Oro Restaurant dell'Hotel Cipriani alla Giudecca

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Restaurant Shaped by Water

Oro Restaurant sits within Hotel Cipriani on the Giudecca, the long island that faces Venice's historic centre across a wide stretch of lagoon. The hotel itself is the property that gave Belmond its start — acquired in 1976, it was the first step in what has since become a global collection of 43 properties. That founding status gives Oro a particular weight within the Belmond world, and the restaurant has carried that responsibility into the dining room with quiet confidence.

Vania Ghedini and the Logic of the Lagoon

The clearest statement of what Oro stands for comes from the kitchen. Vania Ghedini, Head Chef at the ORO Restaurant, has spoken openly about how living and working in Venice means having a constant connection with the wonders of the sea that surrounds the city — and how that proximity is the direct source of her inspiration. For a chef in this position, the lagoon is not backdrop but ingredient: it shapes what arrives at the pass, what ends up on the plate, and how the menu shifts with the seasons and the tides.

That grounding in place is precisely what Gambero Rosso recognised when it awarded Oro 2 Forks — a mark of distinction that reflects both the quality of the cooking and the coherence of the overall fine dining experience.

Setting and Atmosphere

The restaurant operates within one of Venice's most storied hotel properties, which means the setting carries its own history. Guests reach the Giudecca by water, arriving at a remove from the crowds of the main islands — a separation that lends the whole experience a different pace. Outdoor seating, private dining rooms, and the full breadth of hotel services are available, making Oro equally suited to a long lunch, a formal dinner, or a private occasion.

Why It Belongs on This List

Oro is not simply a hotel restaurant that happens to be good. It is a fine dining address with a clear culinary identity, rooted in the seafood and produce of the Venetian lagoon, led by a chef who treats the surrounding water as her primary point of reference. The Gambero Rosso recognition confirms what the setting and the cooking already suggest: this is one of the more serious tables in Venice.