Start with the location, on the Grand Canal. If you arrive by private water taxi, a member of the family will greet you from a balcony, and you’ll land on a little dock ten meters from your front door. Your first view up the Grand Canal toward the Rialto Bridge will tell you where you are — right in the heart of Venice. You are close enough to the Piazza San Marco to walk there in few minutes, but far enough away to find a little peace and quiet.
Then imagine a small, perfect flat in which every feature has been rendered with absolute attention to detail. The details are thoughtful, stylish, and the product of very great care, from the bespoke kitchenette to the lace ribbons tied around soft towels.
Jacopo and his family will show you around — they have been restoring this family palazzo for fifteen years, and the fact that this is a labor of love will shine through. Everything they do is perfect - the cooling and heating system, the elevator, the plumbing, the light switches, the floors (on bare feet in summer - heaven). If you are interested, they will teach you things about Venice you never knew, seen through the lense of this historic home. If the flat had a little balcony, it would be altogether perfect. But obviously, you cannot change the face — a face facing the Grand Canal no less, of a building with this architectural history.
We should add that Jacopo is the kindest host we’ve ever experienced. Anywhere.
Good restaurants are a biscuit toss away — and a decent grocery store is a two-minute walk.
We loved it. We would go back. We intend to go back.