On a recent visit to South Florida, my parents and I visited the fairy tale villa perched on the edge of Biscayne Bay known as Vizcaya. Built in 1916 by International Harvester heir James Deering, using money he inherited from his family's tractor business, Vizcaya represents a decadent mash-up of Italian, French, and Jamaican influences.

To be honest, I was skeptical about seeing an American imitation of a European estate. Somehow, I thought this place would be the 1900 version of Disney’s Epcot. Maybe if Jane Austen had actually slept here,