In the basin of St Mark's, where the lively commercial port of Venice was based, (the Admiralty and the military harbour was East of the main square, towards Castello, in a locality called Arsenale), Venice witnessed for centuries the arrival and departure of small and large sailing boats, galleons and trading vessels.

Every Palazzo on the Grand Canal was equipped on the ground floor to store merchandises and manufactured goods coming in from all over the world, ready to be shipped away again, because the Venetians were great merchants.

In particular, the Punta della Salute, which controls the entrance to the Canal Grande from the basin of St Mark's (in the back of the Salute church), was offering to arriving and departing vessels, large spaces called the Saloni, where salt, a very precious merchandise at the time, and other goods were stored.

In front of St Mark's and the Punta della Salute, at the tip of the island called Giudecca, where the Hotel Cipriani was built in 1956 by the poet hotelier and restaurateur, Giuseppe Cipriani, are three very large, interconnecting buildings built of solid bricks. Each one measures 42 x 8 metres (height 9.5 metres), for a total of 1000 square-metres, and are called 'I Granai della Repubblica' (The Granaries of the Republic).

These massive structures were built in the XIX century, over the ruins of Palazzo Dandolo in imitation of the Saloni and, while at various times readapted and modified, they kept their very large space which makes them the largest containers in the Giudecca and possibly in Venice.

The Granaries of the Venetian Republic are perfect for small to large sized business meetings, receptions or special celebration breakfasts, luncheons or dinners. The building offers a uniquely attractive and superbly equipped executive retreat, banqueting and conference center and is composed of three wings: the Longhi, the Canaletto and the Carpaccio wing.

The Longhi Ballroom can be arranged in a number of ways. Board room style comfortably accommodates up to 100 people in a U-shape. A long rectangle or a large square caters for up to 80, when audiovisual support is not necessary.

If you require breakout areas for small groups, the Canaletto wing is the ideal venue. On the ground floor the Canaletto Room offers a large breakout space which can comfortably hold a reception of 50 people. On the top floor the Mezzanine Room seats up to 80 people theatre style and is fully equipped with high-speed internet, satellite connection for conference calls, panoramic screen, etc. The room can be set as a long rectangle or large square for up to 24 when audiovisual support is not necessary. Beautifully appointed marble bathrooms are located on the ground floor.

All premises are air-conditioned, benefit from an independent entrance and offer incredible vistas over St. Mark’s Square.

The Granaries of the Venetian Republic