Photo by Meredith Franco

We’d like to take a moment and give a huge Life-is-Beautiful-esque shout-out to the Hotel Centrale in Bellagio, Italy.

Our hotel crush is pretty darn major for this joint, which sits just above the main maritime Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini—where you can board boats for other lake district hot spots—and offers its guests quiet, clean rooms with free Wi-fi and breakfast. The hotel dates back to 1922, when Giacomo’s family first opened its doors. Today, it’s been through a rigorous renovation rendering it airy and modern.

Hotel Centrale’s propreitor, Giacomo Borelli, shares much in common with Roberto Benigni. At one point during our stay he remarked that we should stay at his hotel for years to come and make “lotsa Italian babies”. He continued, “This is the best answer.” The offer was–and is still–very tempting.

Now, if only our bambini could turn out just like Giacomo’s son, who is the spitting image of a young Al Pacino and the morning barista.

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