The Art of Not Knowing Where to Sleep

There are trips that you plan to the millimeter, with confirmed reservations, printed maps and a list of restaurants in each city.

And then there are the others.

On one of my vacations in Rome, staying with friends, I felt that impulse that is not discussed: I wanted to return to Venice. But not to stroll along the canals or stand in line at St. Mark's. I wanted to see the Art Biennale, get lost in strange pavilions, let myself be shaken by weird and provocative installations.

The detail: I had no hotel.

But I thought... I've been there before, I know a charming little hotel near Santa Lucia station. I'm sure I'll find a place.

(First mistake of the unsuspecting traveler: underestimating Venice in high season).

When I arrived, the hotel smiled at me: yes, there is a free room... but only for two nights. I accepted. I'll see about that later. Living from day to day seemed like an art form.

After 48 hours, the real challenge began: finding accommodation without a reservation in the middle of the Venetian summer. I ended up in a pension that could have been decorated by some conceptual artist obsessed with abandonment.

The room had no bathroom. The walls were so thin that you could hear everything: laughter, doors slamming, footsteps, voices of people at a party.

That night I found it hard to rest. The place did not give me confidence, and I felt that the door was more symbolic than safe.

But I trusted.

And the next morning I went out early, with the sun in my favor and a light backpack of fear, to look for something better. And I found it: a simple, quiet room, with a bathroom and no ghosts or echoes of others.

I returned to my axis.

I spent my days touring the Biennial as if everything had been perfectly orchestrated. I enjoyed works that spoke to me without words, I got lost among pavilions that seemed like worlds, and I felt that unique mix of adventure, courage and freedom that improvised trips have.

I returned to Rome without a plan, but with history.

Because sometimes, the best part of the trip is not that everything goes well...
It's not that you care so much if something goes wrong