I have much experience with Venice. Pierantonio's Magic View apartment is one of my favorites. The building is easy to find, a fairly straight walk from the San Stae dock, with two turns and two steps just before you reach the address. The entrance corridor will beckon you to pull out a camera. The interior stairway to the 2nd-floor entrance is easy to navigate. The walk to the building is about 3-4 minutes from the vaporetto dock. The Alilaguna boat conveniently stops at San Stae to-and-from the airport on the Arancia Route.

Space is a luxury in Venice, and it's easy to lose yourself in Magic View. Each room is furnished with comfortable and good-looking antique furniture. There are plenty of light-filled windows that offer fabulous cross-ventilation. We used the air conditioning briefly on one hot day, and we were shocked by its effectiveness. There are numerous lighting fixtures, plenty of electrical outlets, and the bathroom features an extra long tub with Jacuzzi jets, which comes in very handy after a long day of walking and touring. The bathroom also features a washing machine, which works well and comes with English directions. The stand-in shower is fabulous, with a rainfall showerhead above you, or the modern hand-held jet-spray that soothes your aching neck muscles.

The eat-in kitchen is a fully-equipped star. You can really cook a very good meal here and enjoy the process. There's even a dishwasher to do most of the clean-up work. Pierantonio provides some cherished food staples. The fresh bread, butter, and marmalade packages were the most treasured on our first two days. The fridge is large for Venice, and has a wonderful freezer. It's beautifully hidden behind cabinet doors.

Grocery shopping is easy here. There's a Coop supermarket in a nearby campo, and several small bodega shops just a few steps away, selling everything from fresh bread, pastries, water, wine, liquor, soda, cheese, salumi, and batteries. The neighborhood is laced with competing gelato choices. Pierantonio provides several carrelli (shopping carts) and shopping bags.

There are several famous restaurants just a short walk from the apartment building that include the following: the original Ae Oche pizza joint, Osteria La Zucca, Osteria Mocenigo, Il Refolo, and Al Prosecco. You don't have to walk far to eat really delicious food.

Pierantonio's photos are very accurate. But the photos don't offer the sounds of the gondoliere "Oiy." Watching the constant stream of boats go by at every hour of the day is front-seat entertainment few Venice apartments can offer, and there are almost no apartments that are this nice and/or affordable.

We had a 7-day vaporetto pass, so getting to-and-from was easy. You can save time by walking to various places, but you really need a good map.

Considering Pierantonio speaks very little English, communication with him went well. His wife speaks better English, and she speaks French, too. Staying in this apartment offers a very unique Venetian experience. I can't wait to do it again.