Closing your eyes, you could still smell her perfume or hear the rustle of her clothes; The Venetian palace of Austria’s eccentric Empress Sisi will finally open its doors to the public on Thursday, July 14, after decades of neglect. Along St. Mark’s Square, under the high ceilings of the ballroom and in the intimacy of Elizabeth of Austria’s small boudoir, the visitor immerses himself in the atmosphere of another century and discovers the living environment of an Italian. anarchist in 1898 in Geneva, only 60 years old.
Boudoir, especially touching ” a frieze representing his favorite flowers, which were the lily of the valley and the cornflowers (…), was made entirely for him. “, says Jerome Zizenis, president of the French Committee for the Protection of Venice, an organization that fully funded the seven million euro work thanks to donations from generous patrons. ” He is the one who has lived the longest in this palace “. apart from occasional visits, ” he spent seven consecutive months here “, he clarifies, who was immortalized in the cinema by Romy Schneider and Ava Gardner. ” He received little, he was sent photos of young women from all over Europe to compare with them and see if he was still beautiful. “.
Standing in front of the portrait of the empress, Andrea Bellini, director of the Correr Museum and as such an administrator of the palace, reveals that “ Sissi, a complex and introverted character, disliked social life and apparently enjoyed going out on a gondola at night. “.
Napoleon I
Located between Place Saint-Marc and the mouth of the Grand Canal, therefore in the heart of the Serenissima, these magnificent apartments have no less than 27 rooms, requiring 22 years of work. In 2012, 9 rooms were able to reopen to the public, including the magnificent ballroom. On July 14, all areas will be available for visits. ” It was necessary to remove five administrations, because at the end of the monarchy these rooms were turned into offices (…) It was not so simple; Jerome Zizenis emphasizes.
If the Empress of Austria is its most famous guest, the palace owes its birth to the French Emperor Napoleon I, who became King of Italy in 1805, even if he never set foot there. However, a statue depicting him as a Roman emperor is displayed in the palace to remind him of his role. ” Then the Austrians followed him for 50 years, then the Savoys (the dynasty that ruled Italy from 1861-1946, editor’s note) came, in short, the real kings of Italy, the Italian kings of Italy. Mr. Ziezenis watches mischievously.
A few weeks before it opens to the public, top craftsmen are still hard at work putting the finishing touches on the fittings, such as Andrea Dal Maas, an upholsterer by trade, who is busy adjusting the four-poster bed cover. When asked if Sisi will be recognized by “his” palace today, he answers sarcastically. knowing the wandering spirit of the princess, it remains to be seen whether she would stay or change her abode again. “.
The Louvre in Venice
After his years of hard work, Jerome Zizenis, here as at home, chose to tell the local adventures in a book, Royal Palace of Venice – Venice’s hidden gem, the former president and director of the Louvre Pierre Rosenberg forewords. Bursting with anecdotes, it delights in recounting the intertwining of family ties between successive residents of these exceptional places. In Sissi’s room, he shows Eugène de Beauharnais’s bed; who was the son-in-law of Napoleon, Viceroy of Italy and Prince of Venice “. ” Eugene was married to Auguste-Amelie of Bavaria, who was Sisi’s aunt. So the dynasties succeeded each other, but in reality the same family always remained he notes with a smile.
On a practical level, the definitively restored rooms of the Royal Palace are accessible with an entrance ticket to the Correr Museum, a museum complex that offers tours of the Royal Palace and the New Procuratie Palace, nicknamed the “Louvre of Venice” by some. “.. The renaming was gladly accepted by its director because ” this building concentrates centuries of history and since 1922 has housed the city’s museum, which tells the great history of the Serenissima. “.
Correr Museum, P.za San Marco, 52, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy. Open daily from 10am to 6pm (last entry at 5pm). Admission €25 (under 15 and under 25 students €13).
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Source: Le Figaro
