Colossal Colliseum (courtesy Ted and Kristine Bell)

I have a recommendation today that I am pretty certain I won't be making anywhere else. And it is this. When in Rome, choose to stay near the train station. That's right, get a hotel near the train station. I know what you're thinking. Every train station in the world is the biggest rat hole in the city, and the first thing everyone does when they arrive is get as far away as possible. Yet with Rome, it just does not make sense. This and many other things make this city more interesting (and in fact, more obligatory) than almost any other place on the planet. In fact, this is probably the only city where you will completely ignore the grand churches (well except for one particularly well known one) in favour of the many other significant things there are to see and do.

Living next to the station is perfect. Here, you are at the intersection of the two metro lines and all the rail lines. The station is so huge that it has its own grocery store, from which you can source all of your requirements. A drugstore handles anything that might be missed. There is a large selection of food outlets with decent, cheap ready made eats, and there are internet cafes and laundromats all at your fingertips. Those venturing further for their accommodation are paying over 200 Euro a night, and still have to get a cab to go where they want to go! Trust me, the station is where it's at, and once you get over 50 metres or so away; after all the drunks, beggars, and touts, you'll swear by it every time.
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A sunset view of the Ponte Vecchio bridge from Piazza De Michelangelo in Florence, Italy.  We stayed at a campground overlooking the city just a block away from where this picture was taken.  By this point in our travels, we had been on the road for nearly 6 weeks and enjoyed the respite of the "fancy" campground!

Historical Note: The Ponte Vecchio, Italian for Old Bridge, was originally built in wood; but its current stone structure was completed in 1345. Built over the Arno River in Florence, Italy, this beautiful bridge is occupied by merchants selling wares. Described as a closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge, it is the oldest of its kind in Europe. During the Second World War, Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence not to be destroyed.

Although tempted to write another article about food because it is so delicious in Italy, I was inspired by a movie a recently watched. In the movie, two women decide to get away from their relationship issues by exchanging homes over Christmas holidays. I thought it would be interesting to look further in depth into this low cost travel accommodation arrangement. House swapping is a private arrangement where two “homeowners” live at each other’s houses for a set period of time to save on lodging fees while on vacation.

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