ampo Santo Stefano, one of the largest and sunniest squares in the city, once hosted dances, bullfights and the festivities of the Venice Carnival. Nowadays it is an animated atmospheric venue for either walks or meetings, with its cafes where one can stop and savour a journey back through time such as only Venice can give.
The location then is as central as one could wish: the Academy and Palazzo Grassi are virtually at your doorstep.
Piazza San Marco and the Rialto are only a little further away, both being reachable in five minutes.