A room with a view - A ROOM WITH A VIEW is set in and around the Pensione Seguso, a historic family-run hotel in Venice. Edited by Verena von Beckerath, Professor of Architecture, the contributions to this edition range from the historical to the anecdotal to the artistic, resulting in a holistic and comprehensive analysis not only of the pensione, but also of what hospitality and tourism mean today, both in Venice and around the world. The authors of this publication come from different backgrounds, which is reflected in the wide variety of tone and format. A ROOM WITH A VIEW features a reflection and collage by urologist and art enthusiast Albrecht Kastein, photographs by architect and photographer Andrew Alberts, architect Oda Pälmke’s personal account of her time at the pensione, an insightful interview with owners Yvonne Matijas Seguso and Lawrence Hoque, and architect, professor, and publisher Ludovico Centis’s historical account of the city of Venice. Like the pensione, the book eludes rigid categorization; it alternates between writing and photography, each adding nuance to the work and changing the narrative perspective. As we travel through the pensione over the course of this edition, meeting the owners, and venturing into the history of Venice, one question keeps coming up: How can we live together?
