My stay with Paola is a great example of AirBnB's foundational aspirations. I'd never lived in a classic Venice flat until I stayed with Paola for 5 nights during the Biennale. My room was large, clean, bright, fresh, and comfortable. I could have been a guest in H.V. Morton's memoir "A Traveler in Italy," some time early in the last century, or a student living abroad with a host nona, or an architect looking for a place to rest during a long week of parties, reunions, dinners, abundant drinking, wandering, and run-ins in the bustle of the Biennale.

Paola speaks little English, and she was absolutely confused by my attempts at Italian, even though I lived in Rome at one point and at least know how to pronounce the language. Paola and I managed daily to work out complex exchanges using few words in both Italian and English. No big deal—the best part of AirBnB other than living like a local is actually forming relationships with people you would otherwise miss. It was, to be honest, a highlight of my time in Venice.

Paola was greatly concerned with my comfort, with what I wanted to eat for breakfast, whether I'd be hungry or not, or boring even. Wanting only bread in the morning, she said I was unpretentious but not at all fun. :) So, she cooked eggs, and they were delicious, truly. The apartment was clean, which is the most important thing for me. Her home is in a very quiet part of the city, but also in a very accessible spot.

Do stay here if you can. Don't do so if you want a place to bring friends or to party. I'm all for it, but if you want to bring the street city home at the end of the day, find another host. Instead, Paola's is a retreat, and she is a delight.