Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, celebrates the reopening of its Michelin-starred restaurant Oro with new Head Chef Vania Ghedini
Oro at Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice has now reopened for the season, announcing a new direction for the one Michelin-starred restaurant with menus designed by Head Chef Vania Ghedini and culinary director Massimo Bottura.
Situated on the stunning Giudecca Island with views over the Venetian lagoon, the hotel is only a short five-minute boat journey by complimentary shuttle from St. Mark's Square and can be easily accessed via a private boat from anywhere in Venice.
Originally from Ferrara, Chef Ghedini has created a dynamic menu that celebrates the exceptional produce from the Veneto region with nods to her roots in Emilia Romagna and hints of Morocco from her culinary experiences there.
The Tasting Menu weaves the past with the present, where Chef Ghedini brings childhood memories and her experiences abroad to the heart of Venice. 'Moeche’ Egg Sauce with Guanciale and Squid Ink, for example, uses Moeche, a rare Venetian shellfish, accompanied by squid ink and guanciale zabaione creating a crossroad of flavours. Seafood Tortelli encapsulates the rich biodiversity of the Adriatic Sea: mussels, blue crab, shrimp, within a tortello individually shaped like delicate rose petals - taking inspiration from a Moroccan dessert called Chebakia - passed down from her grandparents in the family bakery, and the traditional rose-shaped pastries, chebakia, she experienced during Ramadan in Morocco. Risotto with Nettles and Morlacco Cheese explores Veneto's territory further with two rare ingredients that take centre stage. Semi-aged Morlacco cheese which is made from the milk of small local Burlina cows - a breed at risk of extinction - that graze on high mountain pastures, adds a creamy richness to a risotto made with nettles, inspired by Veneto’s culinary heritage.
Oro’s à la carte menu includes influences from the Venetian Lagoon with the Lobster Mechoui with Mussel Sauce and Guinea Fowl with Rocket and Horseradish. Zuppa Inglese finishes the meal as a tribute to Massimo Bottura, but also as a classic dessert from Vania's childhood. In this menu the dish is formed by a thin layer of jelly made with Alchermes (an ancient Italian liquor) covering chocolate cream, and custard. The Latte 1 dessert is a take on panna cotta inspired by Vania’s newborn baby and his Moroccan origins featuring steamed saffron biscuits, amlou (a cream made with almonds, argan oil, honey), dates and orange blossom.
Oro’s Tasting Menu is priced at 250 euros per person with an optional wine pairing starting at 100 euros for four glasses or 160 euros for seven glasses. The restaurant is open for dinner five days a week, Tuesday to Saturday, from 7.30pm to 10.30pm for residents and non-residents guests.
Please find images of ORO here
Reservations: ororestaurant.cip@belmond.com – +39 041 240 8815
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For further information on Oro at Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice and Chef Vania Ghedini please contact Lotus Land Agency at belmond@lotusinternational.net | Tel +44 20 7751 5812
For further information on Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice please contact Danilo Quagliozzi, Public Relations Manager at danilo.quagliozzi@belmond.com | Tel +39 342 183 84 88
Follow Oro restaurant on their Instagram account HERE
Notes to the Editor:
About Vania Ghedini
Vania Ghedini was born in 1987 in Ferrara and spent her childhood among bread, fresh pasta and cakes at the bakery owned by her grandparents, where she discovered her love for cooking. After graduating from Hotel Management School, in 2006 she enrolled in the Advanced Course in Italian Cuisine at ALMA, where she perfected her culinary techniques, learnt to work with raw materials with respect and became familiar with Italy's gastronomic heritage. After finishing her studies and her internship at Rigoletto di Reggiolo, and only after a parenthesis in France for the opening of an Italian restaurant, she returned to ALMA, this time as a teacher, where she stayed until 2015. Then, thanks to her experience as sous chef at Peck in Palazzo Italia during EXPO Milan, Vania was able to get closer to the concepts of historicity and tradition and understand the importance of protecting and passing them on through cooking. At the beginning of 2016, Vania joined the Alajmo Group. After a few months in the brigade of Le Calandre, she spent a period at Grancaffè Quadri in Venice to learn more about the cuisine of the area and then took over AMO Venezia, inside the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, and led its kitchen until 2018. In December of the same year, she followed the Alajmo family to Morocco to take charge of the opening of the Sesamo Restaurant inside one of the world's best hotels, the Royal Mansour Marrakech, where she remained until the end of 2023. The Alajmo experience marked her profoundly in her thinking, in her way of conceiving cuisine as a game, downplaying its canons, playing with them between lightness and taste. In April 2024, she returns to Venice as head chef of the one-Michelin-starred Oro Restaurant inside Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice.
About Massimo Bottura
Massimo Bottura – Chef Patron Osteria Francescana, Founder of Food for Soul, and a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador. A restaurateur and entrepreneur for over thirty years, Massimo Bottura is one of the most innovative and influential people in the International gastronomic arena. In 1995, he opened his restaurant Osteria Francescana in his hometown Modena. The restaurant's numerous awards - three Michelin stars in 2012 and the first place in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016 and 2018 - reflects on the chef's commitment to excellence and passion for innovation as well as leading the industry towards more sustainable practices. Over the years, the Francescana Family has developed a collective of hospitality venues in Italy and abroad. In Italy, Franceschetta58, Cavallino, the guesthouse Casa Maria Luigia with its restaurants Francescana at Maria Luigia and Al Gatto Verde and Gucci Osteria in Firenze. Internationally, Torno Subito in Dubai and Singapore and Gucci Osteria in Beverly Hills, Tokyo and Seoul. In 2015, together with his wife Lara Gilmore, he founded Food for Soul, a non-profit cultural project aimed at combating food waste and social isolation. In recognition of his humanitarian and environmental commitment, in 2020 Bottura was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program and Osteria Francescana was awarded the green Michelin star.
About Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice has been a Venetian legend since 1958: a haven for discerning travellers, close enough to the city bustle, yet far enough to offer a relaxing escape. A welcome rarity in Venice, the property is a green oasis with its luscious Casanova Gardens and red-clay tennis court, as well as the famous salt-water swimming pool – the biggest in the city. An emblem of vintage allure, Hotel Cipriani is also the starting point of Belmond’s story as the first acquisition in 1976. The 77-rooms hotel is located on Giudecca Island, an exhilarating boat ride away from St Mark’s Square, with sweeping views of the lagoon. Glamorous guests of past and present – from Yves Saint Laurent and Sophia Loren to George Clooney and Madonna, have all enjoyed the privacy of the hotel, whose history is layered with countless stories. Guests can savour a Bellini at Bar Gabbiano, indulge in Michelin-starred cuisine at Oro restaurant, relish in a long sun-drenched lunch at Cip’s Club, or sample the catch of the day at oyster bar and seafood restaurant, Il Porticciolo. The hotel also features a historical ballroom event space, which were formerly used as Granaries during the Serenissima Republic.