We find ourselves in unprecedented times. It has been disconcerting and saddening to see empty squares and shuttered streets around the world, and our hearts go out to all those affected, wherever they are.

For a while, we may all need to stay grounded. One day, piazzas will fill with selfie-takers again and bistros will brim with animated chatter.

While we wait, we reflect on what draws us to the places we love.

I have been a regular to Venice for some time now. When I initially visited for work it was almost on a weekly basis and I had my favourite haunts. One of these was a small bar known to us as ‘dai gondolieri’ as it was near a gondola hire point. It served delicious lunches, the fattest tramezzini (sandwiches) that I have ever seen, with a side of loud banter between the staff and the gondolieri.

In contrast, my other regular was the Monaco & Grand Canal hotel. A colleague had taught me that when you had an afternoon to spare, the best way to avoid the tourists and the heat was to go to an upmarket hotel and order a simple coffee which you could then enjoy at your leisure, in delectable surroundings and away from the crowds.

A visitor soon learns that wandering away from the Rialto and Piazza San Marco opens up a different Venice, one where its ethereal quality is the overwhelming sensation. I was drawn by the beauty and baffled by the city: it didn’t make sense, it should not have been there. It is a testament to human genius that, after finding shelter in a marshy lagoon – hardly a hospitable place – the first Venetians found ways to build a city on sand and silt, and from there spread their power and influence around the Mediterranean and wider. In some ways it felt like coming home: Venice left a lasting legacy on its former dominions in the Adriatic, where I grew up.  

Fast forward a few years, my visits got a lot less regular but much more cherished. I discovered a new way to experience the city: by staying in a historic palazzo. The first time I had the good fortune to do so, I opened the door to a piano nobile I was to share with a fellow traveller and just gawped. Light bouncing off the terrazzo floors, gilded furniture, Murano chandeliers and mirrors strategically placed, views over glimmering canals… I dropped my bags and danced around this long space (thank you Filippo for letting me stay!).

I am no stranger to hotels, but there is something very special about being able to stay in a home in this city like no other, and short of owning one, renting will allow you to experience your own private Venice. More than anywhere else I have been, it feels like a privilege to be allowed into this world, to be, even if for a short time, part of the fabric of this city and its history.

I hear that fish have returned to the now clear canals of Venice. And while I look forward to the day that I will be back, along with the tourists Venice needs for its survival, I hope that this time of enforced quiet has also given us space to think about how we look after this special, fragile and intensely beautiful place.

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• Jelena and the global residential team are available remotely for any questions about the market or to simply share stories about their beloved locations.