This is a stylish, comfortable, contemporary home, bright and clean, a welcoming place to return to after a day’s activities, and located in the Campo dell’Arsenale with its two imposing towers providing a postcard backdrop. The photographs do not deceive. It was a perfect location for us to celebrate the New Year, a short stroll to the Riva degli Schiavoni bringing us to the best place in Venice to observe the fireworks over the lagoon. Coincidentally this was also the Arsenale vaporetto stop, a great convenience to navigating the city. The neighborhood is relatively quiet, has a “neighborhood” feel with small shops and restaurants and yet is only a 10 minute walk to the Piazza San Marco. There were five of us in our party and we cooked several times over almost a week. The kitchen was clean and fully equipped. Small well-stocked supermarkets provided meats, greens, cheeses and anything else we needed, all within walking distance. The water taxi that took us to the airport, picked us up steps from our front door, as conveniently as a taxi would from our home in Manhattan.
What made our stay particularly special was the hospitality shown to us by Olivier, the owner, whose extensive knowledge of Venice helped us at every turn. He suggested restaurants, groceries, things to see and do. And he did this in long, detailed emails that left nothing to chance. He advised us on how to get from the airport to his home and when, because of a missed connecting flight, we arrived late on a Sunday after restaurants had closed, he made sure that a box of spaghetti and a jar of tomato sauce greeted us in the apartment. He is the consummate host, thoughtful and attentive. We were truly his guests and he made us feel like friends.