Since the dawn of the Renaissance, Giovanni and Servane Giol's palazzo has stood on the banks of Venice's Grand Canal, its fabulous location reflecting the importance of the Falier family, who built it. By 1400, when the first brick was laid, three Faliers had already held office as Doge of Venice.
Often caught up in the turbulent currents of history, they had seen the last of these, Marin Falier, beheaded as punishment for an attempted coup against the city's patriarchs.
Thankfully, recent times have been much more peaceful, and the palazzo's modern-day owners, financier Giovanni and author Servane, welcome us into a home where the gentle sound of water mingles with music and laughter.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Inviting as the palazzo is today, the couple – who married in 2019 and moved in that same year – tell us that the property had not been inhabited for over a century when they acquired it.
Their first step was to turn the piano mobile into the perfect base for them and their four children: Ambra, 24, Leonardo, 22, Amerigo, 19, and 15-year-old Gregorio.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Then they set about creating a suite of elegant living and dining rooms, in which they love to entertain guests. The results are both stunning and unique. In fact, for Paris-born Servane, Venice has become an endless source of inspiration.
In her books, Soul of Venice and Venice: A Private Invitation, she shares her delight in this magical city, where she has now spent two decades, with readers all over the world.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Servane, what can you tell us about the history and architecture of your home?
"Like all the palazzos along the Grand Canal, it was originally the home and showroom of merchants. This is one of the smallest and oldest such places. It has evolved a little over time – for example, it would once have had two open terraces, which were glassed in during the 18th century."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)"My husband's family bought the palazzo after the First World War, when Giovanni's great-grandfather returned from Argentina, where he owned the Giol Winery in Mendoza."
How did you renovate the property
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)"The piano nobile, which had been used as offices and then as a private exhibition space, was a large open area. Our first step was to create bathrooms – there were none – plus a kitchen and family rooms.
"We chose a Venetian architect, Alberto Torsello. For the decor, only one name came to mind: Jacques Grange. We chose him because he’s a friend of ours but above all because he mixes French elegance with a wonderful contemporary touch. He's also familiar with Venice and its interiors. I totally trusted him."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)As a Parisian who spent much of her youth in South-East Asia, what does Venice mean to you?
"My time in Asia helped me understand life here – the humid climate and being on an island. And many Venetian interiors show the influence of orientalism, which goes back to Marco Polo’s travels in China and the Far East."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)You and your husband are heavily involved in the arts – in fact, you created your own theatre company, Laboratorio Falier...
"Yes. One of my children was a bit shy, so I started looking for a theatre school for youngsters in Venice. I found to my surprise that there wasn't one, so I created it.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)"We started by offering private lessons, but then the group and the school grew and started to meet at the entrance of the palazzo, so we decided to call it Laboratorio Falier.
"Later I created the Compagnia Falier, a group of adult actors who gave fundraising performances all over Italy. It was great fun, and thanks to them and Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century comedies, I learnt to speak the Venetian dialect."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Then there's music – as the long-time president of the Venice Conservatory, Giovanni has helped the city's musicians overcome recent challenges...
"The conservatory occupies one of the largest palazzos in Venice, second only to the Doge’s Palace, and can accommodate 600 students from around the globe. When the city was hit by flooding in November 2019 and then by the Covid-19 pandemic just months later, everything came to a halt.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)"Many students couldn’t rehearse or play because they had no instruments of their own, or their neighbours objected; some even had to leave the city. So those were crucial years for my husband and the conservatory as they worked to keep Venice's music alive."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)How did you meet Giovanni?
"In Venice, of course!”
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)You are an expert in table decoration. Did you perfect the art here?
"I think it was Venice that made me an expert. It was here that I learnt about the beauty of glassware. Often, if you look at a table, you'll see plain glasses sitting alongside beautiful porcelain and silver, but that doesn’t happen in Venice. My starting point for decorating a table is thinking about the glassware I will use. The rest follows from that."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)You're a noted hostess...
"I love entertaining, and Venice is the perfect place for it."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Among your books, you’ve written two about the city you love...
"Soul of Venice is a compilation of 30 unique experiences here – the kind of recommendations I would make to visiting friends about where to eat, where to stay and where to drink the best Bellini. It has been translated into seven languages and even won an Independent Publisher Book Award in 2021.
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)"Venice: A Private Invitation is what I call a historical coffee table book. I gained access to more than 45 private palazzos, some of which hadn’t been shown for 70 years and were like time capsules."
"In the book, I describe all the beauty I have seen in Venice and everything I’ve learnt about its art, craftsmen and local culture. It took me 20 years to write."
© ALOMA ROJAS / MARCOS AND FERNAND ANAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)Do you have any new projects underway?
"Yes – more books. My next big one will be about the chic Italian mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo and will be launched before the Winter Olympics take place there in 2026. Again, I will focus on houses, interiors and the art of living.
"My book describes all the beauty I have seen in Venice — it took 20 years to write."
PRODUCTION & INTERVIEW: CRISTINA LORA ALARCON AND ANA FERNANDEZ DE CORDOBA CENDRA
PHOTOS: PALOMA ROJAS/MARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO (COUCHE STUDIO)
HAIR & MAKE-UP: STEFANO. HAIR ARTS STUDIO
CLOTHES: LA DOUBLE J. MAROUA. PIEDATERRE VENICE.SALONI. YVES SAINT LAURENT
