Maddalena was a wonderful host. Though she couldn't meet us in person for checkin, she sent a smartlock code ahead of time which made it very easy for us to get in when we arrived. She was also available and very quick to respond if I had any questions. She was so kind to leave us a bottle of sparkling wine since we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. Her map she has available in the pictures was helpful as well for when we arrived, and we were really grateful the apartment was only a ten minute walk from the train station. If you have heavy luggage like we did, you can pay a porter to help carry your bags from the train station which was very nice. He also gave us his card so we could call to have him come pick up our luggage when we checked out. The apartment is on the first floor which is a bonus when you have been doing a lot of walking.
We LOVED this neighborhood! The first day we were there we ate at some local restaurants right next door to the apartment, and I kept wondering where all the tourists were that I had heard about (I saw them all the next day when we walked farther out the the basilica area) and I think we had an amazing experience here because of the area the apartment is in. At night, there was a local festival going on celebrating their patron saint (at least that's what we were told) and there was a different band playing every night in the square right down the street with some delicious local food and wine and beer stands. They had tables set up to sit and relax and it was such an amazing time as it seemed everyone there actually lived in the neighborhood. We had been to several other large cities in Italy and it was nice not to hear any fellow Americans where we were at in Venice. There is no way we would have known about these festivities or had the same experience had we stayed in a hotel, so I would highly recommend her apartment for this reason. The grand canal is still a close walk, and all the sightseeing is still only 15 minutes away walking. The view from the balcony and the gondola right outside seemed so unreal. The apartment was nice and spacious and clean, the neighborhood was quiet, and she had Netflix which was fun when we were hanging out in the apartment in the evening or mornings. I would highly recommend staying here, I don't think you would get the same authentic experience in Venice staying somewhere else. Everyone I talk to always talks about all the tourists in Venice, however we did not have that experience and I think it is due to where we stayed. We wouldn't change anything, and we would definitely love to come back and stay here again!