Venice + the Dolomites · The journey
Two nights in a 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal. A transfer up into the mountains. Three nights in Alta Badia. One of my favorite ways to see two sides of Italy.
Venice and the Dolomites are only a few hours apart, and Aman has a hotel in each that makes the pairing effortless.
Aman Venice is 24 rooms in Palazzo Papadopoli on the Grand Canal: original frescoes, silk walls, gardens at the water’s edge and quiet, personal Aman service. Aman Rosa Alpina is a beautiful restoration of the old Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano, all warm wood and marble, in a fantastic spot for hiking and skiing.
Same style of service, two completely different settings: the most famous city on the water, then the mountains. Aman offers a combination stay with the transfer included, and I can add a helicopter if you’d rather fly.
Privacy, light and the Grand Canal.
One of the most beautiful Amans I have ever seen. It’s small, and it’s about privacy and the classic Aman style of service. I loved the natural light, the gardens on the canal and the understated restoration: frescoes, silk walls and painted ceilings, with calm modern furniture beneath them.
Twenty-four rooms. The team knows you. My meeting with the general manager, Licinio Garavaglia, was a highlight, and I know he will take great care of my clients.
Gardens on the canal. A rare thing in Venice: private gardens at the water’s edge, with the bar looking over them.
Ask for the piano nobile. The noble floor has the highest ceilings. For families, there are two three-bedroom apartments.
No pool, a small spa. This is the city half of the trip. The mountains are where you slow down.
A water taxi from the hotel’s dock, then a private car north into the Dolomites. Or skip the road entirely.
If the budget allows, fly. The nearest helipad is about eight minutes from Aman Venice, and a helicopter turns a travel day into one of the most memorable hours of the trip. I arrange it.
The most luxurious stay in the Dolomites.
A beautiful restoration of the former Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano, in a fantastic spot for hiking and skiing, and as good for families as it is for couples. The design is very Aman, all wood and marble, and the stars are the suites, with views of the forest, the village and the mountains above.
Book a suite. They’re the reason to stay.
Great for skiing. Not ski-in, ski-out, but there’s a ski room and the lifts are about two minutes away by shuttle.
Tied for the best gym in the Dolomites. With Gardena Grödnerhof.
Know the sauna rules. As across the region, swimsuits come off in the saunas and steam rooms, and the main sauna areas are mixed.
Winter minimums. The hotel mentioned a seven-night minimum in winter that searches don’t show. I confirm it before you plan around it.
The room
The living spaces
To unwind
Aman’s two-and-three version. Add a night in Venice if the city is the priority.
You pay the same rate as booking direct, and you get two things on top: Fora perks at each hotel, typically a space-available upgrade, daily breakfast and a hotel credit, and someone who knows both hotels personally and personalizes your stay. I line up the water taxi, the car or the helicopter so the move is easy.
With 24 rooms, Venice is the harder confirmation, so we hold those dates first and build the mountains around them. For winter, I also confirm Aman Rosa Alpina’s minimum stay before anything else.
By private car it’s roughly three hours from Venice up to San Cassiano in Alta Badia, and Aman’s combination stay includes the transfer. For a faster connection I can arrange a helicopter; the nearest helipad is about eight minutes from Aman Venice.
Aman’s combination is two nights in Venice and three at Aman Rosa Alpina, and it’s the split I’d book. Three nights is my sweet spot for Venice if you want more time in the city.
Either works. I like ending in the mountains: Venice first while you still have the energy for the city, then slow down in Alta Badia. If you’re flying home from Venice, reverse it.
Winter for skiing at Aman Rosa Alpina, and summer for hiking; San Cassiano is quiet in the shoulder seasons. The hotel mentioned a seven-night minimum in winter that searches don’t show, so I confirm it before we plan around it.
Yes. Aman Rosa Alpina is as good for families as it is for couples, with a ski room and the lifts about two minutes away by shuttle, and Aman Venice has two three-bedroom apartments.
Absolutely. If you’d rather stay at Airelles Palladio in Venice, it pairs just as well with any of my Dolomites hotels. See my Dolomites guide.
Tell me your dates and who’s coming. I’ll check both Amans and come back with rooms, the split and the transfer.