Johnny Depp may have slept at the Philippe Starck-designed Palazzina Grassi hotel during his Venetian sojourn, but he actually lived at a tiny pizzeria five minutes away — La Rosa Rossa.
Depp became a regular at the restaurant, stopping in for after-shoot drinks, and even manning the bar during a handful of nights-turned-mornings.
“Johnny was the life and soul of the party, and he treated us like we were part of his family — we had some great nights in the bar, and he brought his wife and children in for dinner a couple of times,” says owner Cristiano Vitale. “I even let him do a self-portrait on the ceiling of the pizzeria and he signed it. We have a great picture of him standing on a stepladder painting it.”
Another memorial to the actor resides in a glass cabinet, where Vitale has hung the actor’s denim jacket.
“He promised he would come back and visit us as soon as he can, and we’re ready to welcome him back,” Vitale says. “Angelina never came here — Johnny said our place was just for him.”