Badia di Pomaio

Last summer's Italian vacation was planned mainly to see Pompeii (which I started reading about and had been dreaming of seeing since 3rd grade) and to take the kids to see Rome... so Rome and south were the agenda.

Then I heard about the Prada outlet.

It's located in Montevarchi, in Tuscany, so I orchestrated a little side trip a bit north.  Arezzo looked to be a good base in the area and I found many hotel options, settling on Badia di Pomaio.  I am so glad we made this excursion out of Rome.  What we saw of Tuscany was amazing, and Badia di Pomaio is an absolute gem.  This former abbey (1645) is located up a hill off of a very (possibly slightly scary to some) windy road.  The views of the landscape and the grounds were gorgeous, our rooms (Rosa and Narcisco) were lovely, and the staff was absolutely delightful and truly made our stay an amazing experience.  We had supper outside in the courtyard twice and it was wonderful.  Our children really enjoyed the pool.  It was not a bad drive to the Prada outlet, either (up next).

Here are some pics:

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Wrapping up Italy {Castellammare di Stabia}

I've been thinking about travel lately, with our recents trips to Vancouver and Whistler, and especially with planning NYC and DC this summer - and realized I never did wrap up with pics from our Italian vacation last summer. Here are some pictures from our stay in Castellammare di Stabia. (I'll also share some pictures from Arezzo - and Prada outlet shopping still gets its own post - those are next.)

We stayed at La Medusa Grand Hotel in Castellammare di Stabia because of its proximity to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. It truly was like a little oasis in the area - beautifully decorated inside, with lush gardens and a nice pool. Their website shows great photos of their gorgeous garden/park. The staff was also absolutely lovely, kind, and helpful - and wonderful with our children. We had two rooms that adjoined from a small private foyer and stayed here for four nights while we explored the coast, Positano and Amalfi, and Pompeii, Paestum and Oplontis. I booked through booking.com and found it very easy to use the online reservations process to find accommodations for five. The pricing was exactly as quoted, and booking.com did not require a deposit - we paid at the hotel as usual.

our view of Mt. Vesuvius

breakfast

really fresh orange juice

heading to the pool

hallway on our floor

staircase to lobby

dining al fresco at the hotel

On our first night we arrived rather late and the kitchen at the hotel was closed, so we drove up the street and found a place down a narrow drive behind the "Sava Gas" sign. The food was fantastic.

They gave us an English menu but I don't think I heard anything but Italian from other customers. Definitely didn't feel like a tourist spot.

Here's a little video I shot of one of our drives in the area. Sorry, I don't know exactly where we were (that happened a lot). We didn't get physically stuck like we did here, but our tomtom gps sure did guide us through some narrow streets while we were south:

xoxo

Whistler Ski Weekend {in iPhone snaps}

view from our deck

Whistler, BC has been getting quite a bit of snow lately and we had a wonderful short ski getaway in this charming village last weekend. It was the first time on skis for both my six-year-old and eight-year-old (ten-year-old has been skiing all season and is getting pretty good). They all had such a great time. After unhappily getting fitted for ski boots and putting on all his gear (he'd have much rather been in flip flops), it was a joy to see my son give it a go and really take to it... "The skis are doing all the work!" he proclaimed after his first try. We got some great videos.

Here are a few iPhone snaps from the weekend:

deck + view the other direction

the pool area at The Four Seasons

There was snow on the lounge chairs but it was nice in the hot tubs.

First time on skis!

an OOTN: Moth Sweater (Anthropologie), Hermes Nuees Imaginaires, Target ponte leggings, J Crew boots

for dinner at Araxi

Moscow Mule at Araxi

"(Circa 1941) Stoli vodka, fresh lime, ginger beer, bitters"

Alaskan Scallops

Okanagan Poached Pears

"creme fraiche ice cream and ginger crumbles

white wine and pear espuma"

+ a Sauternes

an OOTD: Lands' End sweater, ON tank, Target leggings, J Crew boots, Burberry scarf

part of the breakfast buffet at Sidecut at The Four Seasons

the children's breakfast buffet

Happy Thursday!

xoxo

Banana Republic Ashley Bow Flat

I have had great luck with Banana Republic shoes over the past year or so. My Royal Blue Ashley Bow Flats arrived the other day and they are just as perfect as I expected. My first thought after slipping them on was how cushy the insole is. Nicely padded. I ordered my usual 8.5 and they are a nice fit so I would say they are TTS.

My April J Crew catalog arrived the same day as these BR shoes, with a great styling idea on the first page. I can't say I'll be sporting the pink shorts but I really like the idea of this pink sweater with the flats and white denim for Spring:

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

J Crew March 2012 {catalog inspiration}

Anyone else think J Crew did a great job with March?

Over the past few seasons I'll admit I'd been losing interest in J Crew. Much of the clothing and styling just wasn't appealing to me. That's all over with this month's catalog. I've found several pieces that would work effortlessly into my Spring wardrobe... and also some inspiration for styles and color combinations for similar pieces that could be found at lots of shops. Here are some looks I particularly like:

So that up-an-hour-earlier is not the most fun for the kids... dark and rainy this morning. I think I'll be drinking a lot of tea today and looking forward to a Poirot or some film noir and a fire tonight.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

OOTD 3.9.12 {Heather Hydrangea}

This sweater is just the most gorgeous shade of blue...

much brighter than it looks in my pic above. Makes me

want to do a search on "heather hydrangea" on jcrew.com

and buy whatever comes up. One wear and quite a bit

of pilling though, be advised. Thank goodness for

sweater shavers.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

A Short Vancouver Weekend {in iPhone snaps}

Wearing:

Tulle coat, J Crew Brewster boots, Hermes Nuees Imaginaires, Mulberry Bayswater, black & gray

Eating:

roasted beet salad + bruschetta

at Zefferelli's

crepes at Cafe Crepe on Robson

Shopping:

Zara

J Crew is coming to Robson Street.

Mavis and Beau souvenirs

Lounging:

Fairmont housekeeping had children's robes delivered when they saw our three.

...and tied for the most fun:

the pool

taking sweet Beau for a walk around the block

Happy Friday!

xoxo