Zieseniss said he hopes to complete at least two rooms by spring 2013.
Napoleon’s abandoned palace in Venice shines again
Napoleon’s abandoned palace in Venice shines again
Gigi Hadid introduces sun-washed knitwear in new Guest in Residence drop
DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Gigi Hadid this week released the first drop of her brand Guest in Residence’s spring/summer collection.
The pictures she shared with her 79.5 million followers on Instagram showed that the new offerings lean into relaxed, sun-washed dressing, blending the brand’s signature knitwear with a more playful, resort-ready mood.
The collection features lightweight cardigans, cropped knits and long-sleeve tops paired with knit shorts, relaxed trousers and soft lounge pieces designed for warm weather.
A palette of coastal blues, butter yellow, soft red, cream and pastel tones runs throughout, complemented by subtle stripes and textured finishes.
Across the images, knits are layered over swimwear or styled as coordinated sets, aligning with the collection’s casual, seasonal direction.
Hadid wrote on Instagram that the newly launched products are now available in stores and retailers worldwide.
The model and entrepreneur’s latest drop was a collaboration with Moon Boot, the Italian snow boot brand. Released in November, Hadid and the brand dropped 16 designs for winter.
A week before that, she launched her winter collection that expanded Guest in Residence’s knitwear offering with cold-weather staples designed for layering.
The range included chunky scarves with fringe finishes, ribbed beanies, knitted socks, striped sweaters, zip-neck tops and relaxed knit polos, alongside straight-leg trousers and casual separates.
A muted winter palette of red, cream, brown, forest green and blue ran throughout, with stripes and textured knits adding visual contrast.
Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September 2022.
“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.
“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she added.
“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”
Celebrities including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift and Bradley Cooper have been spotted wearing the label’s designs.
