1. AMAN VENICE

Guests can arrive by boat to enter via the formal La Porta D’Acqua restaurant into a vast reception with marble chequered flooring and original frescoes. A grand staircase leads up to the piano nobile and rococo ballroom with its Murano chandeliers and windows overlooking the Grand Canal. The dining room, bar and salons have sumptuous Rubelli silk wall coverings, oil paintings and carved stone fireplaces. Overlooking pantiled rooftops, the wooden altana is a small decked roof terrace for sunset drinks. Menus alternate nightly between Thai and classic Venetian. Rooms from £1,136; telegraph.co.uk/ tt-amanvenice “Grand Salone” accompanied by classical music. There are so many offerings, from cakes and savoury options to yogurt and fruit, that they take up a third of the room.

Rooms from £101; telegraph.co.uk/ tt-anticodoge hotel. The décor reflects a classic yet contemporary look that is neither too stark nor too cluttered. Polished original terrazzo floors set the rooms aglow with natural light from the large windows. It creates a crisp backdrop for the eclectic mix of 19th-century furnishings and Venetian glass. Fresh, hot croissants are left on the hall table outside the apartment every morning and the concierge can arrange for catered meals by chefs upon request.

Apartments from £321; telegraph.co.uk/tt-canova booking, be aware that the mezzanine rooms feel much more cramped than the large, lofty upstairs ones. Some rooms have glorious frescoed or stuccoed ceilings. There’s a pretty breakfast room where guests take this meal when the weather prevents them having it outside at tables in the garden.

Rooms from £137; telegraph.co.uk/ tt-abadessa

For a guide to the best palazzo hotels in Italy, see: telegraph.co.uk/ tt-palazzohotelsitaly