We had a wonderful stay at Michele's beautiful apartment for six weeks in Venice.
The apartment boasts of a perfect location in Santa Croce with easy access to the main train and bus stations. It is extremely convenient to take vaporettos to the Grand Canal, and other sestieres like Castello or Cannaregio, or visit nearby islands such as Guidecca, Murano, and Burano in the lagoon. We could walk in leisure to St Mark's Square, Rialto's, Ponte Accademia, Zettere in Dorsoduro, and other important historical landmarks. Only a few minutes of wandering, there are many restaurants, pizzerias, bars, pastries, convenient stores, as well as supermarkets.
The apartment is compact and stylish with a great layout. Michele and Giorgina tastefully decorated their first apartment with some well-chosen artwork, prints and photographs. Five large windows provide plenty of natural light, and a gorgeous, quintessential Venetian view of boats roaming on the canal, or under a quaint bridge, seagulls flying in the sky, mansions with a red-tiled roof, a garden green/lush in February and an ancient bell tower in the horizon. From day one, we felt we had moved into a warm and cozy home, among friendly and welcoming neighbors, who would smile and greet us in the hallway.
Michele and Giorgina provided all the amenities we needed for a comfortable long stay: A king-size bed and warm comforter/pillows, a large wardrobe with multiple sections/drawers, an easy-to-use washing machine, an overhead rain shower with good pressure plus lots of hot water, and a well-stocked kitchen with all the appliances and supplies needed to cook a real meal. At night, the apartment was quiet so we were able to sleep well.
Above all, we were spoiled by Michele's exceptional hospitality and thoughtfulness. A native of Venice, Michele has a wealth of knowledge about the Venetian history, art treasures and its unique way of life. He consistently communicated with us during our stay and promptly responded to all our questions or concerns.
He was understanding and flexible with our request to delay for two weeks due to COVID. He met us at the bus shop when we arrived, and showed us his apartment and the neighborhood. He prepared us a bottle of sparkling wine, jam, orange juice, bread, cookies, and as a special welcome gift some delicious Venetian smacks only available during the Carnival. He shared with us a list of his favorite local restaurants, wine bars, pizzerias, cafes, and pastries. Everything he recommended was right on! He helped us apply for Venice resident cards so we could purchase a monthly public transport pass. He arranged for a local lady to clean the apartment for us weekly at an affordable price.
Michele often emailed us great travel suggestions: a bike ride in Lido, seafood lunch at La Plancha in Guidecca, a walk followed by afternoon tea at Giardini della Biennial, cappuccino early in the morning at Zeterre, stop at Timon, a popular bar in Cannareggio for wine tasting and cicchetti, a visit to the Peggy Guggenheim museum, or an excursion to Treviso. Thanks to Michele, we were able to enhance our experience of the Venetian culture by interacting with local residents.
We cannot wait to return to this magnificent and magical city in the future. We will definitely rent Michele's apartment again and rely on his advice.