Category: Published Articles

Aix-en-Provence, France La Maison d’Aix This four-room hideaway is the kind you might wish for in every tourist-worthy town. Though it is in the heart of the historic center, it is small enough to feel as if you are at a chic friend’s home. Its rooms, impeccably designed by the owner, the architect Laura Juhen, …

In many ways Siena hasn’t changed much in 800 years. And that’s a good thing. The town’s gorgeous 13th-century main square, the Piazza del Campo, is still the city’s symbolic and physical heart. The twice-a-summer bareback horse race, Il Palio, is still the most anticipated event, and the contrade, or neighborhood associations, still inspire a …

I FOUND Pichilemu through a local’s tip. In planning an itinerary that would start in Santiago and end a couple of hours south in the wine country, I was looking for a low-key weekend spot near the two destinations where I could stop for a few days and recharge with my family. “Well, there is …

Basilicata has romantic beaches, preserved-in-time villages, luscious cuisine, unforgettable wine and the hottest boutique hotel on the boot. Go there before everyone else does. SEE THE FULL STORY

1 FRENI E FRIZIONI Romans take their aperitivo time deadly seriously, and this bar has all the ingredients for a perfect pre-dinner drink: a great setting alongside the Tiber in the heart of Trastevere, and an ample buffet of bar snacks that are included in the price of your drink, which, by the way, should be an Aperol Spritz—made …

1SANTO PADRE This completely unpretentious trattoria is the secret canteen for Rome’s A-list, from soccer stars to politicians. Antipasti are waiting before you even sit down—heaping plates of beautifully ripe sliced tomatoes, light creamy meatballs, chunks of the freshest mozzarella—and waiters lead you through the tireless litany of classic Roman pasta dishes like cacio e pepe, carbonara, and amatriciana, …

1CHIARASTELLA CATTANA The work of local fabric and interior designer Cattana marries modern colors and botanical motifs with materials woven on traditional looms in the Veneto. The results are the kind of delicate tablecloths and duvet and pillow covers that you might originally buy as gifts but end up keeping for yourself. Located near Palazzo Grassi, …

1VENISSA This destination restaurant on the little-known island of Mazzorbo in the Venetian lagoon has its own nineteenth-century walled vineyard, sustainable fruit and vegetable orchards, and a star female chef, Paola Budel, at the helm. The menu changes every three or four days, but highlights include the local delicacy, Alpago, a rare breed of lamb that …

1LA PINETA I wish there were more coastal restaurants like La Pineta. Tucked into a seafront shack on the Mediterranean, an ex-fisherman turned cult chef Luciano Zazzeri has transformed his small restaurant into a culinary pilgrimage destination with a selection of fish that brings new meaning to the term boat-to-table (he uses seafood caught from his …

1BUSATTI Forget Frette and Pratesi—Busatti is Tuscany’s own secret artisanal linens house, with gorgeous hand-loomed runners, tablecloths, and bedding collections that have been the work of a single family since 1842. Anghiari, where the shops and weavers are based, is also a revelation—a small and charming medieval town that feels peacefully out of the tourist storm …