Venice’s Private, Undiscovered Islands Are Open for Business
Luxury hotels and fiercely local entrepreneurs are reclaiming Italy’s most famous lagoon
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In the crescent-shaped Venetian lagoon, which stretches nearly 32 miles across, are dozens of spectral islands unknown to most tourists. Some are abandoned, others sparsely inhabited, and the majority are largely ignored by travelers who get lost in the thick and folly of Venice proper.
But looking beyond Giudecca, a wide snaky mass south of the main city—itself a network of 118 small islands sewn together by bridges and canals—there are two islands hogging all the attention: San Clemente and Isola delle Rosa. Both will see luxury resorts open this summer.