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cielo sereno
An open-air museum that brings to life the elegance of the twentieth century.
The centre of Venice’s Lido where you can take a stroll admiring magnificent villas, once summer residences of the European aristocracy, and luxury hotels with unique charm, such as the Grande Albergo Ausonia Hungaria. This is an open-air museum of the Liberty style, making it the Italian street of Art Nouveau style, along its main artery, the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta.
THE ORIGINS OF ITALIAN ART NOUVEAU
Between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, the Venetians began to move their holiday homes from the countryside to the Lido, attracted by the low land costs and the first bathing establishments, instantly famous for their modern style. The possibility of building with greater freedom than the urban constraints of Venice, combined with the great availability of cheap land, allowed the owners (and architects) to show incredible creativity in the construction of bona fide villas, often equipped with charming gardens, tributes to the Art Nouveau style mixed with the Venetian taste for decoration.
THE HEART OF ELEGANCE
It was in this way that the island, a land of sand dunes, a land of fishermen and vegetable gardens, began to become an elegant destination also adored by the Central European aristocracy.
And this type of clientele was also attracted to one of the most particular luxury hotels in the Lido: the Grande Albergo Ausonia Hungaria, which first opened in 1907 on Granviale S. Maria Elisabetta, the result of a unique mix of architectural styles. Covered by 700 square meters of decorated majolica, in recent years it has been further enriched by Murano glass tiles, which help to enhance its eclectic charm.
“Only this place [the Lido] enchanted him, loosened his will, made him happy”
