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Ca' Riccio: Ca'Riccio - at home in Venezia :-) Ca' Riccio Review

Ca’Riccio is a lovely B&B or guesthouse, located in the upper (second) floor of an old Venetian house in eastern Can(n)aregio. It was restored in 2004 and offers everything you need for relaxing after the long walks in the city.
They have 8 rooms, mostly located in the northern wing (with windows to the south), and one (where I stayed, photo 1) in the southern wing, where the breakfast and relaxing part is. But this wing is separated from the common rooms, so I had my own area with bathroom and bedroom. Bed was heavenly hard/firm, which made me even more happy (I just hate these soft beds). It was very much quiet up there, and I could sleep with open window (no mosquitos at this time of 2007, or they didn’t get up that high).

What I really loved was the elevated area in the breakfast room (photo 2), nice and comfy sofas for relaxing and reading. They didn’t have books up there, but will have over the course of time (if Cristiano, the owners’ son, who literally eats books, won’t have a hand on them, lol). The breakfast room itself is very much comfy as well, small tables and nice furniture and it was very much relaxing to have breakfast here in the mornings.

Unique Qualities: Breakfast is included in the room rate, but, for those of you who expect huge breakfasts as in other countries – sorry, this is a typical Veneziano B&B, and breakfast is in Venezia style, with coffee (whatever style you want), orange juice and a cornetto (croissant type, filled with delicious marmelade) and yoghurt. Why else are Italians not that fat – they don’t stuff in all different kinds of things into their stomachs in the morning. I myself was well-fed with my breakfasts.

Room rates are according to their website. Note that there is low season and high season (the dates described on the site).

Whatever they describe on their website is true. They are very much guest oriented – ask for something and you get it. The whole family, Lidia, Paolo and Cristiano, know so much about their beloved city and will be happy to tell you tales and stories and of course give you recommendations of where to go (sights, restaurants, etc).

Location: it is quite easy to find: if you start from Fondamente Nuovo, walk east and then into the forth calle (a tiny one) from your right (between the 2 bridges are 5 calles). Continue straight ahead until you arrive at a small campo. Keep left and continue walking left until you see a canale in front of you. Careful, if you continue to walk straight, you will fall in the canale which would be he sign that you went too far. It is the fourth door on your left (before the canale), look for the sign Ca’Riccio at the door (small but easy to see).

Oh, and in case the ever present forum mobsters will come across the same photos I am adding here on Ca’Riccio’s website – bad luck, haha ! I am preparing a CD for them and give them permission to use my photos.

Address: Cannaregio, 5394/A (Rìo Terra dei Birri) - 30131 Venice

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Coordinates on GoogleEarth: 45°,26’,31,87’’N; 12°,19’,57,56’’E; description how to find it is above in the text.

Other Contact: eMail: info@cariccio.com

Phone: +39 041 5282334

Price: US$40-80

Theme: Inn

Website: http://www.cariccio.com/

Some general remarks about where to stay

I did read so often that it is better to stay outside of Venezia, in Mestre for example, just for the prices. I found that this is not true, well, that this would be too rigorous to say. By now, Venezia has so many charming small B&Bs, pensione and guesthouses, that it is not really necessary to stay outside. Plus – Venezia at night is even more magic than during the day – when Piazza San Marco and the buildings along are illuminated, when the day tourists are vanished from the scene and when the whole atmosphere gets very much relaxed.

Everything is, according to my experience, a question of time, location and timing. This means, if you book your room early enough, you will be able to stay in Venezia for around 50 Euro per night for single or 80 Euro for double occupancy even in the high season. In winter, the prices will be even less. Summer prices (mostly August) are very often lower than for the high season. Of course, the prices climb very much during the high seasons, which are around Carneval, Easter and Christmas, plus from around early May to September. Accommodation in San Marco is mostly higher than in the other sestiere. I found that northern Castello and Can(n)aregio have often lower prices than other sestiere.
If you are flexible in time and don’t have that utmost desire to watch Carneval in Venezia, then it will be even less expensive.

Unique Qualities: I have booked quite late and got so many turndowns from B&Bs and small hotels, after I started sending mails approx. 5 weeks prior to my travel (from May 2, 2007, on). But these were mostly for the weekends, many hotels could offer me a bed for the week days. When I already started to get desperate at the thought to maybe have to pay more than 150 Euro per night, I got a nice email from the owners of Ca’Riccio (see below), who offered me a double room for the first 3 nights and help in finding something for the following days. I was thrilled and very much pleased with what I got !

So my utmost suggestion is:
* book early,
* avoid the peak times (Carival, Easter, Christmas and New Year, September and October and during Biennale anyhow, which is every second [odd] year),
* stay in Can(n)aregio or northern Castello (these two sestiere also have the advantage of being quite close to Fondamenta Nuove for day trips to the lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, and it is mostly only 15 minutes walk to Piazza San Marco and even less to Ponte Rialto).

Address: Venezia :-)

Theme: Other

Appartment Margharita: Appartment Margharita – on my own in Venezia

Cristiano (of Ca’Riccio) already told me about the apartment, but when I finally entered it, I was absolutely amazed ! It is incredible how much can fit on maybe 25 m2 and make it look homey (and no way overfull)! The owner, Margharita, also thinks about everything to make her guests feel at home. The bathroom (with shower, toilet, sink and bidet) has enough towels and toilet paper for weeks. The kitchen closets have dishes to serve a lot of people and some essentials like the typical Italian coffeemaker and coffee, oil, vinegar, peperoncino (perfect for cooking), pastries, milk etc. Plus, it is gas cooking, which makes any kind of food taste better (something I am not used to, as in my country some idiots have decided that we only use electric stove)

The 4 windows do have old fashioned wooden window blinds with the little “woman” to snapp for keeping them open – something I could not get enough of – opening them in the morning and closing them in the evening. But again, I come from a country where some idiot has once decided that these window blinds will be mostly replaced by boring shutters.

Unique Qualities: I enjoyed my stay there, albeit it was a bit loud, but well, this is Italy. I don’t mean that the area was crammed with tourists; I hardly saw some there, but just below in the street is one of these newspaper stands, which open at 6 in the morning.
Bathroom is small but has everything you need, shower, toilet and bidet, which came in very much handy to cool my poor feet after the daily marathons.

I paid 110 Euro per night, cash. That is the rate for the appartment and it sleeps two.
It can be booked through Ca’Riccio.

Stupid me forgot to take more photos inside before I started to open my backpack and throw my things around. So I only include a photo of my most practised ritual – coffee making and some photos of the little calle. It is the yellowish house on the right with green window blinds. The appartment is on the first floor.

Address: Venezia, Canaregio, Calle Larga G. Gallina

Comparison: about average

Directions: From Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, walk west over the bridge and then it is the house on the first right corner.
Coordinates on Google Earth: 45°,26’,31,87’’N; 12°,19’,57,56’’E

Other Contact: eMail: info@cariccio.com

Phone: +39 041 5282334

Price: US$40-80

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.cariccio.com/index.html