Mario was a wonderful host! He met us at the vaporetto stop and walked us to the apartment, pointing out landmarks to help us find it on our own, as well as recommending some places to eat nearby. He does not speak a lot of English, but enough that you can communicate with him. He showed us the apartment and how everything worked when we got there. This apartment is not located in a touristy part of Venice, so you'll get to experience Venice as a Venetian. :) It was much fun to open our windows and watch the boats go by on the canal. That was the best part about this place! A word of caution though, being right on the water brings mosquitoes. Mario provides some kind of plug in that keeps the mosquitoes away from your bedroom at night, but I would still recommend bringing some bug spray!