Tag: I T A L Y
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Italy | Risking my life for damask
[damask |ˈdaməsk| noun | A figured woven fabric with a pattern visible on both sides, typically used for table linen and upholstery.] Not exactly the kind of thing you’d risk your life for, right?
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Italy | The Joy of Cooking
Passing by Ristorante Buca di Bacco in Positano one day, I noticed a raucous group of tourists with aprons on, and wine glasses in hand, in the kitchen. It looked like a party, but upon further inspection, I discovered that it was a cooking class. I signed up immediately. The next day I arrived at…
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Italy | Under the Ligurian Sun
The blog can’t seem to get out of Italy, because of all the questions that have come from viewers of “The Brian Boitano Project,” since it aired on HGTV. One of the queries was, “Where did you stay during the house renovation?” The answer is a charming town on the Italian Riviera, called Chiavari. (Pronounced…
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Italy | The Great Big Italian Feast
It was like a movie. On the side of a mountain, just off a treacherously curvy road, the residents of the town of Favale di Malvaro gathered for a Sunday afternoon feast. Brian’s contractor for the renovation of his family home in Favale was Enzo Pezzolo, and he invited us all to the town feast. …
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Eye on Design | Inspiration for a Thanksgiving Table
I was art directing the renovation of a house in the mountains of Liguria, Italy for HGTV. When we got to the point where I had to add the finishing touches, I knew that, being miles and miles (and miles) from anywhere to shop, I was going to have to be resourceful . . ….
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Eye on Design | Ladies of the Night
Even a simple table lamp can be dressed up – like this frilly little sophisticated black and white number in a Paris shop window, and the petite linen frock glowing in a store in Florence. So effortlessly chic!
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Style Moment | Lake Como
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.” Eleanora Duse (1858-1924) Italian actress
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COOL HOTELS | Como | Castadiva Resort
Castadiva is a magnificent stone villa on the shore of Lake Como. Need I say more? Okay, twist my arm, I’ll tell you more.
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FLEA MARKETS | Milan | Mercatone dell’Antiquariato
All year round, on the last Sunday of each month, the Mercatone dell’Antiquariato is held along the Navigli Canal in Milan. This is one of my favorite flea markets in Europe, and I have found some of my best treasures here. It was here that I first discovered these stunning mid-century West German porcelain vases….
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EYE ON DESIGN |CHAIRS|A Chair in the Family
Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi was a visionary when it came to chairs. Chiavari, Italy had been known for the production of heavy, elaborately carved furniture since the year 1200. In 1807, this young craftsman, Giuseppe, came up with a chair that was “so lightweight that even a child could lift it with a single finger.” There’s…
