Locanda Cipriani is a traditional inn opened by Giuseppe Cipriani in 1934 on the island of Torcello. As well as its excellent food, it is famous because in 1948 the writer Ernest Hemingway spent time there writing his novel Across the River and Into the Trees.
In November 1948, Hemingway moved to Torcello. During his stay on the island, he devoted his time to his friends, to hunting, another of his passions, and to writing. He would then say: For us, who love the lagoon, it doesn't matter whether Attila sat on the throne or not. I doubt he did. It's enough for me that Cipriani sat on it. On the island of Torcello he wrote his novel Across the River and into the Trees. The peace and quiet of the island seemed ideal for him to write. Just outside the inn there is a small canal with moorings for boats. It was there that Hemingway's boatman waited for the writer to set out on his daily duck hunting excursions.
The Locanda Cipriani has entertained the rich and famous for decades. Charlie Chaplin, the Queen of England, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles and Lady Diana, Maria Callas and Paul Newman have all visited. During the Venice Film Festival, the first weekend in September, there are endless elegant water taxis waiting for the latest Hollywood stars to finish their lunch at the Locanda Cipriani.
