Laura is the perfect multilingual host - from welcoming us with gifts of maps, food and a bottle of Prosecco, to giving us help and advice regarding the neighborhood and the amenities to be found nearby, as well as sights to see and things to do around Venice not easily found in guidebooks. She has thought of everything from first aid and sewing kits to local information pamphlets in several languages. The apartment with our breakfasts and aperos on the balcony quickly became a comfortable and familiar home. The location is superb - a real neighborhood away from much of the hustle of the tourist and cruise crowds that pack many of the most well known sites, yet close to vaporetto stops and several excellent restaurants.