By Cathy H. Burroughs, International Travel Writer & Adventure Blogger, journeyPod.com
I have always had a voracious case of wanderlust, but with a “rags to better rags” self-employed budget, long-term worldwide travel seemed just out of reach. It was an epiphany to stumble upon the imminently viable GuesttoGuest (GTG) home exchange website (www.guesttoguest.com). With its flexible, no-cost guestpoint system and fast-growing global network of homes, GTG allowed us to begin exchanging immediately. One of the highlights of our ambitious three month exchange-dominant expedition to Spain, France and Italy was our two weeks at Ivan’s tiny but luxurious “nest” in the vesper-hectic, Renaissance art-infused Firenze, Italia – courtesy of GTG.
The Oltrarno
We arrived at Ivan’s adorable flat, midpoint through our trip, finding it smack dab in one of the coolest, bohemian artisanal neighborhoods in Florence: the Oltrarno (“beyond” and south of the River Arno). A top-tiered dress-designer Ivan buoyantly greeted us, leaning precariously from his 3rd floor window. With blessed a/c and luxuriant bedding in a hermetically quiet inner bed chamber, his pied-a-terre boasted plenty of original art and a reasonable walk from the train station. Though apart from the fray, this neighborhood is still in the historic center of this nearly perfectly-preserved capital of medieval trade, home to the iconic Duomo and Michelangelo’s David.
After crossing the Rialto Bridge, we veered off the beaten path to find the maze of streets that comprise the Oltrarno. Its characteristic ateliers of sculptors, bookbinders, hand-crafted mosaics, custom jewelers and high-end shoe designers as well as homeopathy shops and cunning bistros were all within a stone’s throw of our temporary flat.
Just one block from the Pitti Palace and a few steps from the hopping night life of Piazza Santo Spirito you could easily find primo trattorias, a fabulous raw vegan bar, and glimpse Michelangelo’s early controversial nude Crucifix in the square’s church. Nearby, too, were the Boboli Gardens and the abode of the famed romantic poet/couple Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.
Best Finds
Some of our favorites were the straight up seemingly-thousand-step ascent to Piazzale Michelangelo to a galvanizing sunset and a budget-ride by city bus to the sloped neighboring Fiesole for an equally impressive daytime panorama. The piece d’ resistance was our final evening on the balcony terrace of our neighborhood Santo Spirito’s Palazzo Guadagni Hotel where we witnessed the city lights against the darkening night’s spinning stars. There are many ways to plumb the depths, feasting on this enchanting city’s explosive spread of art and architecture. The erudite and delightful Arts Viva with the witty and brilliant expert Angelo (and other over-educated guides) (www.artviva.com) and an action-packed, huge-bang-for-your-buck daylong tour with My Tours are two means. We will never forget our full-throttle immeasurably beautiful Cinqueterre excursion (www.mytours.it). Both companies tempted us with many more alluring Tuscan itineraries. Neither should be missed.
Now back home we are ready for our next affordable and unpredictable thrill-a-minute global adventure. Armed with the resource of GuesttoGuest, we have cracked the code of financially-doable, extended overseas travel. What a gift!
Cathy H. Burroughs is an international travel writer and adventure blogger whose voyages have been covered by journeyPod (www.journeypod.com) and a slew of other publications. Her articles, commissioned by The Washington Post and People Magazine, can be found in Backstage, TheaterWeek, Dance Magazine, High Performance, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Magazine and others. In addition to journeyPod, her intrepid jaunts, sagas, road trips and worldwide excursions have been charted in The Aquarius Magazine, Atlanta INtown, 17th South, Points North, the GuesttoGuest site and others. Cathy wants to thank the GuesttoGuest team for their invaluable support. May this be the first in a series of many exhilarating global adventures!
