Carla's apartment is in the western part of the Dorsoduro district in Venice, which is a primarily residential and less touristy area. The nearby piazza, Santa Margherita, has no tour leaders with flags. Instead, we saw little girls playing skip-rope. The cafes and restaurants in the piazza cater as much or more to locals as to tourists. All this is a welcome change from the mass-tourism of places like St. Mark's Square.
Getting to the apartment from the train station was an easy 15-minute walk with overhead-sized wheeled luggage. (Pack light for Venice!) Carla's sister Francesca met us near the train station and brought us to the apartment.
Once you are there, it is a similarly short walk to the L'Academia bridge, your route to St Mark's Square and other main tourist sites.
The first floor apartment is compact but completely satisfactory with a modern bath and fully equipped kitchen. It was quite comfortable for a couple; might be a little crowded for three people. The rear windows open onto a very shallow courtyard, giving ventilation and privacy. You will want to close the street-side shutters in the evening for privacy and noise control.