Dream Vacation Destination

I just realized that it's June and I don't have a vacation planned yet!  I do have some work trips on the agenda but that's different.  I long for a week where I can really relax and recharge my batteries.  I saw grand hotel Villa Feltrinelli on Luxury Culture yesterday and felt relaxed just looking at the photos.  As their website states, Villa Feltrinelli has been painted by Winston Churchill, written about by D.H. Lawrence, and even visited by James Bond.  The hotel is located on Lake Garda in Italy and apparently there isn't much to do but swim, play tennis and explore the surrounding towns.  Sounds perfect to me! 

Italian Inspiration

I happened to be shopping at J.Crew over the weekend.  (What else is new right?)  While flipping through the new catalog I came across Part III of their Made in Italy series.  It was especially interesting because it dealt with their trip to Ratti and Canepa mills in Como, Italy and perfect timing since I had just posted about textile designer Sonia Delauney.  There used to be many mills in Italy but much production has moved to China so it's comforting to know that J.Crew is supporting these old Italian mills.  I especially loved their look into the archives at Canepa and the artisans painting the prints at Ratti.  I highly recommend watching the accompanying video.  I'm off to figure out how I can get myself invited on the next trip! Ciao!

Under the Tuscan Sun

Big flakes of snow are coming down in New York but it's not getting me down because I'm dreaming of Italy.  When I first saw Castello di Vicarello in Vogue, I couldn't wait to check out their website for more photos.  It's even more gorgeous than I thought but also made me disappointed that I didn't win the lottery this week.  I would have bought this place and never looked back.   Luckily, it's a hotel and spa so at least I can still book a room.  Bon Weekend!