Seven Days of Sicily – Day 4 – Ortigia’s Farmers Market
I kept bumping into Erica and her parents at the market. We do have great markets in Rome but the market in Ortigia is on another level. I think it’s because the food doesn’t have far to travel. The...
View ArticleSeven Day of Sicily – Day 5 – Ceramics
Sicily is known for its hand painted pottery. Like the cuisine, each region has it’s own style. I have to ask Erica where she bought her octopus plate. I think it was somewhere near Cefalù. As I...
View ArticleSeven Days of Sicily – Day 6 – The Sea
I appreciate the majesty of the Hudson River and the cool blues of a lake in Maine but I’m a sea/ocean person. It’s probably because I’ve spent the majority of my life living on the East and West...
View ArticleSeven Days of Sicily – Day 7 – Art + Design
Why do I miss Sicily? There are Sicilian restaurants in Rome. Perhaps this is only an infatuation. My first trip to Sicily was just last year, which I wrote about in FATHOM. Maybe the island will...
View ArticleA Woman Who Lives in Rome Actually Loves Milan?
Yes, it’s true. Even my Milanese friends who live here think it’s odd. I don’t care. If loving Milan is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Just in time for Milan Fashion Week, here is a short piece I...
View ArticleIo Adoro – Anguilla, British West Indies
Anguilla is quite the A-list celebrity/VIP destination these days. However, the small island has managed to retain it’s relaxed, quiet charm. My most recent piece for FATHOM Magazine went live today....
View ArticleWeekend Inspiration – Foliage – Hudson River Valley
Suddenly, Fall has arrived in Rome. On Sunday my friends were swimming at the beach. Monday was a Bermuda shorts day. Tuesday? The temperature dropped by 20 degrees (F). This morning the air was very...
View ArticleDesign Inspiration – La Bandita Townhouse – Pienza, Tuscany
I’ve read about La Bandita, a country house near Pienza and have seen photos of it in various shelter magazines/design articles. A little over a year ago, John Voigtmann and his wife Ondine Cohane...
View ArticleLife in Rome – My Trip to Pienza, Tuscany
Earlier I wrote about the interior design of La Bandita Townhouse. Clearly the owners, John and Ondine, have put as much thought into the service as they did into the décor. From the first email to...
View ArticleI Went Back to Cali – La Cienega Design Quarter – Legends 2015
Finally, my jet lag is over. It was much worse in Los Angeles and ended shortly before my return flight to Rome. How wonderful! The LCDQ Legends interior designer conference is one of the most...
View ArticleLife in Rome – An Escape to Sperlonga to Beat the Heat
Of course there was drama. My friend Marta and I decided to get the heck out of dodge as this heatwave is one of the worst on record. There are no signs of relief. I understand week or so with these...
View ArticleLife in Rome – This Time I am Ready for Ferragosto
First, I’ve just returned to Rome from a business trip to the States and the Caribbean. Below are some random observations: Los Angeles traffic continues to get worse. How is this possible. Target is...
View ArticleMy Return to Sicily
Hello, my name is Arlene Antoinette Gibbs and I have a Sicily problem. It’s bad. Every time I go, i wish I could stay longer. There’s so much of the island I haven’t seen yet, for example the entire...
View ArticleLife in Rome – Where to go for Cocktails
The wonderful women at Italy Casa Mia asked me to write a guest post about where to have delicious cocktails in Rome. It was hard work, very difficult research. Photo: Gina Tringali However, somehow I...
View ArticleLife in Rome – Rome Luxury Suites, Via Babuino
Buon giorno! Life has been nuts these past few weeks between signing new clients and moving. I still have twenty-five boxes of books and magazines to unpack. I hope to publish a post on this blog the...
View ArticleDesign Inspiration – Sugar Paper, Los Angeles
I’m a big fan of Sugar Paper’s letter-press stationary. I must visit their store whenever I’m in Los Angeles. Before I said “arrivederci” to my Hollywood screenwriting career, my Los Angeles trips...
View ArticleLife in Rome – My Post Milan Funk
I’ve been in a weird mood since returning from Milan the other week. I’m crashing from the Salone del Mobile high, Prince is dead, and I have a cold. I rarely get sick but when I do it seems as if my...
View ArticleLife in Rome – Aperitivi at the Beach
Ciao Bloggisti, How’s the summer treating you so far? As I wrote in my previous post, I’m trying to improve my attitude and to be more social. My friend Courtney and I had plans to meet for aperitivi...
View ArticleLife in Rome – A Day Trip to Ischia
Ciao Bloggisti, How was the rest of your summer? The rientro was/is intense but I’m loving this back-to-school vibe. Folks are rested and ready. My summer was pretty uneventful, except for a visit...
View ArticleA Belated Birthday Trip to Sicily
Ciao Bloggisti, I’m suffering from a bit of Sicily withdrawal. Please bear with me. Thanks to a birthday present from my parents (thank Mom and Dad!), I returned to Sicily for a long weekend. There...
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