Just returned from our Italy trip.
I did not find any casinos in the cities I visited. But there are
evidently five (St Vincent, Compione, San Remo, and 2 in Venice)
according to a search I made using Yahoo. There is also a casino, I
was told, in the Republic of San Marino. This is a small independent
country within Italy near the Adriatic Sea. The nearest big cities
are Bologna and Ravenna, and is very close to Rimini. Hopefully, on
my next trip, I'll visit these towns.
In Florence, where we spent 4 weeks, there is gambling on a small
scale. First, there is a state run lottery. In
a lottery office are chalk boards with sets of numbers that change
daily, so there are a number of game choices. I did not play
however due to the language barrier. In addition, a number of "bars"
have 2-3 slot machines. These are not spinning wheel slots,
but "electronic" types similar to the newer machines found in LV.
I asked a man who spoke pretty good English if there were any
casinos in Florence. He seemed taken aback by my question, but said
there probably were across the Arno ... as long as they paid their
taxes. Later I discovered the word casino (accent on the "s", like
we say it) means a brothel or bordello! The word casino (accent on
the "o") means a gambling hall.
We saw a performer I think would be a big hit in LV. His name is
Stephano Busa ... a very good pianist/singer. I think he would fit
in certain upscale lounges, such as in Bellagio or the Venician. His
website is www.stefanobusa.com. He has won the best "piano-bar
artist" in Italy two times.
Impression: The Milan mass transit system is awsome!!!! It must be
experienced to be believed. As a result there really isn't much auto
traffic in downtown Milan. No matter how you arrive or leave Milan,
or move around the city ... the entire system links seamlessly.