Charming indeed!
Review Submitted: October 26, 2009
Date of Stay: October 2009
Our group of 5 women had a wonderful stay in Silvia's apartment. Everything was as described, clean, comfortable, and in good repair. The apartment was set up with five individual beds, as we had requested. The view is enchanting - a typical Venice neighborhood. Sylvia and David live in the apartment next door and are very helpful (David even helped us with our bags - the apartment is 3rd floor European/4th floor USA). Nearby Via Garibaldi supplied all our grocery and internet access needs, and we had fine suppers at several different restaurants there. We also cooked at the apartment, and sat around the table chatting late into the night.
We stayed for a week and bought the 7-day vaporetto pass, which was an excellent deal for us. We explored a great deal on foot, and used the waterbus to get to our target for the day - and come home when we were footsore. It was also a great way to make all the connections out to Murano, Burano, and Torcello.
If you are a fan of churches, mosaics, and the byzantine style, Torcello is a wonderful stop. They don't even advertise their relics: Saint Heliodorus is under the altar and two martyrs are on display in a chapel (all wrapped up, and the saint with a gold face mask), and much to our surpise, the head of St. Cecelia quietly reposes behind a well-polished brass door. The basilica is small and uncrowded, and you can spend some time and get much closer to the mosaics than you can in San Marco (which is fabulously overwhelming).
I recommend this apartment quite highly for a to stay in a quiet and less-touristed area of Venice. It was wonderful to come home away from the crowds, to see the neighbors walking their dogs, to watch the children going to school, and to be able to see the bells swinging in the church tower nearby. There is a coffee bar right around the corner for that morning cappuccino, and the area is surrounded by parks. The St. Elena neighborhood to the East is delightful for strolling as well. If I am fortunate enough to return to Venice, this is where I want to stay.
Special bonus: we did our laundry and hung it out on the pulley line above the street. We tried, as much as possible and as our faulty Italian would allow, to live like locals. It was wonderful.
Thank you, Silvia and David!
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No
