Practise your Venetian-ness

“If you want an authentic Venetian experience,” advises Fiona Duncan at The Telegraph, “a rented apartment is the best way to live, shop, cook and relax like a Venetian.” She lists “the pleasures of having your own Venetian home, however briefly … the freedom to choose whether to eat in or out; taking drinks on your own balcony or altana (wooden rooftop terrace); setting off along the alleyways and across the bridges with your shopping bag on wheels to the Rialto market for fresh fish and vegetables; returning home on the vaporetto with the locals; turning down an unlikely alley and turning the key in your own front door.” Plus there’s the cost saving compared with a hotel -- between 20 and 40 per cent, and that’s before you split the cost with other renters.