An historic caravanserai turned luxury tax-free shopping mall

“Historically, people came here to trade, buy, and sell,” writes Brooke Bobb in Vogue. “Today, people travel here to take a piece of Venice home with them, and now, thanks to this retail renaissance, they can sail away with something they know is truly special—without a shadow of a doubt or a waste of a Euro—even if it’s just a gondolier hat.” She’s talking about the Fondaco Dei Tedeschi -- “one of the most famous buildings in Venice.” Located at the foot of the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal, the 72,355-square-foot structure was built in the 13th century as a commercial trading centre, “and at one point in its very early years, it earned half of the fiscal revenues of the city.” Now it is owned by the Benetton family and having been updated by OMA and Rem Koolhaas has reopened as a “lavish, high-end shopping centre,” where “just about any major designer fashion label you could mention is gathered here under one massive roof,” writes Anne Hanley The Telegraph.  

Nor is it just a shopping mall. “The Philippe Starck-deisgned Amo café-restaurant in the central courtyard is the latest outpost of super-chef Massimiliano Alajmo,” continues Anne Hanley, while Fleur Rollet-Manus at Suitcase Mag reports that T Fondaco also houses an event pavilion — “the light-filled atrium is set to host a series of specially commissioned exhibitions, shows, screenings and parties.” And the best bit? “The rooftop terrace offers unrivalled views of Venice.”