This is a top-notch home in an unbeatable location! The pictures truly do not do it justice - in person, it is far more luxurious and beautiful. It is a typical Venetian home - right on the Grand Canal! My family and I - husband and kids 6 and 2 - traveled to Venice at the height of Carnevale. Although the streets near Piazza San Marco were teeming with people, the neighborhood around Francesca's home was busy, but do-able. There are numerous restaurants, cafes and shops within about a two minute walk, and two very well-stocked grocery stores are very close by. For location, you really can't beat this home. There are two waterbus stops on the Grand Canal, each within a five minute walk. Easy!
The pictures don't reflect how LARGE this home is - there is a bedroom (king bed) directly off the living room - both the LR and this BR face the Grand Canal and have glorious windows from which you can sit for hours watching all of the different types of boats go by. It's so nice, in fact, that it was a difficult to decide if we should really go out site-seeing or should just stay home and watch boats. At night you can fall asleep to the sound of the small Canal waves hitting the building - truly lovely!
The kitchen is high-end with fantastic design details and is well positioned in the home to allow for an "open concept" to the living room.
The second bedroom, this one in the back of the home, also has a king bed and an ensuite bathroom with tub. It has a huge walk-in closet with plenty of storage/hangars. There is an additional bathroom (shower) in the main hallway. The two large bedrooms are on opposite sides of the house which was great for us, as the kids could have their own area, and once they went to sleep, we could enjoy the rest of the house/kitchen/Grand Canal without having to worry that we would wake them.
The linens and towels were REALLY clean and of very high quality. In fact, the entire house was immaculate.
Francesca herself is a wonderful host, explaining where and how to visit sites and even answering MANY of my texts throughout the stay. She even loaned us a stroller for our toddler which was invaluable for the day we visited St. Mark's.
I can not say enough good things about Francesca and her home - top-notch all the way around!
Grazie mille, Francesca!