October in Tuscany: Departure in 7 Days

Trattoria al Ponte, Santa Croce, Venice

Seven days doesn't give much planning time, but it is amazing what you can accomplish under pressure. Italy was our destination of choice, but with some background issues, we couldn't plan ahead. The stars finally aligned, Michel and I bought our tickets and left a week later. Venice is not an easy place to get a reasonably priced hotel booking, and with 7 days to go, I wasn't having any luck but then I remembered a website that specialized in renting apartments, and found one in Venice that was suitable. I sent an email, and luckily got an immediate response from Riccardo. The apartment I had inquired about wasn't available, but he had another; would I be interested? The location looked promising, and the pictures looked acceptable so I replied yes. I found Venetians to be very friendly and extremely helpful. Although usually Riccardo wanted all the funds in advance, time was short so he had no problem telling me they would get it from me on arrival. I had heard how difficult it was to find the location of any property in Venice due to their street numbering system, but Riccardo anticipated my need. Arrigo would meet us in front of the church at 1 pm. He sent me a Google Earth map picture to show the meeting place, and went the extra step to send me a picture of Arrigo.

When we arrived at the church in Venice, we were an hour early, so we "people watched", a fascinating activity in a city that doesn't allow cars. The ingenuity of the Venetian people is beyond belief. We watched construction materials rolling by, pushed and pulled by 4 workers, business people rushing past, and tourists struggling with suitcases. Arrigo found us promptly at 1 pm and he turned out to be a gem. At the apartment, he went into great detail about the neighborhood. He drew a map on the back of an envelope for us, telling us that we have to try this trattoria, and this bistro has a wonderful atmosphere. Not content to leave it at that, he told us about the local drinks;“Order a Campari Spritzer, that's what we drink in Venice”. He told us where we could get groceries, questioned us about what our interests were, and wrote down a list of places we should visit. Every one of Arrigo's recommendations were top notch, although I think it's impossible to have a bad meal or a bad bottle of wine anywhere in Venice. Arrigo made us feel very comfortable, and this was our experience with all the Venetians we interacted with.  The apartment we rented was well equipped and comfortable and amazingly has been housing people for 800 years! The original wooden crossbeams in the ceiling spurred my imagination of who had passed through here before me. That was just an added bonus!

I've found that in many cities overwhelmed with so many tourists and cruise ships, the locals don't give a tourist the time of day. The Venetian people made us feel that we were locals, giving top quality service, friendly smiles, and made this a trip to remember. Seven days to plan wasn't a problem when Venice is the destination with the help local Venetians.....shirley

Apartment rentals: www.homeaway.co.uk for apartments around the world