Simply Wonderful
Submitted: September 8, 2008
Stayed: July 2008
Not a day goes by when I don’t think of our extended stay here this summer. It was all we’d hoped for and more.
Exactly as shown in the pictures (with the addition of a TV!), immaculately clean and with good linens and towels, Filippo has done a masterly job of designing and equipping the apartment for super-comfortable and easy living. All our questions and arrangements for our stay were handled promptly and with a helpful, easy charm. Airy and spacious, light floods the bedrooms and bathrooms in the morning while the bedrooms and main room enjoy the afternoon and evening sun. The large windows with low sills in the main room have great views of the canal and all its bustling activity. The neighbourhood is lively (but not crowded) by day yet very peaceful by night – for us it was the perfect combination. Lie in late and listen to Venice waking up or take a siesta as the bells gently chime and the sun on the canal flickers on the bedroom ceiling. Bliss!
We cooked and ate with ease and found the basics left for us – tea, coffee, sugar, soaps, shower gels, loo rolls etc. handy for settling in before we managed to get to the shops on arrival. Minutes to some great restaurants and even less to Billa supermarket (open 7 days a week) and to a friendly greengrocer, bakery and wine shop (take your empty plastic bottles to be filled with Prosecco and some lovely reds for very few euros).
Not an area of gondola traffic jams, this is a Venice of dialect and of families taking to their boats for a day at the beach, delivery boats (delivering everything!) and of water taxis delivering awe-struck visitors. And so much to do right on the doorstep – we strolled along the Zattere waterfront with its stunning vistas, benches, restaurants, joggers and gelateria and visited the very local churches of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli – (featured in the film ‘Don’t Look Now’), Angelo Raffaele (in the novel ‘Miss Garnet’s Angel’) and San Sebastiano, which has more important works by Veronese than anywhere else in the world. 5-10 minutes gentle walk and we were at Ca’ Rezzonico on the Grand Canal (Museum of 18th Century Art) and about 10 will bring you to the the Accademia Gallery/Bridge with its iconic views (or longer if you stop for a spritz or an ice cream en route!)
Our last day was indeed a sad one and, needless to say, we would return in a heartbeat!
Recommended for:
Age 55+,
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Romantic Getaway
Helpful votes: 16/16
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