11/04/2025
“We spent a month in Tuscany with my parents and our then-toddlers (3 and 1). I’d been to Italy several times before, but this was my first true slow travel—markets in the morning, long lunches, unhurried afternoons. It felt like life at the right pace.”
Is there a personal memory or experience that ties you to this place?
“My daughter “wine tasting” with orange juice or painting the Tuscan hills, my one-year-old saying ciao to every waiter, and a sunset aperitivo —Dad passing Italian cookies while Mom and I admired the leather handbags we’d just picked up from local artisans. We all exhaled together. That was the moment.
Is there a hidden gem you always recommend?
“Idyllium Bar in Pienza. Tucked within the town walls, it frames the Val d’Orcia like a painting—perfect for a spritz at golden hour. Make a day of it with a nearby organic-farm cooking class.”
Favorite hotel or resort?
“Borgo Pignano is a Tuscan haven—750 acres and a working farm where 70% of what you eat is grown on site (best salad of my life). The panoramic views, sunset-facing pool, and charming maisonettes won me over.
For romance, Lupaia has storybook charm: arrive via a vineyard-lined gravel road to a 17th-century farmhouse estate (the dining room was once the stables—you can’t build that kind of soul). Spend the day in a cooking class, picnic in the olive grove, wine taste, or lounge by the pool and heated whirlpool bath. In summer, some suites have outdoor showers with hill views. Sunset Negroni highly recommended.”
