October 14, 2025

Italy

We took a trip to Italy with two couples we have traveled with countless times. It is always such a treat to spend time with them. This journey started in Milan, where we spent 3 days exploring art, shopping, and, of course, enjoying good food. The second leg was Puglia, a region none of us had ever been to, and lastly, Rome. The weather gods did not cooperate in Puglia, so we cut our trip short for an extra day in Rome, which is never a bad thing. Although Rome is unbearably tourist laden, it is Rome, and 36 hours is all we needed.

Granted, I couldn’t help myself from scrolling through and watching the insanity happening in the US. It is so painful to watch. Shockingly, an entire party could allow one person who behaves like a petulant 8-year-old to destroy our economy, destroy human lives, not embrace our allies, use his position for retaliation, and not give a shit about the people who put him in office. I am utterly upset and feel helpless as I am sure many of us do.

So instead, we went on the vacation that was planned. The highlights included meeting the crew every night about an hour before dinner for cocktails, which was a very civilized approach to vacation. I am going to stick to the highlights. Of course, 10 Corso Como, a store that continues to inspire me every time I walk in the door. Lunch is a big meh but the curated selection of clothing, accessories, editions, collaborations and art make it one of the elite concept shops in the world. It is too bad they have never been able to figure out how to bring the exact store to NYC. They tried at the South Street Seaport which was not the right location and the collections were random and sparse, alas.

Our best meal was the night of my birthday. Trattoria del Ciumbia is a local restaurant that has the same vibe that Fred’s did in its heyday at Barneys—beautiful, well-dressed locals enjoying delicious food and each other. I would go back again and again.

While we were on the trip, I read They All Came to Barneys, A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Store by Gene Pressman. It was the perfect place to read the book. There is plenty to be said about the book, but the history needed to be told, and although Pressman acknowledges growing up with a silver spoon, the book did inspire me as I believe that Barneys, 10 Corso Como, and Collette were and are the best of the best.