Venissa: the walled vineyard that brought the Doges’ wine back to life
On the forgotten island of Mazzorbo, a nearly extinct grape variety tells the story of Venice before Venice.
Mazzorbo, Venice
In Mazzorbo, connected to Burano by a wooden bridge, a walled vineyard preserves the Dorona di Venezia—the lagoon’s only native grape variety, almost wiped out after the devastating flood of 1966. Venissa is not a restaurant with a vineyard. It is an act of remembrance.
In Mazzorbo, connected to Burano by a wooden bridge, a walled vineyard preserves the Dorona—the Doges’ golden grape, almost wiped out by the devastating flood of 1966. Venissa is not a restaurant with a vineyard. It is an act of remembrance.
In 2002, Gianluca Bisol discovered the last 88 surviving Dorona vines scattered through the gardens of the lagoon islands. He replanted them here, in the centuries-old walled vineyard of the Scarpa Volo estate. Today, they produce just 3,000 bottles a year—for the entire world. The wine is white but behaves like a red: structured, long-lived, with notes of sea salt and barene found nowhere else.
You can come for a wine tasting, lunch at the Osteria Contemporanea featuring traditional lagoon cuisine, or dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant, open from April to October. Or you can stay the night—six rooms set within the vineyard, with the quiet lagoon waiting at dawn.
You reach it by Vaporetto Line 12 from Fondamente Nove. Forty minutes across the lagoon. Already part of the experience.
This is an independent editorial feature.
Photo ©Venissa.it
Practical Information
Location: Mazzorbo, Venice
Duration: Half-day visit or overnight stay
Estimated price: Osteria from €40 · Michelin-starred restaurant from €130 · Rooms from €250 per night
