Hotel La Residenza

Description:

• Feel like a doge, spend like a pauper. This is an excellent slice of old Venice at a fraction of the usual Venice cost. It's just a block up from the priciest real estate of the Riva degli Schiavoni, but you'd never know it. A few of the rooms at this pensione-style small hotel in a 15th-century palazzo overlook the very Venetian campo out front where kids play soccer and old ladies sit in the sun. Other rooms open onto the surrounding quiet streets. Stuccoes from the 1750s, 17th-century paintings, and a baby grand piano decorate the absolutely fabulous lobby/breakfast room. Half of the rooms still have carpeting, and half feature polished wood floors. All have hand-painted, 18th-century Venetian-style furnishings under Murano chandeliers. There's no elevator (it's 25 steps up to the reception). The entire hotel is nonsmoking.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010