Baglioni Hotel Luna

Baglioni Hotel Luna occupies Venice's oldest hotel building, a former Templar hospice on Calle Larga dell'Ascensione in San Marco, roughly 50 meters from Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal. Its centerpiece is the Marco Polo ballroom, a frescoed 18th-century hall depicting scenes of the explorer's journeys, alongside a small private art gallery of period paintings that guests can tour with staff. Rooms are arranged in Classic, Superior, Deluxe, and Suite categories, decorated in a traditional Venetian style with brocade fabrics, gilded mirrors, and, in the higher categories, views toward the lagoon or the hotel's inner garden courtyard. Dining centers on Canova Restaurant, serving Venetian and Italian cuisine, with a bar for aperitivo before dinner; there is no pool, though the hotel offers a small spa and treatment rooms. The San Marco location puts the Bacino di San Marco, the Doge's Palace, and the San Marco-Vallaresso vaporetto stop within a few minutes' walk, making it a convenient base for first-time visitors who want to be at the center of the city. Service is formal and traditional, with a concierge desk experienced in booking gondola rides, opera tickets, and private tours, and staff frequently highlight the frescoed ballroom as a point of pride during a stay.