Friends are already asking about where we stayed in expensive Venice. Our criteria were simple -- a clean room, a private bath and most importantly, being located in the historic centre for those quiet evening strolls without the day-tripping tourist hordes. We ended up skipping conventional hotels and rented an apartment by a small canal, about 10 minutes walk north of San Marco Basilica. Sounds expensive? Trust me, it wasn't.
The apartment is actually part of a 16th Century palazzo facing Calle San Lorenzo, with its own mooring on the canal at the back. Out of eight or so units currently occupying different parts of the complex, this apartment happens to be the one overlooking the canal.
The apartments is currently not listed on any vacation rental site but is directly rented out by the owner himself, a Venetian native who no longer lives full time in town. Communication prior to arrival was thru email in simple English, and on the day of arrival our friendly landlord was already awaiting us with his big hug and all sorts of useful travel literature.
As the owner still stayed in the apartment from time to time, appliances such as air-conditioner and fridge were well maintained and the kitchen was stocked with essentials such as pots and pans, cooking oil and dish detergent. A coin laundry place (Effe Erre Laundry) was a short 3 minutes walk away, and a Punto Simply supermarket could be reached in 5 minutes. It doesn't get much more convenient than this -- one could easily rent this place for a few months and settle in as a local.
A pleasant surprise was the occasional serenading of gondoliers outside our bedroom window. The singing typically stopped after 22:00 or so to avoid keeping the neighbours awake, though sometimes the noise of motorized boats could be heard passing by our window in the early morning.
The apartment was situated in a residential neighbourhood in the sestiere of Castello, almost halfway between San Marco in the south and the Hospital in the north. Immediately to the east was Fondamente San Lorenzo and the leaning campanile of San Giorgio dei Greci. The supermarket was another minute's walk further to the east.
A 5 minutes walk to the north, in the direction of the Hospital, leads to the elegant facade of Scuola Grande di San Marco and the Renaissance statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni.
Further to the northwest was the pier of Fondamente Nove, departure point of ferries to the lagoon islands of Murano and the colourful and immensely popular Burano.
And to the south was the medieval heart of Venice: Piazza San Marco with its opulent Basilica, Palazzo Ducale and the famous Winged Lion of Saint Mark. A leisurely stroll along the seaside promenade was our nightly ritual.
Aside from San Marco we had one other daily pilgrimage to make. Hidden in a back alley next to the old prison walls of Palazzo Ducale was a little bakery catering mostly to local clientele rather than tourists, as the cheap prices of its Cornetti would attest. Long faded was the store sign which the owner never bothered to replace -- the whole neighbourhood has embraced this shop for decades anyway.
Torta di Mele. Torta di Uvetta. Cornetti alla Crema, or Marmellata if you wish. Everything was exquisitely handcrafted. The staff spoke no English, but neither did their customers as far as I saw every morning.
The most scrumptious Cornetto, some delectable Torta, perhaps a piece of crunchy Palmier or Zaletti. Some of life's simple pleasures for about 3 Euros in total.
Add another 100g of Prosciutto di Parma, some Mortadella con Pistacchio and a large tub of yogurt from the highlands of Alto Adige, and a breakfast for two fit for royalty would be assembled for less than 10 Euros. This, rather than any world-famous destination, is what we miss Italy the most.
If anyone is interested in renting this apartment, please leave a message below with your email address and I'll send you the owner's contact info.
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