Gabriele was fantastic. He provided clear directions regarding how to get to the correct vaporetto stop and arrived in a few minutes after we called him. His listing is not in a main thoroughfare so we ended up meandering through the alleys and narrow streets of Venice. We couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Venice (my wife and I had stayed in Venice before but in hotels, which to be frank is not the same thing).

Once we got to the unit Gabriele explained how things worked, showed us where we could find a supermarket, gave us a very good list of restaurants to try and even information on the ongoing art bienal exhibition.

Venice is an old town full of quirks and interesting places. Gabriele's apartment is very close to St. Mark's Square and we couldn't have asked for a better location to savor life like the locals.

Speaking of locals... the windows face an interior courtyard where life happens. You can hang wet clothes to dry (we did do that) and you can listen to what happens in the adjacent apartments (we did do that too). But hey, this is what makes Italy such a great place. Where else could I listen to someone speaking on the phone as clearly as if it were in my living room, or brush up my italian listening to people gossiping endlessly... really a great experience and value for the money.

We'd not hesitate to book this listing again next time we're in Venice.

By the way, Gabriele also provided Italian cookies and a bottle of Spumante for our consumption. That touch was very lovely.