igadabout

...I decided to stay for only three days. Because of my short stay I was able to justify staying at the Grand Hotel Serbelloni. Now, living at this level of opulence is not my norm, but when in Rome as they say…

There’s a reason why Las Vegas decided to use Bellagio as inspiration for a casino, because it’s drop-dead, over-the-top, pinch me I must be dreamin’ gorgeous (just check out the picture)! It’s not large and it’s not cheap, but if you’re into beautiful alpine lake-side vistas (and who’s not really?) then this is your place. You may want to stay in the more affordable Menaggio located just a short ferry ride across the lake and day-trip to Bellagio. Regardless of how you do it, just get there!

...I didn’t have a place to stay and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. If it weren’t for the fact that I just “had to go to there,” I may have never of gotten off the train. Boy am I glad I did!

As my friends and I hopped off the train we were greeted by the nicest old local. He happened to have a spare room and we thought, “What the hell?” We followed him through the maze of streets and ultimately ended up in the “room.” First of all, it just happens to be one of Rick Steves’ favorite places to stay while in Florence (he had a couple of pictures of he and Rick hanging on the walls to prove it). Second, the “room” was basically a large apartment complete with kitchen, waiting room, sitting room, another sitting room and bedrooms. I don’t remember what it ended up costing, but I remember thinking to myself when the man told us the price, “This guy must be off his rocker! There’s no way it’s this cheap!” Sometimes NOT having a plan is the best plan of all!

The what to sees in Florence are well documented, so I won’t go into detail here. Be open to chance and embrace serendipity. If you’re the type to have everything planned out when you travel, try chucking those notes, you never know what you’ll stumble upon!

...I was studying overseas – just 40 minutes west-northwest of Venice.

Venice is one of those places that cannot be justified in words, or at least I lack the talent to do it justice. Do go there for peace and quiet, nor to not-be-a-tourist, because you are. But do go there to see one of the most amazing cities in the world before it sinks into the gulf that bears its name!