Authentic Venezia! Antonella was able to meet us at the Madonna Del Orto boat stop (Orange line from the airport) which was a lovely touch. She is a genuine Venetian (molto gentile!) who apologised for her English to me; who can speak about ten words of Italian!
The apartment is excellent. Spotlessly clean, modern kitchen, huge and comfortable bed and lots of storage - Italians have a lot of clothes! Aircon, cool marble floors and lots of light. The totally best bit is the view from the bedroom balcony. Oh yes; an actual canal with restaurants and bars and bridges. I kept going out there just to watch the world go by. You are in Cannaregio which is out of the main tourist madness and so perfect. And cheaper to eat! Piazza San Marco is right over the other side of the city and takes only 20 mins to walk, then after the craziness it's lovely to come home to the northern soul of Venezia.