Venice apartments

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A memorable experience for romantics

Helga Gross confides that she's sometimes able to obtain a "very special" suite in a palazzo near the Rialto Bridge for honeymooners and other romantics who appreciate fine art and antique furnishings.

The suite includes a bedroom with canopied bed, a sitting room with paintings and 18th Century frescoes, a private bathroom, and access to a kitchen--once a chapel--where a maid can prepare breakfast. The rate per night is comparable to the price of a double room at a five-star hotel. Minimum stay is three days, and nonsmokers are preferred. (Smoking is allowed only in the sitting room.)

Helga explains that the owner is a journalist who enjoys sharing her home's "special atmosphere" with discerning guests. The suite is in a palazzo that is surrounded almost completely by water, "like a ship," with nice views, a courtyard, and a glassed-in winter garden.

Web site:

@home/Mitwohnzentrale Venezia
Helga's site has contact information and office hours.

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