La Baruffa Garden | Apartment in Dorsoduro, Italy

As featured in The London Evening Standard Homes & Property online - November 2018
A sun-dappled pergola in a garden so rare softly whispers your name in the Dorsoduro sestiere…
Beckoning you to rest easy, settle back and stay awhile within a sleepily serene backwater offering few sounds other than the happy chirruping of contented birds and the fluttering of vines in the gentle breeze, La Baruffa is one of the latest in the series of VOV-owned properties designed with gusto by ArchFlorence to sweep you off your feet.
A pretty-as-a-picture ‘pied-a-garden’ for lovers of the ‘real Venice’ offering complete liberation from any busy-life blues, the dainty La Baruffa is a charming confection of peerless craftsmanship, bespoke furnishings and well-coordinated hues.
Situated in the sweetly sedate district known as ‘Incurabili’ between the Guggenheim Collection and the glinting waters of the Zattere promenade, and distinguished by its adorable little wall-mounted wooden shrine to Saint Rita of Cascia, this exquisite apartment with its own private garden sleeps 4 (+1) guests in air-conditioned* accommodation arranged over 2 floors.
Marrying the restorative pleasures of being at one with nature with all the comforts you could wish for in a dream Venetian home, the 3 bedroom / 3 bathroom apartment La Baruffa comprises:
Ground floor
• An independent entrance opening to reveal your surprise ‘giardino segreto’ (secret garden) – a semi-paved oasis of meditation (and holiday celebration!) with palm trees, climbing roses, shrubs, ivy and flowering plants. Furnished with wooden sun-loungers for reclining al fresco, plus ample garden seating and a dining suite beneath a lantern-lit pergola of vines, it’s outdoor living at its loveliest!
• A glazed door leading you into La Baruffa’s luxurious open-plan living area dressed in masterfully coordinated patterns and high-end hessian shades offset with sassy splashes of colour against off-white timbers up above. Intimate and inviting, the room comprises -
- A sofa-furnished sitting / TV area with the apartment’s original decorative fireplace providing a focal point to the room
- A contemporary-style kitchen in off-white, wood and marble with top of the range appliances (including a Bosch oven), and a breakfast bar with stools
- A dining area just to the side with banquette seating and a dining table for 6 guests
• A charming studio-cum-bedroom - ideal for a senior member -decorated in a fetching mix of matching blue and linen colours, and with a single day bed plus an en suite marble bathroom with a shower enrobed in iridescent ‘mermaid tail’ tiling just waiting for you to make a splash!
A open-sided staircase at the centre of the apartment rising up to the –
1st floor where you’ll find, to one side –
• The handsome master bedroom with views over the quaint and quiet Calle Delle Mende, furnished on a blue, linen and off-white theme with a double bed, a built in mirrored wardrobe, floorboards in natural & grey alternate stripes, and a deluxe en suite bathroom in marble with bathtub
And to the other -
• La Baruffa’s delightful third bedroom overlooking the sunny Calle Navaro, furnished in a warm muscovado brown and a deep demerera yellow, with twin beds (which can be made into a double at your request), a built in wardrobe, striped floorboards matching those of the master, plus a smart en suite bathroom in marble with a shower encased in Moroccan-themed tiling
Are you part of a larger group who would like to stay close together but in separate apartments? We offer another apartment in this building: Gondolieri (with ‘altana’ rooftop terrace!)
OUR COMMENT
LIFE’S A BED OF ROSES at new apartment LA BARUFFA – a sweet taste of paradise on the ‘Dorsoduro Museum Mile’…
A short amble to the iconic Church of the Salute, the Accademia Galleries and Bridge (and the VOV office!), the Palazzo Cini Gallery, plus the Punta Della Dogana Center of Contemporary Art, and close to a variety of fine eating places and bars including Ai Gondolieri and Ristorante Riviera for fine dining, and Osteria Al Squero and Cantinone Gia Schiavi for cicheti and spritz.
A short stroll to the new Conad supermarket Zattere Allo Spirito Santo and to 4 vaporetto (water bus) stops – Zattere Spirito Santo, Zattere, Salute and Accademia – for travel around the city (note that St. Mark’s Square can be reached by vaporetto from Salute in under 5 minutes on Line 1!)
Also close to the ‘traghetto’ at Calle Lanza/Calle del Traghetto S. Gregorio which, during operating hours, ferries passengers by gondola across the Grand Canal to the district of San Marco, and within easy reach of the Alilaguna boat stop connecting the Zattere to Venice's Marco Polo Airport.
*Please note that the operation of air conditioning and heating are subjected to the municipality regulation. Generally, the heating works from middle of October to middle of April, while air conditioning works between middle of Aprile to middle of October. Please contact us for further information.
For arrivals between 8.00 p.m. and midnight there is an additional cost for "late arrival" of Euro 50, to be paid in cash upon arrival. We organize arrivals between midnight and one o'clock with an additional cost of Euro 100, after this time we reserve the right to accept the customer always with a supplement to be quantified according to the time of arrival.
Beds will be arranged as either doubles or twins as shown in the photos. The possibility of turning a double bed into twins or vice versa can be found in the description and must be requested at least 7 days before arrival.