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Ca' Bella -- Venice with a View
2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms and a
Terrace
Sleeps 4
Imagine yourself toasting the sunset across
the Venetian rooftops while church bells across
the city ring vespers. If you want to experience
timeless Venice, this apartment melds the ancient
with the contemporary in an inviting and pleasing way.
Recently remodeled by its designer-owner, Ca'
Bella offers
the vacationer a comfortable and serene retreat
among the bustling streets of the dreamy city of
Venice.
This palazzo from the 1500s has been in the
owner's family for generations. A professional
interior designer, she has just finished
renovating and decorating with casual elegance. In
this unique city that bustles with Venetian foot
traffic, the penthouse is an oasis of muted colors
and beautiful contemporary art.
Ca'Bella is located just steps
from Campo San Polo, one of the largest of the
piazzas in the city. In the large open air cafes
in the Campo, Venetians meet and greet one another.
The living room overlooks a
busy calle (street) that connects San Polo to the
Rialto bridge. Both bedrooms overlook a quiet
"campiello" behind the building. Shops
and restaurants abound in the San Polo district.
The Frari Church is a five minute walk, the Rialto
bridge and its large open market is ten minutes,
Piazza San Marco is about twenty minutes.
The apartment is 40 steps up from the front
door and, itself, spans two levels plus the
rooftop terrace. On the main
level are the living room, dining and kitchen
area, a double bedroom and bath. On the second level,
you will find another double bedroom, a bathroom and, in a
separate area, a single day bed. Another set of stairs takes you to the
rooftop terrace.
The living room is in cool white, warm
beiges with black accents and contains a large, comfortable sofa and two arm
chairs. Several lovely pieces of modern art
decorate the walls. One of the themes of this
apartment is the beauty of wood as seen in the ancient ceiling
beams and parquet floors. The living room and
dining area share about 200 square feet; an ancient
(non working) fireplace visually separates the two
spaces.
A
kitchenette occupies one wall of the dining area.
The kitchen is modest with a stovetop, dishwasher,
tea kettle and small
refrigerator but no oven or microwave. A 400
year old stone sink adds character. The dining room table is made of an
impressive slab of wood that retains the original
tapering shape of the tree trunk. It seats eight
with two chairs and benches for the rest.
The first bedroom has a queen-sized bed and an
armoire that is hand decorated in a pleasing and
intriguing way with the
pages of antique books used as pure art. The
adjoining bathroom has a sink
set on a slab of handsome wood and a
step-in shower.
Follow the intricate wrought iron
banister to the second floor of the apartment where you will find a
second double bedroom with queen sized bed.
Between the bedroom and bathroom is a wardrobe
area decorated in the same intriguing manner as the armoire
below. This bathroom delights with beautiful blue
mosaic tile work. It has a bathtub with handheld
shower tucked somewhat under the eves.
Thick wood steps float, apparently unsupported
(until you look more closely), from the second
floor to the rooftop terrace. Approximately 120 square feet, the terrace has covered
benches from which you can appreciate an almost
180 degree panorama of the roofs and spires of
Venice. You can spot a slice of the Grand
Canal from your aerie, too. The planters with climbing vines and
flowering plants are on a drip water system so do
not require your attention to maintain the rooftop
garden.
The adjoining loft-style
apartment has just been finished and is available
to rent together with Ca' Bella, extending the
accommodation to six sleeping spots. The
loft
We have inspected this apartment. Our
opinion:
-
The terrace is
wonderful. The seating is all on benches for
which there are cushions. There are no tables
or chairs that could blow off onto the heads
of the pedestrians below.
-
From the living
room, you can hear the
people walking on the calle below, but not
from the bedrooms.
-
The fusion of the
ancient building and the modern design is both
pleasing and quietly exciting.
-
The modern
downstairs shower lets a lot of water onto the
floor and if you aren't careful about where
you place your towel, it could get wet, too.
-
The
kitchen is minimal. The interior surface of
the old stone sink is smooth but slightly irregular so
it doesn't drain perfectly. A swipe of the
hand or cloth takes care of it.
-
Seating
for the dining room table is, currently, two
chairs and two benches.
Request
this apartments. Phone US 781.275.1055
| Location |
Campo
San Polo |
| Sleeps |
4 |
| Floor,
elevator |
4th
floor (American designation), no elevator,
40 steps to apartment, apartment is two
levels with an internal staircase. |
| Size |
1300
square feet (120 meters squared) approx |
| Terrace |
Magnificent
rooftop, altana terrace with views of
rooftops, cupolas and steeples, about 120sq
feet |
| Bedrooms |
2
bedrooms with queen sized beds
|
| Bathrooms |
2
full bathrooms, one with bathtub and one
with walk-in shower |
| Hair
dryer |
Yes |
| Crib |
No |
| Kitchen |
Kitchenette
with dishwasher, four burner gas stove top,
electric kettle, and small refrigerator.
Supports light meal preparation. |
| Entertainment |
Radio |
| Telephone
& Internet |
Loaner
cell phone is available |
| Security |
Main
building door is locked, the apartment door
also has a locked gate and all windows have
latched shutters. |
| Laundry |
Iron and ironing board,
no washer or dryer |
| Linens |
Linens
and towels are provided |
| Air conditioning |
Yes,
on
the top floor, but the apartment is well
ventilated. |
| Heat |
Central |
| Utility
costs |
€40
credit towards utilities should cover basic
usage without heat and air conditioning that
would be paid by the guests. |
| Cleaning |
Included,
1x/week, more frequent cleaning may be
arranged in advance for additional charge |
| Smoking |
No smoking |
| Suitability
for families |
Adults only,
please, over the age of 18. |
| Ample
and disabled travelers |
No elevator and
lots of steps, 40 to reach the apartment,
then three levels in the apartment. |
| Public
transportation |
Less than five
minutes walk to San Toma vaporetto stop, ten
minutes to Rialto bridge, ten minutes walk (unencumbered) to the railway
station. |
| Parking |
You can leave
your car in the large garage in Piazzale
Roma, about a 10 minute walk away. Or come
by train, about a 10 minute walk. Fly into
Venice's small, close and easy airport if
you can. |
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Venice Designer Apartment with Terrace
High beamed ceilings and parquet floors bring
warmth to the cool colors of the furniture.
Fascinating art includes
paintings, furniture and these elegant stairs.
Click on terrain map to enlarge |
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We had a wonderful time in Venice. The
weather was very cooperative, with only one day
of cloudy, cold weather (luckily it was our last
day - when we went to Murano). My husband is a
runner, and he was able to run every morning --
as long as he got up early to beat the crowded
walkways. I am a painter, and was able to get
many sketches and reference photos to use in my
work once we returned to Madison. I am
developing these ideas into drawing and
paintings in preparation for our art-show
season. I paint full-time, and we earn our
living by selling my work at outdoor art fairs.
I used to sell through galleries, but tired of
the commissions taken by galleries, and missed
actually meeting the people who liked my work
enough to purchase it. So we decided to
self-market through that venue. Vencie certainly
provided fertile ground from which I could grow
many ideas/images. Having such a nice "home
base" certainly helped my whole creative
process.
The accomodations could not have been nicer.
Isabella was the perfect hostess. She explained
everything in the apartment, and took us on a
little walking tour of the
"neighborhood" when we arrived. She
pointed out locations for an internet site,
grocery, restaurant, etc, and was very
informative and helpful. The apartment itself
was all that we could ask for. We cooked nearly
all of our evening meals there, and enjoyed it
very much.
I can't exactlyl say what we enjoyed the
most. The location was very convenient -- close
to a Vaporetto stop, easily walkable to the
Rialto, close to San Polo square, close to a
nice little grocery and internet site. And as I
said, the apartment itself was wonderful.
We saw no drawbacks and had no problems. If,
however, someone had difficulty with stairs,
they might find the climb to the apartment a
drawback. We did not. One Italian cultural habit
that became tiresome for us non-smokers was the
ubiquitous cigarette smoke from which we felt we
could escape only inside museums, on the
Vaporetto, or in the apartment. I don't know if
it bothers you when you are there, but it
certainly bothered us.
Regarding nearby attractions, we found two
great shops for fresh pasta. Our favorite was on
Vecchia San Giovanni on the walk to the Rialto.
Of course, we took advantage of the Rialto
market for our fresh fruit and vegetables. There
is also a very fine, unique, small glass shop
directly across from the apartment. We found the
most unique glass work in this shop of any we
experienced (including Murano). It is a small,
one-person shop.
You were very thorough in your information
sent to us prior to our leaving, so the only
tips we have for future guests is to read all of
your fine material prior to their leaving, and
follow your advice. Also, don't take the
Vaporetto everywhere -- walk instead. Even to
seemingly distant destinations. We wanted to
attend a concert at the church Santa Maria De
Salute. Instead of taking the Vaporetto, we
walked --- and discovered the most fascinating
row of art galleries along the way that we never
would have located down in that area of Venice.
We also found the only shop in Venice that still
repairs Gondolas. Again, we had read about it,
but never would have found it had we taken the
Vaporetto rather than the "back
roads".
We can't think of anything Excellent Europe
could do to improve its service. Aletha &
Phillip, Wisconsin, November 2006
Venice
was great. The apartment worked fine and
Isabelle was a great help. We thought the
location was very good. The apartment does
need better lighting. Also a toaster would come
in handy [a toaster has been added. pb]. I would also emphasize that it is on
the third floor and to pack acordingly. I
would recomend the apartment to anyone that asks
about it. Al S.,
Missouri, October 2006
Thank
you for such a perfect week. The apartment was
absolutely gorgeous and Venice was a fairytale
setting for our honeymoon.
Thank you Isabella for making us feel so welcome
and for all the advice and recommendations. We
will definitely be back! Sarah & Gary
G., Great Britain, July 2006
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Italy Rentals
