The square and canals of Venice are famously packed with shorts-and-sneaker-sporting tourists in late summer and even historic homes on small cobblestone streets have been converted to Airbnbs. But across the water, on the barrier island of Lido, Laura Dern is chic in pale rose Prada, Rebecca Donaldson is turning heads in shimmering champagne and silver sequins, Claire Foy has chosen long scarlet opera gloves to match her ruched red gown and John Malkovich is sporting an Elizabethan ruffled collar with his Dior suit.
The Venice Film Festival is in full swing, and in addition to viewing Danny Boyle’s Murdoch saga Ink, there’s a lot to enjoy in the area — whether during the festival (assuming you’ve made arrangements far in advance) or on your next visit.
Rather than shuttling back and forth to Venice proper, you can stay right in Lido at The Excelsior, which was the scene of the first International Film Festival in 1932, and now hosts the opening ceremony on its beach as well as the opening and closing galas. It’s also less than a five-minute stroll from Sala Grande, where the screening of Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime was held.
The hotel’s entrance is lined with blown-up photos of legendary figures, from Greta Garbo to Federico Fellini. Water taxis that cross the Venetian Lagoon en route to the festival stop at the hotel’s dock, so even relaxing in the lobby puts you in the middle of some spectacular arrivals, and you can’t underestimate the convenience of having a room there in which to shower, change and nap.
