Italy
3 Nov
I have come to this lovely country that runs along the back of Italy’s boot and down its heel, a coastal plain of russet earth planted with ancient olives that reaches west into a hilly hinterland of vineyards and fruit trees and on to the Mediterranean. It is a land shaped, in large part, by its geography. For millenia Puglia has been a gateway...
26 Oct
It is a region of Italy that reveals itself slowly but not grudgingly. Puglia and Basilicata are hardscrabble neighbors, sandwiched between two seas, anchored in sandstone and limestone, used and abused as a gateway to and from other lands. Perhaps it is because they have needed to keep a low profile, to concentrate on keeping body and soul together,...
3 Sep
Sandra Chace’s story is a layered and complex one, shaped by a stunning intelligence and a deep well of passion. She was a second sister to me for a few years in the 1960’s, living with my family in New York and attending my high school. It was a galvanizing time: the US was rocked by the deaths of MLK and RFK, by Vietnam and,...
21 Jul
In the twilight of the past, history cannot be distinguished from myth. The mists have opened and closed over this rock that rises like an emerald from the dark sea. Tantalizing. Ulysses, Augustus, Tiberius. Hardy islanders, and strangers with peculiar habits. Photo: Jeremy Lindblad Location: Capri, Italy
12 Jul
It is an amazing island because of its deep history stretching back millenia, because of its more recent history as a glamorous watering spot, because, in the face of a daily onslaught of day trippers, it maintains a dignity and a humor that is almost dismissive. I also believe there is something in the rock. There is a magic to the island’s...
7 Jul
Villa Nozzole, Greve in Chianti I have grown up with Italy’s Chianti and Capri in my blood. I have returned this summer with my family, my little tribe of two sons, a daughter-in-law and fiancee. When you rent houses, which is what we have done, they tend to be Saturday to Saturday and so we have had the luxury of two weeks soaking up the...
25 Nov
Sometimes it is the familiar, from a life lived or imagined, that seduces. I return to a corner of Italy to find a world lightly marked by today’s maelstrom of change. Stillness, quiet and a gentle pace reign, and I recognize a de Chirico in the shadow and light and, in the faded terracotta, the farmhouse of my childhood Piazza del Duomo, Parma
15 Nov
Piazza del Duomo An hour and a half by road from Milan is the small, elegant and refined city of Parma. In this foodie age it is probably better recognized for its parmigiano Reggiano, prosciuttos and salamis, all of which can and should be sampled with visits to the fattorias outside of town or the salumerias within. We certainly wanted to indulge,...
18 May
14 May
Under impossibly blue skies and with remarkably few tourists (for Venice), we wandered the city, walking from Rialto to San Marco on both sides of the Grand Canal. Staying at the new Aman on the Grand Canal – enviably positioned on the more local side of the main thoroughfare and away from the summer’s madding crowd – in five minutes...
13 May
Risotto Asparagi, Villa Feltrinelli There is no place like Italy. North, south, mountains or seaside, there is something about this country that warms my soul and satisfies me. I see in the cafe, on the train platform, along the cobbled village path, a deeply-rooted conservatism where family is key and caring for each other and ones history is...
12 May
Villa d’Este (below) has long been the Grande Dame of Lake Como. Located at the bottom of the lake in Cernobbio, it sits in a lovely semi-cove at the water’s edge and is backed by wonderful gardens and bits of fortifications on the mountainside behind. Grand it is and redolent of another era, although renovations (the hotel’s...
11 May
Markus Odermatt, owner and General Manager of Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli, says of his lovely 21-room retreat, “This jewel box is for lovers.” Let’s widen the definition of lovers, as I am sure Markus would do, and say that it is for lovers of beauty and serenity, enjoyed by a couple or, as with me, by me and my sister. Located...
10 May
A view from my window at dusk. Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli
10 May
Glorious place, this. Embraced by snowcapped mountains, the villages that line the shores and creep up the mountainsides feel removed from the world. We spent the day out on a Riva-like boat with Anna Maria and Riccardo, skimming the shoreline, ducking in to a grand house, strolling through an azalia-rich garden, lunching on lemon ravioli at the...
8 May
The overnight flight landed one hour early..when does that ever happen? Normally I would have been thrilled, but I am meeting my sister this morning in Malpensa’s terminal 1 and we so carefully coordinated our flights – hers from London and mine from New York – so as to arrive within five minutes of each other. Never mind..we meet and head...
9 Oct
In 1966, I spent a long weekend, more like a house party weekend, at a new hotel off the coast of Italy called Il Pellicano. I was the guest of my classmate and best friend, Vicky Chaplin, daughter of the famous Charlie. We arrived with Vicky’s many younger siblings, her mother, Oona, Charlie and piles and piles of luggage. I don’t...
5 Mar
Sardinia, and its neighboring island, Corsica, are extraordinarily beautiful. The water, the rock, the fragrant vegetation and the light make these wild islands favorites of many. Sardinia’s go to hotel has always been Hotel Pitrizza in Porto Cervo. But there is another, Petra Segreta (Secret Stones) set back a few minutes from the seaside...
21 Dec
Villa Nocetta, a new, exclusive-use property in the center of Rome, is a wonderful addition to the hotel scene in this city. How many times have I planned summer Roman stays for families and wavered over my choice of a hotel. Rome can be hot and uncomfortable in the summer, yet it is, in my view, one of the most fascinating cities in the world. We...
21 Jul
Mauro Stoppa, captain of Eolo, one of the few remaining bragozzo in Venice, is a charming character. Captain, guide and chef, Mauro will take you through the Venetian Lagoon on his traditional boat, stopping at lesser known islands, pausing for an hour of fishing and a delicious grilled fish lunch, even overnighting in the lagoon, an experience guaranteed...
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