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There are few places more quintessential New England summer chic than Newport, Rhode Island. And the perfect place to take it all in on a sunny day is the rolling lawn overlooking the harbor and the Jamestown bridge at the Relais & Chateaux property Castle Hill Inn.
Whether you are staying at the property or not, you can enjoy a lovely alfresco lunch at their informal bar and restaurant called The Lawn. Think warm summer breezes, fresh salty ocean air, frosty cold cocktails, and delectable favorites like lobster rolls, a variety of seafood and juicy burgers (topped with lobster if you want!).
You won't be at a loss for entertainment, some of the most stunning yachts and sail boats parade back and forth on their way in and out of the harbor. I would have gladly accepted a ride on this one:
For lunch we devoured native fish tacos with crispy tortillas, slaw and a side of corn on the cob:
As well as a marinated seafood salad with calamari, smoked mussels, baby shrimp and roasted peppers in a garlic-fennel vinaigrette:
After lunch you can take an afternoon nap on one of the large, white Adirondack chairs that dot the lawn. Really there is no reason to leave ...
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High up in the Florentine hills sits the stunning five star Belmond Villa San Michele, which was the host of a fabulous outdoor evening cocktail and shopping party to celebrate the launch of my pillows now being available for sale at renown Florence retailer LUISA VIA ROMA.
LUISA VIA ROMA could not have picked a more perfect location. Villa San Michele has been, and continues to be, the chosen hideaway for celebrities and high-profile clientele alike. And the setting, well that just speaks for itself! It is pretty tough to beat the verdant views out over Tuscany from the hotel's spectacular gardens.
Guests were treated to cocktails for this 'Fashion Happy Hour' as well as a specially curated selection of clothes, accessories and home decor items, amongst them, our Alexandra D. Foster pillows. There was also an interactive touch screen that allowed customers to shop directly on the LUISA VIA ROMA website.
The next time you are in Florence, make sure to visit the LUISA VIA ROMA shop right in the center of town, and do stop by the Villa San Michele for a stroll through the gardens, a drink or bite to eat, and some magnificent views over the city.
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On a tiny little side street just on the opposite side of the Arno River in the Oltrarno neighborhood of Florence lies Il Santo Bevitore. This is one of the most talked about restaurants in the city, mainly due to the fact that they serve near Michelin-star quality Italian dishes (this is no spaghetti and meatballs joint my friends!).
The service is gregarious and friendly and reservations are highly recommended. We sat down for dinner at 9:30pm on a Sunday night and this place was just getting going. Lively and spirited, but perfectly dark with ultra flattering candlelight dancing on every table, its a wonderful ambience in which to tuck into some superb and inventive Italian fare.
Two of us sampled six dishes (for the sake of the blog, naturally), but left feeling satiated, not stuffed. We tried the garganelli pasta with crushed tomatoes, zucchini and onions:
Followed by little tortellini parcels filled with pigeon and topped with fava beans and a bitter orange mustard:
We washed it down with a white Arneis from Piedmont, which was exceptionally food friendly:
Once past the "primi" we then moved onto some house specialities: crunchy octopus legs:
And a "Wow, how did they do that?" mushroom flan with a mousse-like consistency topped with sage, celery, speck and parmigiano:
The next two courses were a beef carpaccio with capers, bits of marinated yellow egg yolk, and pecorino cheese:
And two milky balls of beautiful burrata cheese on a bed of sauteed spinach:
The wine list is extensive and the waiters love retrieving bottles from the very top shelves!
We rounded out our meal with the beautiful simplicity of a few almond biscuits dunked in perfectly sweet vin santo dessert wine and then enjoyed the midnight stroll back over the Arno to our hotel.
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