Lucrezia was in touch with me leading up to the trip. At check-in, we were greeted with an incredible flood and she allowed us to check-in early even while the cleaning lady was there since we were wet and tired. She gave us pointers on what to see and where to eat and provided us with a map. Later, her responses were very quick with any questions we had.
One thing that we were bothered by is that the A/C was not working. Lucrezia suggested we open the windows because the A/C does not work in any buildings this time of year (late October). It felt like the heater was on instead and the temperature kept rising so we finally had to turn it off altogether. The breeze was nice, however, the flood made the mosquitoes more savage and many of us were attacked multiple times.
It was great to have access to washing machine and dryer since our clothes were all drenched. We were in Venice for only one night and could not wait to hang dry our clothes. Marco's place provided us with detergent which was great because we had not planned on doing laundry so we did not have some with us or had time to purchase some.
Upon arrival, see if you're able to take the water taxi from Piazzale Roma to the train station stop. Ground transport are not allowed into the main center. It will only cost €7.50 (€20 for unlimited 24 hour) per person. We ended up having to hire a porter to take our big luggages over the big bridge and through the flood waters. They charged €5 per bag so we spent €40.
Marco's location is complete opposite of St. Mark's Square which is a decent walk on a normal day. But, we were extremely exhausted and had 2 seniors and a 6 year old with us and we only made it to the Rialto Bridge. You can easily get to the Square by Water Taxi which we only figured out once we were heading back from the bridge and could not walk anymore.
What I loved the most from this listing is the tiny personal touches. There were little packages with dish soap and a sponge in the kitchen. Small packages of flat cotton sponges, qtips, etc. There was a Nespresso machine and a bag of biscotti in the kitchen. It was all small gestures but it made me feel very welcomed.
This is a great listing but my biggest advice is to be prepared for the weather. A little rain can be catastrophic in Venice. This is a very normal occurrence here so you have to just accept it and not allow it to ruin your experience. We had a fantastic time in this beautiful city and next time I am back, hopefully Marco's place will be available.