European Sophisticates

Sophisticated doesn’t have to be formal or jewelry-laden, just has to be intriguing and transporting…could be in a city, the country or a drive through a magical region.

Italy Soon: Let’s Plan!

/ Mimi's Travel File / 8 Comments

As soon as it’s safe, let’s go to Italy.

I’m not talking Rome, Venice, Florence. I’m talking back roads, hilltop towns, ancient sites, and small, intriguing places without tour buses.

(photo by Zoom Team/Shutterstock.com)
La Foce (photo courtesy of La Foce)
Brolio Castle (photo courtesy of Brolio Castle)

I’m talking “slow travel,” the safe travel trend where you dig into one lovely region. You are based in a small, great hotel and fan out from there. Seeing the sites without the hordes.

Dream Now

Let’s dream up our trip to Italy now. Have the fun of planning it out, like taking a trip vicariously. Then, when Covid fades — and it will — we will be ready to hop on the next plane!

(photo courtesy of Shaiith/Shutterstock.com)

Where shall we go?

We’re in LUCK because I know someone who goes to Italy every year to scout out the best of the best.

Italy Expert with Great Taste

Meet Mary Ervolina! Mary knows more about upscale, authentic travel in Italy than anyone I know. She heads a travel advisory company called OnlyItaly Custom Italian Travel. Let’s use my interview with her to plan our trip.

Mimi’s Travel File: When you dream of your first post-Covid trip to Italy, where do you long to go?

Plan Now

Mary Ervolina: Chianti. I dream of its rolling hills, vineyards, fields of sunflowers and ancient hilltop towns. This article in TraveLife captures Chianti’s charm.

(photo by Maria Uspenskaya/Shutterstock.com)
Greve, Chianti (photo by Stefano Cellai/Shutterstock.com)
the 9th century village of Villa a Sesta (photo courtesy of Villa a Sesta website)

Travel without Fear, Post-Covid

Mimi’s Travel File: How will you see Chianti’s sights and still safeguard your health?

Mary Ervolina: I will stay at a wonderful, small, hotel with high standards for everything, including cleanliness. And I will rent a car or car w/guide and fan out from my hotel on day trips. No mass transportation. No big cities, teaming with people.

Great Hotel

Mimi’s Travel File: Which hotel would you choose?

Mary Ervolina: Borgo San Felice! It is an 8th century Tuscan village that was in ruins before the hotel company renovated the entire village in 1992. Now, the whole village is a five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel.

chapel at Borgo San Felice (photo courtesy of Borgo San Felice)

Mimi’s Travel File: What do you like best about Borgo San Felice?

Mary Ervolina: Location and luxury. Many of the upscale hotels in the Italian countryside are pretty isolated but this hotel has a couple of little towns nearby and a Michelin-starred restaurant only seven minutes away.

Mimi’s Travel File: And if I’d rather not drive to dinner after a long day of touring?

Mary Ervolina: No problem! Just walk down Borgo San Felice’s cobbled lanes to its two, excellent restaurants. Have an aperitif on the hotel’s patio or bring the bottle that you bought in a winery that day and they will serve it to you.

Cin-cin! (photo courtesy of Borgo San Felice)

Mary Ervolina: Be sure to get an olive oil massage in BSF’s spa located in the ancient village’s olive press. Not many hotels can boast this!

(photo courtesy of Borgo San Felice)

Mary Ervolina: BSF’s 40 rooms are spread out around the village, giving it the feel of a smaller hotel. There are even two villas that you can rent for a family group or bunch of friends.

(photo courtesy of Borgo San Felice)

Slow Travel’s the New Trend: Why?

Mimi’s Travel File: You mentioned “slow travel” earlier. What is it?

Mary Ervolina: It’s when you base yourself in one place and spend a chunk of time there, maybe a week, maybe more, and really get to know it, its people and their stories. You take the time to see the many less-visited-but-intriguing sights that most travelers don’t discover because they’re too busy moving from hotel to hotel.

Chianti’s Sights

Mimi’s Travel File: Is there enough to see in Chianti to justify a week’s stay? Given its location between Florence and Siena, I imagine it’s rich in history and art.

Mary Ervolina: Yes. The beauty of Chianti is that there are many wonderful things in a small geographical area, including history (it was first inhabited over 2,000 years ago), art and archaeology.

Mimi’s Travel File: While our readers can click here to view the main museums of Chianti, which do you recommend?

Mary Ervolina: Most clients visit Tuscany as part of a larger trip, and they are over-saturated with museums at this point, and want to just relax, eat and drink. The history of the Barolo winery, the Sculpture Park or the Museum of Vino in Greve are cool places, with a bit of a different twist, not the traditional art galleries.

Mimi’s Travel File: You mentioned getting to know the locals and their stories.

Mary Ervolina: Yes, I love the stories attached to these pockets of sophistication.

Mimi’s Travel File: For example?

Michelin-Starred Restaurant & Love Story

Mary Ervolina: For example, La Bottega del Trenta a tiny Michelin-star restaurant surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.

La Bottega del Trenta (photo courtesy of Michelin)

Theirs is a love story…It’s website tells it best: “Franco, wine and countryside lover, Elena, his Parisian wife, who fell in love with the Villa a Sesta and its food, decided together to open the restaurant in 1987.”

Elena and Franco (photo courtesy of La Bottega del Trenta)

Mimi’s Travel File: So romantic!

Mary Ervolina: When Elena and Franco married and opened the restaurant, neither knew how to cook…BUT the women of the village taught Elena how to make their very best recipes. What a gift!

La Bottega Francesco

(photo courtesy of Francesco Giorni/La Bottega del Trenta)

Bottega Dario

(photo courtesy of Dario Garofalo/La Bottega del Trenta)

Mary Ervolina: Ten years later, in 1997, Michelin awarded their restaurant a star. While Franco has since departed this earth, Elena continues to cook  like an angel. Michelin has awarded her a star every year for the past 20 years. VERY hard to do!

Mimi’s Travel File: That’s quite a story!

Birthplace of Chianti Wine

Mary Ervolina: Castel Brolio, where Chianti wine was first made, is nearby. Theirs is a story of love and jealousy!

“The ancestral estate of the aristocratic Ricasoli family dates from the 11th century and is the oldest winery in Italy. The castle had largely been abandoned when Bettino Ricasoli decided to move into it in the late 1800’s after becoming jealous at a winter ball in Florence when his young bride danced too closely to a young admirer. To remove her from temptation, he rebuilt the castle, replanted the vineyards and came up with the recipe that forms the basis of what is known today as Chianti Classico.” (from Castel Brolio’s website)

(photo courtesy of Castel Brolio)

You can explore Castel Brolio’s vineyards, beautiful garden, family chapel, and small museum. And its restaurant is excellent!

Osteria di Brolio (photo courtesy of Castel Brolio)

Osteria di Brolio’s chef shared his recipe for Tuscan ragu with us. Cook it tonight to get in the mood for our trip to Chianti!

Tagliatelle with the Tuscan ragù: Try preparing it yourself and then come compare it to the original! (photo courtesy of Osteria di Brolio)

A Garden with a Past

Mary Ervolina: There’s a lovely garden in Chianti called La Foce, near our hotel…

(photo courtesy of La Foce)

A centuries-old estate that had long ago fallen into disrepair, until 1924, when this woman and her husband bought it, revived it and created a stunning garden open to the public. She was also a best-selling author! Her name was Iris Origo, coincidentally.

Iris Origo (photo courtesy of La Foce)
(photo courtesy of La Foce)

Wine and Olive Oil

Mary Ervolina: I like to get to know the local small producers who make superlative products in charming, out-of-the-way locations. The tiny towns that dot the Chianti Classico countryside are full of them. For example:

  • Olive oil producer, Frantoio Montecucco di Caglieri Sara: While its website isn’t impressive, its olive oil is wonderful!
    (photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)
    (photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)

    Fattoria La Lama is perhaps the smallest vineyard I have ever visited. Nestled in the hills of the tiny hamlet of San Gusme, La Lama is a true “Mom and Pop” winery, tended by members of the Campani family for the past 50 years.

San Gusme (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
La Lama’s tasting room: Wish I could go now! (photo courtesy of Michele Bindi Fotografo)
dinner at La Lama: Looks like heaven to me! (photo courtesy of La Lama)

Ciao, Ciao 

Mary Ervolina: Between now and your actual trip to Chianti, have fun planning it, order great food from Italy (link to our previous post), and dream by watching the best movies set in Italy.

💋💋

(photo courtesy of Sensa a Sesta)

Italy Now, Safely

/ Mimi's Travel File / 7 Comments
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(photo courtesy of Yosika @ happy holiday.travel)

Picture yourself sitting outside in a balmy breeze…ever so slightly buzzed with a glass of wine from a small Italian vineyard, of which only the cognoscenti have heard.

jeep in vineyard

under-the-radar vineyard in Tuscany (photo courtesy of Poggio Rubino Winery)

Wine from the Gods

You have cleverly chosen a bottle from Poggio Rubino, a winery in Tuscany recommended by Mary Ervolina, my friend who goes to Italy every year to find the best food, wine and hotels. It’s her business! More about Mary in our next post.

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Montalcino, Italy (photo courtesy of Poggio Rubino)

Basking in the warmth of the sun, you are contemplating…Montalcino…ancient, hilltop town, with big green views of Tuscany. Can you see the vineyard that made your wine?

Music Transports You

Gently playing in the background is lilting, Italian music. You are transported to those heady post-WWII days made for dancing, when Italian consumption boomed and life was beautiful.

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Domenico Modugno sings, “Volare!” (photo courtesy of issimoissimo.com)

“After exiting the war in shambles and starting from that moment, Italy boomed…mothers decided that each kitchen needed a refrigerator, fathers lined up in front of the Fiat dealers…an age made for dancing, playing pinball, drinking Coca-Cola and listening to music in the jukebox. This is the soundtrack of the miracolo italiano (Italian miracle).” (from issimoissimo.com)

Tuscany Food Bliss

Montalcino’s hills are alive with vineyards, cheese makers and olive groves, owned by families who’ve been lovingly perfecting their products for generations.

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Tuscany’s hills (photo courtesy of Travel Across Italy)

Cheese from Heaven

A second glass of the Poggio Rubino? Certo! Who can resist? A little cheese would taste sooo good with this. How about some Pecorino from Fior di Montalcino?

I wonder how they make cheese, you muse. After watching this lovely, short video, you now know, and are inspired. “I want to go meet the goat from whence this glorious Pecorino was produced!” Surrounded by sunflowers, Fior di Montalcino is near “your” winery. No wonder they go so well together!

girasoli

Sunflowers surrounding our Pecorino cheese producer (photo courtesy of Fior di Montalcino)

Olive Oil with Clout

Homemade bread and olive oil would be perfect right now. The Frantoio Franci family has been producing olive oil in these hills for generations. And won over 500 awards!

rolling olive hills

olive groves in Tuscany (photo courtesy of Frantoio Franci)

Saffron and Pasta

By now, you’re contemplating your third glass of wine.

“Basta!” It’s time for pasta…with saffron, of course! Why saffron? Because it’s a product of Tuscany.  You’re going to have trofie with saffron and zucchini, a recipe from Pura Crocus, a saffron producer in nearby Val d’Orcia.

crocus

Crocuses with saffron (photo courtesy of Pura Crocus)

Buy the Best

And this is how we go to Italy now, safely: We buy the best wine, olive oil, cheese and saffron from the best small producers in Italy! We create a little bit of Italy in our homes now, after downloading that great playlist

small food shop in Tuscany

Because it’s a whole lot more fun to buy from a small producer in Italy than Whole Foods (photo courtesy of Discover Italy)

Click here to buy, buy, buy! And, remember, Mimi’s Travel File makes nothing on your orders…although, I would be happy to come over for dinner.

Italy Later, Safely

My next post will feature a great itinerary by Mary Ervolina for our in person trip to Italy!

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England’s Gravetye Manor has it All

/ Mimi's Travel File / 4 Comments
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This looks like countless country house hotels, at first blush. But it’s far, far better than them all. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

Gorgeous Gardens created by a Groundbreaking Designer

The gardens were designed by one of THE GREATS in garden design, Mr. William Robinson, who pioneered the English country garden look. Robinson’s home was Gravetye Manor for many years, during which time he transformed the 1,000-acre property. Today, Gravetye Manor employs eight full-time gardeners, lest you be wondering why your garden doesn’t look quite like this.

Long border view

(photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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Take a stroll through the gardens, cocktail in hand, as the sun is setting before dinner. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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(photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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Garden design revolutionary, Mr. William Robinson, on his 94th birthday surrounded by the 94 white peonies he received as a present. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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Gravetye Manor grows much of the fruits and vegetables it serves, as well as a profusion of flowers, which you will see on tables, windowsills, desks, everywhere around the house. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor) 

Beautiful Restaurant with a Well-Deserved Michelin Star

Gravetye Manor Hotel & Restaurant

That’s the Michelin-starred restaurant in the glass-fronted room looking onto the garden (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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(photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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When sitting inside the restaurant after dark, one can see the garden thanks to tasteful up-lighting. (my fab photo)

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Eating at Gravetye Manor’s restaurant is like eating inside of a Monet painting! (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

I usually find food photos intensely boring but had to make an exception here.

ALC Starter (Salad)

When I requested a starter with lots of vegetables, they whipped up this beauty with a perfect egg yolk in its center, despite its not being on the menu that night. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

ALC Dessert (Souffle)

Rhubarb souffle with ginger ice cream: Swoon! (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

Old, Pretty Manor House in Mint Condition

Built in 1598 Gravetye Manor has had many an owner but its most notable was Mr. William Robinson, who lived here from 1884-1935 AND pioneered the English country garden look. He grew up poor, became a gardener, worked on increasingly fine gardens, wrote about them, and gradually saved enough money to buy the 1,000 acres that make up Gravetye Manor today. Read about him here!

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The wood is polished to a sheen and nary a speck of dust is in sight. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

Hall

Reception: warm, welcoming, and flower-laden (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

Gravetye Manor has 17 big, handsome bedrooms with beautiful views. Holly and Chestnut are among the best.

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This was our room, called Chestnut. (photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

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This is the view from our window! Despite it being early Spring, the garden is still stunning. (photo courtesy of moi)

Flawless Service

Among THE best service I have ever experienced anywhere, including Asia, which is famous for its service. The managing director is a gentleman who is down-to-earth, has a sense of humor and believes it’s important for the staff’s personality to shine through because only that way does the customer receive genuinely warm service. Perfect! Considerate attention to details included:

  • When I merely glanced in the closet, the lovely woman who showed us to our room volunteered to bring more hangers.
  • When I asked for another soap, she brought two.
  • When we arrived back to Gravetye after a hike, they offered to clean our hiking boots, as if they were the finest of shoes.
  • Room service arrived when requested.
  • When we came back to the room after dinner,
    • the TV guide was open on our bed with the controls on top of it,
    • the tea kettle had been filled with water for the next morning,
    • a detailed map of the local area with the sites marked on them was open on the desk,
    • and a bookmark had been placed by each of our books.

Fun Facts

  • Gravetye Manor is 12 miles from England’s Gatwick Airport…though nary a plane will you hear when staying there.
  • While Gravetye Manor is 30 miles from central London, don’t think about taking a day-trip here, as you will be sad to leave after dinner.
  • We went to Gravetye because I had seen this article in Flower magazine about its glories. Check it out!
  • Things to Do: Many historic houses, famous gardens and fun activities abound nearby, including Winston Churchhill’s home, Chartwell, and Hever Castle, the girlhood home of Anne Boleyn, one of Henri VIII’s wives.
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My photo, of which I am VERY proud!

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(photo courtesy of Gravetye Manor)

When you go the Gravetye Manor, please try to get that Rhubarb Soufflé recipe from the chef and pass it on to me. So good!