We rented Fabiola's apartment in Venice for almost a month from late January to late February. The apartment was as we had expected and quite similar in arrangement to our own apartment in London so we soon felt at home. Like many other reviewers we found the apartment cosy and it has a very effective central heating system. A central feature of the apartment are the four lovely windows that overlook the garden of the French consulate. We enjoyed our stay there very much and felt completely at home after just a day or so.

The apartment is in a great location just a fews steps from the lovely Campo Santo Maria Formosa, which is just a short distance from both Piazza San Marco, the Rialto and the Rialto fish and fruit market. Every morning we would take our breakfast (standing only) at the Pasticerria Balarin, in Salizada San Giovanni Grisostomo, before shopping at the Rialto Market. This was our preference, but there are two Coop stores very close to the apartment for those who want to shop in a hurry.

Whilst the Rialto and St. Mark's Square are primary tourists spots, Campo Santa Maria Formosa is an excellent location for striking out to explore all six Sestieri. Every day we would head off to explore a different part of the city; Dr Johnson's might have been writing of Venice when he wrote that "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". Venice is like a second home to us, we keep returning to it and now we have somewhere to stay other than our favorite hotel.

For most of our stay in Fabiola's flat it was just the two of us (my husband and me) but toward the end of our soggiorno my daughter, her husband and our grandson joined us. The five of us lived comfortably together for the few days they were with us, not least because the flat boasts two bathrooms!

All in all, we spent an unforgettable period in Venice and our (Fabiola's) apartment was a big part of that. Put simply we felt at home in our temporary home in Venice and that is all that anyone can hope for when booking a flat for a longish stay.

Thanks to you Fabiola for making your apartment available; you Riccardo for meeting and settling us in; and you Victoria for preparing the flat for us and our family.