Before I give the nitty gritty about the apartment I want to give a little context that explains how wonderful our host is. On my 40th birthday we had some major travel delays and basically lost the entire day in route to the Venice. By the time I arrived I decided I was so cranky I decided I was going to walk over the 30 or so bridges to Fabio’s place with my luggage and by the time we arrived at his doorstep I was a wreck (protip follow his advice and take the water taxi). Fabio was waiting at the helm of the stairs and is the first person on my actual birthday to wish me a “happy birthday” and he even sang to me, in English. His entire personality is warm and welcoming and was the bright spot in a very long day and really set the tone for our entire stay.
PROS
Location- Once you find your way around this is only 5 minutes away from St. Mark’s square and the water taxi which can take you anywhere in Venice (google street view is helpful). Even though it is near the main drag you are off the beaten path in a quiet intimate spot. After the hustle and bustle of Rome it was nice to be situated on a quiet street in an apartment with privacy. A lot of places, including the train station charge to use the restroom and so several times I chose to walk back to the apartment because it was easier when I needed to go.
The Ceiling-I could stare at the white wash original beam ceiling in this apartment for days. In the kitchen there is some upgrades above the kitchenette and instead of a hard straight line there is an art deco like wave that meets the beams at such an interesting architectural point. The entire apartment, like its host Fabio, is warm and welcoming with its décor and style.
Modern-There are actually laws about remodeling homes in Venice and it is not like there a hardware store around the corner. I do not know what hero found a way to get a washing machine and dishwasher through the streets, bridges and stairs into this intimate little apartment. Small touches like having ice in the ice cube trays when your guests arrive on a hot day it really does make a difference. The wifi worked great for us, we used the washer, nespresso machine & fridge.
Local recommendations- In the past our AirBnB hosts have sent us a list of restaurants that are basically obvious google/yelp recommendations. Fabio did not just recommend a great gondola driver and resturaunt but he sent us to his friends. We did a gondola ride with Nicolo who practiced Italian and shared about both history and what it is like to be a local. We actually moved our train the next day so we could get in a second meal at the number one restaurant recommendation from Fabio.
Generous-I mentioned before that Fabio met us at the location. He also had a Nespresso machine, instant coffee and small cookies that he set up as a wonderful breakfast bar. Even though he is busy at work as a local artisan, he was patient and accommodating with our barrage of questions via WhatApp.
Safety- Fabio was great about asking for our vaccine records. Had hand sanitizer at the threshold. He reminded us to carry our vaccine cards and helped us figure out where to get COVID tests which are necessary to reenter the US. Everything was so super clean in the apartment, the towels, linens and space was just pristine.
Privacy- As aforementioned this spot is centrally located but a nestled a few streets away from the bustle of all the shops. I also liked that in the apartment there is a two door between the restroom, make sure to close both to block the noise made by the water heater. There was a good separation between the bathroom space, the bedroom space and the living space. We could have easily used the futon and stayed in this same spot with our kiddos and still had the privacy of the bedroom retreat (not sure if he allows families that would be a question to ask the host).
CONS
Shower—I am reluctant to list this as a con because in Venice apartments this is exactly what showers are like. But I think its notable that the shower is not an American shower, it was great for us but it is not what you think of when you think of shower. The water pressure is moderate but had great hot water. There is the one detachable hand sprayer that doubles as the central showerhead.
Stairs—Our life has been pretty sedentary during COVID and its only on the third floor but there is a ton of stairs to get you there. While our stay in Venice we walked on average 6 miles a day (and a lot of stairs). This is not something the host can control because it is Venice. Because the city is prone to flooding which happened only a few days before we arrived in August of 2021, most of the nice apartments are not going to be on the ground floor, trust me it is worth walking up the extra little flights but just be prepared for walking.
Water- Like most of my complaints, this is a petty request of something that could make a great place just the tiniest bit better. There is not a lot of public water fountains in Venice and most bars/resturaunts charge for water. It would make it so wonderful if there was a pitcher that guests could use and refill with tap water to place in the fridge. We just bought water bottles and kept refilling them but this small thing on the super hot days of summer would have been lovely.