Mirko is a very kind, attentive and welcoming host who speaks excellent English. He took the time to explain the house carefully. The house is spacious, secure, and, unusually for Venice, has a courtyard garden. It is excellently situated in a quiet neighbourhood, 10 minutes' walk from the Academia bridge in one direction and the railway station in another. It is close to a good supermarket and the San Basilio vaporetto stop. It is away from the centre of Venice, which means that you feel that you have escaped the crowds when you come home.

The house is well-equipped and comfortably furnished. It has an unusual design: L-shaped on the ground floor, then the two upper floors are built around a central spiral staircase, with rooms branching off, without doors. The staircase would not be suitable for young children. The kitchen is small, but there is a large table in an adjoining room that can be used for food preparation.

We are a family of four with two teenage sons from London. Our sons stayed on the top floor, with a room each and their own bathroom. We visited for 2 weeks in July/August and thought that the house made an ideal base from which to explore the city.