Venice - Italy - page 277

If you're planning to be in Venice for a full week, you might want to consider
either of two self-catering apartments owned by Jonathan Hollow and Alasdair
Wight, who let their properties out privately (so you won't be paying an agency
markup). They only do Saturday-to-Saturday rentals, but offer an excellent deal if
you're traveling as a family or in a group. Both Casa Tre Archi

55

and Casa

5

Battello (www.visitvenice.co.uk) are in Cannaregio, close to the fresh produce

markets of Rio Terà San Leonardo, and also a nearby supermarket. Battello is the
smaller of the two; although it doesn't have a major canal view, it's more afford-
able. The week costs 800 in the low season (Jan 7-Feb 18 and Nov 4-Dec 23)

and € 1,019 during peak periods (Feb 18-Mar 4, Apr 1-Sept 30, and Dec
23-30). Built in the early 19th century, the house occupies two floors off a nar-
row side street (sottoportego); it has one bedroom and two living rooms, each with
a double sofa bed (meaning that you can squeeze five people in here at a stretch).
Situated on the top floor of a 17th-century merchant's building, the larger and
wonderfully renovated Tre Archi has a charming view of Cannaregio Canal; it's
a little more expensive ($1,215 in low season; $1,580 in peak periods), but still a
good value. The apartment has two air-conditioned bedrooms (one double, one
twin), and a living room with sofa bed; the kitchen is well equipped. There's
plenty of wardrobe space, and I also like that you can hang your washing across
the courtyard the way most Venetian households do. Unlike Battello, Tre Archi
has a dishwasher and telephone. The owners have made an effort to provide guests
with information and tips that will improve their stay in Venice, and there are
always a handful of useful recipe books to help spice things up in the kitchen.
It may sound logical to want to stay near the tourist epicenter around St. Mark's
Square, but I prefer to escape the constant bustle and soaring inflation of this
densely crowded area. When it comes to lodging, my favorite areas in Venice are
Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, and Castello's Riva degli Schiavoni, the broad lagoon-
side promenade that runs from the Palazzo Ducale to the Arsenale and beyond.
Of course, the latter is wall-to-wall with high-end luxury accommodations, such
as the prestigious Danieli, long considered one of the finest hotels in Europe.

€

Accommodations Index
€ Rooms € 50 or less a night
Alloggi Gerotto Calderan
(Cannaregio, p. 285)
Domus Civica (San Polo & Santa
Croce, p. 291)
Foresteria Valdese (Castello,
p. 288)
Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato

Ostella Santa Fosca (Cannaregio,
p. 285)
Ostello di Venezia (Giudecca,
p. 292)
Room in Venice (San Marco,
p. 281)

555

(Cannaregio, p. 283)