Hi Susan<BR>We stayed at the Leon Bianco in early April. We found it charming, and the hosts extremely friendly. We were very comfortable.....had a room overlooking the Grand Canal. Breakfast was more than enough and served in the room. Only one thing.....if you do stay there, I would recommend a good set of earplugs.The walls were paper-thin and if a light sleeper, one might be disturbed by the hotel comings and goings as well as noise from the canal.<BR>Hope this helps. We were happy with the location and felt very safe walking at night. Close to Rialto Bridge and not too much of a walk to St Marks

Hi, i was wondering about the hotel you stayed at in venice, would you recommend the hotel for a honeymoon?

We were in Venice earlier this month and stayed at Hotel Basilea. We were advised (by a friendly front desk clerk at Albergo Weber,Capri) not to make reservations because you can just pop up at any hotels (non-peak season that is) and have a look at the rooms and then decide if you'd like to take one up. Basilea is just 2 bridges away from the train station, and the Ferruvia bus stop. The hotel is wonderfully antique and has a rustic feel to it. It's located on the quieter side of Venice with the occasional clangs of churchbells. The friendly staff speaks English, French and Italian. The breakfast room is pleasant. Although the room was a tad bit small, there rest was wonderful...We even got a 10% discount. <BR>

Enjoyed reading about your time in Venice- very informative. Would like to hear about Florence and Rome, also.

After many visits &amp; many weeks in Venice and buying a dozen different maps (I'm a map freak)......my favorite?
Venice the Rough Guide map.
ISBN # 1-84353-000-7

Not only is it easy to read...it's indestructible.

((I've also read about a map called the Illustrated Venice....but have not been able to locate a copy))