After my wife and I have visited and loved Venice a few times, we brought our parents to stay in Luca’s delightful and spacious three-bedroom apartment in Santa Croce in May 2015. It certainly is the best place we’ve stayed in Venice and perhaps anywhere in Italy, especially for the money (which for us was less than $100/couple per night — a superb price for Venice). The apartment itself was perfect for three couples with large living spaces and comfortable bedrooms. Light floods in from the canal-facing front. Luca provides little amenities that make a difference, like plug-in devices that control mosquitoes and allow you to sleep with the doors/windows open, hair dryer, rack to dry clothes, etc. Having stayed in every district in Venice over the years, this location in Santa Croce may be the most central — 10-minutes from the train station, just north of the Frari, and a longer-but-straight shot from the Rialto (and San Marco). Close to the Grand Canal and an underused vaporetto stop. We especially recommend the nearby Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio, which is lively, residential, and probably has more benches than any campo in Venice. The apartment sits above a grocery store, which is incredibly convenient and a huge money-saver. The apartment was Luca’s grandfather, whose portrait hangs in the living room. Luca’s office is just a half-block away; so he may be the most accessible AirBnB host I’ve ever had who did not live in the space (even if we did not need him). He was over-the-top helpful and gracious. It is a walk-up with lots of steps, which for us were worth it for the view, but could be a problem for some. Highly, highly recommend.