Molino Stucky

Molino Stucky

A former flour mill, located on the island of Giudecca, the Molino Stucky Hilton, reputed to be the best luxury hotel in Venice, Italy.

Built at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. The brick, neo-Gothic, 9 story high, 13-building complex was constructed entirely in brick. The mill ground 2,500 quintals of flour each day, and employed 1,500 workers. The building was expanded in 1895.

Between 1955, the year in which Mulino Stucky was definitively closed, and today, there have been dozens of projects, misfortunes, fires… Yes, fires too.

In these remains of one of Europe’s largest flourmills, electricity was introduced to Italy, the first Italian elevators began operation and Venice’s largest hotel and convention venue now stands.

The original vaporetti (Venice’s bus boats) used to be made here. An asphalt factory steamed and distilleries produced many of the whiskies for the grand hotels across the canal.

After its majestic opening and the first glorious decade of operation the Molino Stucky began a checkered history. The founder and owner (Giovanni Stucky) was murdered outside his palazzo in Venice, Palazzo Grassi. Then the mill went through a series of industrial actions by unions – once, 500 workers demanding more pay and benefits occupied the factory for more than a month. In 1955 the factory permanently closed.

For decades this massive complex of buildings remained a hulking neo-Gothic ruin until the turn of the 21st Century when construction began on the restoration of the mill complex. A partnership between the city of Venice and Hilton Hotels provided the funding to begin restoration and the metamorphosis of the old granary into a deluxe hotel and convention venue. In June 2007 the restored building began its second life as an integral part of the city’s tourism infrastructure.

Single RAW image Tonemapped in Photomatix Pro 3.2.

Camera: Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi in the USA)
Sigma 18-200mm lens
Exif data from the JPG
F-stop f/4
ISO 200
Focal length 18 mm

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Related shots can be found at: Venice or Italy.

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