The neighborhood — Dorsoduro— is delightful: hardly any tourists, calm and pleasant, it feels really peaceful. There's a great bar nearby called Caconero, where the cool kids from the nearby School of Architecture go. Osteria Bakan is 50 m. away and it's also great. More expensive but really delicious and worth the money is Trattoria Anzolo Raffaele, also nearby. The apartment is very comfortable, furnished with big old-fashioned furniture, with good beds and lots of space. We were in Venice for the Biennale and really felt that La Galea was a wonderful retreat after a very long, hot day.