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Glass — Murano on the Grand Canal

An illustrious name: Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga.
Giberto Arrivabene grew up in the rooms of Palazzo Papadopoli, overlooking the Grand Canal, surrounded by frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

“In my earliest memories, Venice had different colours,” he recalls. “It was dimmer, more dramatic, almost worn out—yet deeply romantic. Beautiful. The light wasn’t like it is today: brighter, perhaps more dazzling, but less poetic.”

Today, another kind of shimmering light has captured his imagination—the glow of Murano glass. His boutique stands on the iconic Rialto Bridge, where he presents a new idea: glasses—sometimes doubling as candleholders—that can be engraved with personal initials, a meaningful date, or even a family crest for those who have one.

Giberto still lives in Palazzo Papadopoli with his wife and children, occupying the top two floors. The rest of the building has been leased and transformed into one of Venice’s most beautiful hotels, Aman Venice.

Remember George Clooney’s wedding celebration? It took place there