Officine Panerai opens its fifth Italian boutique in Venice, which joins its existing stores in Florence, Milan and Portofino. Located directly on Piazza San Marco opposite the iconic Campanile and just a few metres from historic Caffè Florian, the new boutique also overlooks the historic porticoes of the Procuratie Nuove building designed by Sansovino in 1500 as the crowning touch for one Italy’s most famous piazzas. The new boutique offers clients and collectors a complete Panerai experience in an exclusive, streamlined setting in which architecture, furnishings, décor, materials and colours all take their inspiration from the maritime world and the Florentine brand’s inextricable links to it. The boutique will stock all of the models in the Panerai collection as well as its most-sought after special editions. Clients will be welcomed into an elegant, soberly classic interior that brilliantly reflects the Florentine maison’s Italian heritage: pale granite flooring and meticulously selected materials, including steel and blonde woods, lend a sense of light, while sinuously curving showcases are clearly maritime-influenced. This same style is echoed in the private showroom on the first floor where exclusive sales are completed. Here the vaulted ceilings are beautifully frescoed with softly-draped dancing putti. Needless to say, all of the renovations carried out on the boutique fully respected its unique historical and cultural context, and were monitored and assisted by the Monuments and Fine Arts Office of Venice throughout.