Venice is without a doubt a magnificent city of untold beauty with endless narrow streets and gondola filled canals. A spiders web of uneven streets, small stepped bridges and buildings lined with local Venetian shops with restaurants and cafes aplenty. The first thing you pleasantly notice is there's not only no cars, but no bikes, no scooters just people strolling at their own pace.
Despite the crowds, Venice really is one of those enticing cities you have to try and visit at least once in your life. If not for the romance of the city, but for the awe-inspiring culture and history. Venice is rich in beauty and northern Italian culture, including a food and wine scene to rival any city in the world. Venice is renowned for the stunning masks made of hand-painted gesso or papier-mâché and decorated with feathers and gems.
As an Australian, home to a country that's just over 200 years old, it's hard to fathom the sheer age of Venice and many of their buildings dating back over 1400 years.
One of the beauties of staying in a short term rental opposed to traditional accommodation like hotels, is exploring unique and alternative hidden gems. It could be a remote mountain cabin, a farm-stay or even a historical castle.
14th Century Airbnb
I rarely book with Airbnb, although I do search the platform for properties and then try and find that property on a direct booking site or their own private website. No such luck with this property, it was Airbnb or not at all and I really wanted to experience something a little different right on the Grand Canal of Venice.
Apartment Conte Bernardo is a 2 bedroom Gothic-style apartment operated by owner Nicolo. The apartment is situated just off San Polo square right on the Grand Canal with an easy 5-minute walk to the famous Rialto Bridge.
Nicolo was a great host, communicated well and was very flexible for our early arrival. Keys to the apartment were picked up from a central agent in the Piazzale Roma area where most buses and trains arrive into Venice. It's then a reported 20-minute walk through the narrow streets and bridges to the apartment. Unfortunately, that 20 minutes took us close to an hour as we struggled to navigate the directions given. I must admit, I was at first slightly disappointed the apartment wasn't overlooking the Grand Canal. It is in fact at the back of 14th Century building on the top level, almost classified as an attic apartment, but still very spacious.
We entered via a narrow laneway to a large solid creaking timber door that led us into a paved courtyard with a stone staircase over gothic arches with real charm and character. Realisation of the sheer amount of stairs quickly replaced the warm fuzzy feeling of charm and beauty. The steep staircase took us straight to the third floor where we entered another security door only to be confronted with more stairs to the next level. Lots of stairs to carry heavy luggage up, but totally expected in such an old historic building. Once we were settled in, it was fine.
The apartment itself was a combination of old and new that presented clean and tidy. Decorated with antique Venetian items and furniture that complimented the hardwood floors and exposed ceiling beams. The kitchen had modern appliances including a washing machine that was badly needed after our long travels. The beds, firm and comfortable, are a must after those long days walking the streets of Venice.
HISTORY
The history of Apartment Conte Bernardo is just as interesting as Venice itself. The building was once a grand gothic palace that housed Francesco Sforza the Duke of Milan and his wife, Bianca Visconti, during a grand state visit to Venice in May 1442.
An extremely pleasant stay with this property for 4 nights. I'd recommend the property for its comfort and location, perfect for a family of 4.
Exact Location: what3words https://w3w.co/stressed.status.pans
Unfortunately, if you do have any mobility issues with stairs or if you have excessive luggage to cart around, this will most likely rule out this property for you.
(I received no payment or free accommodation from this property. Despite always trying to BookDirect with owners, this property was booked via an online platform. I paid full price as advertised on the platform)
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