We stayed with Alessandro for a night before leaving on a cruise the next afternoon. What a great experience. His place, even toting luggage, is only about 5-10 minutes from the Santa Lucia train station. He gave us perfect directions on how to find it, and greeted us with snacks and drinks.
The flat is just great, and the room was perfect for two of us. Alessandro had a map of Venice ready for us and gave us plenty of suggestions for restaurants, coffee and gelato. He even called and made us reservations for dinner. The neighborhood was lovely, and we found it easy to get to and from the major tourist sights without feeling lost.
Our breakfast Saturday morning was outstanding - fresh and homemade (including the cappucinos!), and SO MUCH FOOD! Alessandro again helped us out with finding the Piazzale Roma and the People Mover so we could get to the port and off on our cruise, and also gave us an extra set of keys so we could check out of our room but leave our luggage in the hall while we explored for the morning.
If we are ever back in Venice, we will definitely stay here again!