Traveling is quite the experience when you’re in a different country like Italy. This past weekend the three former amigos from Townhouse 57 (Dan, Henry, and I) decided to venture outside of Florence. Our itinerary included visiting Venice Friday-Saturday and Milan Saturday-Sunday. It was an interesting weekend to say the least.

Venice felt like this magical little city. And when I say the whole city is floating on water, I’m not kidding. Upon arriving to Venice, we decided to walk around, taking in the amazing sights of people relaxing on gondolas and the ancient buildings. Once settled into our tiny B&B room, we set out to grab dinner and pass through local shops. I’ll admit dinner and the shops were only alright, compared to what we have experienced in Florence so far. Disappointed that there was essentially zero nightlife and it was only 9 p.m., we went back to the hotel and planned to wake up early in the morning for a famous gondola ride. The gondola ride did not disappoint. To think we were doing something you really only see in the movies or online was unfathomable. For some strange reason, being in Venice reminded me a lot of Cape Cod, Mass. Everyone seemed content with life and happy to be living in such a picturesque place.

Milan was now in our sight as we boarded a train shortly after some Burger King in Venice. Yes you heard that right, Burger King! The fast food wasn’t anything special; so don’t go to Venice just to try it.

Being the second biggest city in Italy, I would compare Milan to New York City. Lots of shops, an abundance of graffiti and people moving a million miles per hour everywhere. I would like to shout out Dan’s father for getting us a gorgeous hotel room in the heart of the city. Mr. Montgomery, you’re the real MVP. Our dinner in Milan Saturday night was filled with Italian staples such as gnocchi and pizza. The hotel bar was our mainstay after dinner, somewhere we could conclude our Saturday while not getting into too much trouble. Sunday started off with a bang. What we thought was a free continental breakfast at the Sheraton turned out to be about $50 per person. Believe me, we were all shook. This minor setback didn’t stop us from shopping ‘til we dropped. I would say Dan made the best purchase of the day, a black jacket with a fur hood that makes him look like 50 Cent.

The train back to Florence after shopping felt like it took forever. All in all while it may not have sounded like the best weekend, being with a few of my best friends made it great. It was definitely a learning experience and hopefully Dan and I will be better prepared for London this weekend. Wish us luck, Fairfield.

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