Elle Decoration September 1995
City Apartments
Lucas Hollweg
When in Venice, do as the Venetians. In Italy's sinking city, staying in a hotel is about as effective as checked golfing trousers at keeping your tourist status under wraps. So for seekers of authentic experience, the best approach - short of applying for Italian citizenship and slipping on a fur coat and Gucci handbag every time you pop out for a loaf of bread - is to rent yourself an apartment.
Your own front door key comes with guaranteed history and freedom attached - both in far greater quantities than the average poky pensione. It allows you to play at Doge in your own slice of palazzo, retreat to a studio-pad through a jasmine-scented courtyard, or sun yourself on a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal...
