Dior and Venetian Heritage Team Up Again to Save Venice’s Treasures

MILAN — For the second time in as many years, Dior is joining forces with Venetian Heritage to help preserve some of Venice’s most cherished landmarks. The French fashion house and the preservation group will host their annual fundraising ball this Saturday evening, just as the Venice Biennale Arte gets underway. The event, first held in 2019, returns to the Palazzo del Casinò on the Lido, where guests will dance the night away in support of a major restoration project at the Ca’ d’Oro, the city’s iconic Gothic palace.

The partnership is the brainchild of American architect Peter Marino, who serves as chairman of Venetian Heritage Inc. and has designed many Dior stores for parent company LVMH. “I’m very glad for Dior to be part of this initiative,” said Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior Couture. She noted that Marino has already helped restore the Ca’ d’Oro and the Porta Magna gate, adding, “Helping to protect this unique bequest means preserving not only history but also artisanship.”

The Casino Royale Ball will raise funds to redesign the Ca’ d’Oro’s permanent collection spaces, a project launched in 2023 with the Giulio and Giovanna Sacchetti Foundation and set for completion in 2027. The palace, whose name means “golden house,” is famous for its intricate marble facade, once partially gilded. Dior has long supported the Biennale, and this collaboration deepens its commitment to the arts.

The weekend also includes a dinner at Hotel Cipriani to celebrate the reopening of Oro, a restaurant Marino recently redesigned for Belmond, another LVMH property. Chef Massimo Bottura will craft the menu alongside Oro’s head chef Vania Ghedini. Marino described the ball as evoking “the glamour of the Lido in the 1930s,” recalling the golden age of the Venice Film Festival. Toto Bergamo Rossi, director of Venetian Heritage, expressed gratitude for Dior’s trust, saying the partnership helps keep Venice’s cultural legacy alive.