In Rome I have only stayed at the Best Western near the Airport. Nice spot near the beach but far from all the touristy stuff. In Venice we stayed at the Hotel San Luca which is right in the heart of Venice near the Rialto Bridge and St Marks square. We had a room in a separate building from the main hotel that overlooked one of the smaller canals. We often had gondoliers singing to tourists as they passed below our window.
