day trip

A. and I joined some friends this past weekend for a little river swim at this special spot.
Only 40 min. from our home in milan....
love day trips out of the city and into nature

What special nature spots to you go to near your home?

on holiday

still floating in the sea
enjoying lazy days on the island with friends and A.
one more week and things will be back to normal at LWB
hope everyone is having a great summer

andiamo in vacanza

A. and I are heading on vacanza for 3 weeks to this little island far far away from modern life.
My BFF and her main man are joining us all the way from San Fran, yowza! talk about trains, planes and automobiles! 3 flights, overnightstay followed by a hydro boat ride to the little oasis, where we will be waiting on the dock (see photo above) to greet them.
Can't wait to swim in the sea, eat fresh picked figs every morning (see above), devour delish polipo (octopus) for lunch and dinner (i'm obessed) and just be........

summer is over

back from my travels with A.
beautiful time visiting friends and family in nyc and san fran
it was my first time in northern cali and lemme tell ya, it was love at first sight.
i can't get over the natural, wild beauty of the bay area\coastline
why on earth had I never seen it before?

what's your favorite spot in the bay area?

(Pfieffer Beach, Big Sur)
(photography deirdre quinn)

vacanza!

Tomorrow, A. and I are leaving for august vacanza! yipee!

But first, we are heading to my home, NYC, to see family and friends.
Then it's off to the west coast for an 11 day northern california adventure. We will be visiting my best friend in San Fran\Marin County with some mini road trip adventures, here and here.
It's my first time to Northern California, so you can imagine, I am super excited, especially for the forest and chillaxing with my best friend, kira.

I have my little list of places to see in the city but would love love love any recommendations?

(nyc photo source)

summer

oops. I've been a bit mia, my bad. my excuse?
ummmm, I have been trying to get some projects done before I head to my summer workshop then august vacation with A. In the meantime, I'm trying my best to get work done in this Milano heat wave (no AC, helloooooo) while daydreaming of our haven place here. sadly we will not be heading to the island but instead we are traveling to visit my side of the ocean to see family and friends. Yay! What are you doing this summer?

(photography by deirdre quinn)

Andiamo in Vacanza

photography by deirdre quinn

Little Winter Bride needs a vacation but don't fret, there are plenty of goodies lined up for the month of August, so be sure to check in daily for little wedding treasures.....
Enjoy the rest of your summer and I promise to be back with some incredible travel ideas!

little honeymoon adventures in Italy

Madonna Di Campiglio

summer

Today, I am taking you to one of my most favorite spots in the Trentino region of Italy, to a small village tucked away in the Dolemites called, Madonna Di Campiglio. A little slice of heaven, for the adventurous couple, looking for a more off beat honeymoon. Campiglio is filled beauty and tons of outdoor activity, whether it's a visit during winter ski season or beautiful summer time travel for the fresh mountain air, hiking and rock climbing. I have to admit, I'm particularly fond of the a winter honeymoon trip. The setting in the mountains is ultra romantic, filled with beautiful snowfalls, sports, spa and snuggling in front of to the fireplace, what more do you need? oh yes, your loved one right next to you of course.

winter

Lago Nambino


crostata di mirtilli

EATS
Pappagallo, Via Adamello, 58, telephone 0465442717 this is by far the BEST family style pizzeria. It's a bit off the beaten path from the main village but it's a hidden gem that worth the trek. Be prepared to wait, as it is the largest and most popular restaurant with locals. There's more to the menu then just pizza, I highly recommend, Canederli con brodo or burro.
Malga Montagnoli is directly on the Spinale ski slopes. At night, arrive by snow cat and dine by the great log fire and if your feeling ultra adventurous, you can head back to your hotel on your skis in torch lit descent. During the summer it can easily be reached by car, just a few minutes from the center of campiglio.
Hermitage Restaurant and wine cellar
Ballardini specialty foods
The Graffer

Some typical mountain dishes you will want to try:

• Polenta con funghi, this is the quintessential mountain dish
• Spetzle, typical mountain pasta with sage butter or little pieces of speck (which is a pepper cured prosciutto)
• Crostata di mirtilli, Italians take on blueberry pie, its delish! typical desert in the mountains since the blueberries grow all over.
  

SLEEP

Hotel Hermitage
Hotel Majestic
Relais Club Des Alpes
Hotel Diana
Hotel Lorenzetti

Ruifugio Tucket

SPORTS/ACTIVITIES
skiing
spa and wellness
hiking
fishing
mountain biking
golf
mushroom picking

winter morning

photography by Deirdre Quinn

For more information about Madonna Di Campiglio go here and to find how you get there go here
note* the month of MAY it's like a ghost town, this is when the local peeps have their break from winter to summer. Everything is CLOSED. My favorite times are DECEMBER - MARCH and AUGUST.

little honeymoon adventures in Italy...........

I was recently in contact with the lovely and ever so sweet, Anne, creator of the blog, Perfect Bound, about her upcoming honeymoon travels to Italy. She has a great trip planned, and Milano being one of her stops, I thought I'd share a little list of my favorite places from the city I am now happy to call home.
Also, since Italy tends to be a very popular honeymoon spot, I plan to dedicate every Wednesday's post to a new location. So hold tight, there's more to come........

MILAN

"torta con fragoline di bosco" from, Pasticceria Ronchi, Via Sacco, 5
photographed by deirdre quinn

(note click on the highlighted bold names below for more information)

PLACES
Duomo, take in the view of milan with the gargoyles on the roof terrace of the duomo.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, just a few steps away from the duomo is the grand entry to the galleria, where you can join in the hustle and bustle for some shopping....
and a few steps away, is the Italian department store, La Rinascente
Santa Maria delle Grazia, is the home of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper", make your reservations a month in advance, for a quick and I mean quick glimpse,(they literally shuffle you thru like cattle) of the fading masterpiece.......
Basilicia di sant'ambrogio
Castello Sforzesco
Teatro alla Scalla
Parco Sempione
Giardini Pubblici


SPA
After a long morning of sight seeing and shopping, take the afternoon off, for a little spa treatment, roman bath style at Terme Milano.
My girlfriends took me here for my bachelorette day, it was so much fun and truly relaxing.
And if your looking for the ultimate high end, luxury spa treatments, and have room in your budget, check out Habits Culti or The Bulgari Hotel

ART
Pinacoteca di brera
PAC
Triennale di milano
Galleria Carla Sozzani at Corso Como 10
Gio Marconi
Go Gallery

off the beaten track hip art scene in Lambrate
galleria zero
francesca minini
galleria klerkx
prometeo gallery
and cross over to Isola for an aperitivo at Frida Cafe

EATS
Rita, located in Navigli neighborhood, is the place for weekend brunch. Typically, an Italian style breakfast is a light fare of cafe and brioche, so if your craving a little, American style brunch, this is definetly your place. For all my fellow new yorker readers, they even serve bagels!
L'Incoronate, is one of my favorite little hip lunch spots. It's a great place to recharge after a morning of shopping at Corso Como 10 and High Tech
Consolare ristorante, is one of the best restaurants (aside from my mother in-law's kitchen) located in artsy neighborhood of Brera. My absolute favorite dishes primo piatto is pasta con le vongole
and for secondo piatto scampi alla griglia
I should inform my lovely readers, I am a HUGE foodie...the plates above will not disappoint.

APERITIVO (*my ultimate favorites)
a little bubbly at the end of your day is the italian way ( i can't believe i just made a silly rhyme)
why not try a Aperol Spritz? this is a typical aperitivo drink made with aperol, prosecco, splash of selzter and a slice of orange on the rocks.....it's DELISH!
you can practice saying this "Io prendo un aperol spritz per favore" I swear, after having a couple of these, you'll start to think your fluent in the language.......
below are of our regular low key hangouts
Cantine Isola
* this is one of the best hidden wine bars in milan, it mostly attracts musicians, artists and writer types
Pescheria da Claudia
* stop in here for an apertivo of fresh mix of fish and a glass of prosecco.
Cape Town
Mono
*if I'm homesick for Brooklyn this is a good replacement, vibe is an artsy crowd
Mom Cafe
Atomic Bar

SHOPPING

high end designer shops such as Prada and Dolce & Gabanna, can be found venturing down the little quaint cobblestone street, Via Spiga and just around the corner on Via Monte Napoleone, you will find the likes of Alberta Ferretti, Marni, Missoni, Valentino etc......
Here are some of my favorite shops scattered around Milan's city center
Aspesi
Lusia Beccaria
Pupi Solari via Piazza Tommaseo, 2
Laura Urbinati
Muji
Corso Como 10
Isola Show Room (everything you see here is handmade, jewellery, t-shirts, art work etc...)
Lingottino Gioielli, Coroso Magenta, 52
Camper
Maison Martin Margiela
Miu Miu
Sermoneta Gloves
Car Shoe, Via Della Spiga, 1
Frip, Corso Di Porta Ticinese, 16 * edgy 80's style store, its worth a look see

HOTELS
$$$$$
The Principe Di Savoia
Four Seasons
The Gray Hotel
$$$
Antica Locanda dei mercanti
Antica Locanda Solferino
$$
Del Sole Hotel
Hotel Speronari

FOODS & SWEETS
Wagner Market
Piazza Wagner 2
If your a foodie, then this is a must!
Here you will see the inner workings of an Italian market, from the fish guy to fresh produce, it's a true experience and testament to Italian's care for food in their everyday lives.

Chocolat Gelateria
For some delicious gelato, they even have such a flavors as dark chocolate with hot peppers! yikes or yum!

Pasticceria Ronchi Via Sacco, 5
This pasticceria is one of my neighborhood favorites, it has some of the best little cakes and treats. If you don't believe me, check out the opening photograph, hellooooo.....please scroll up to the top

Corregio Pasticceria
Via Correggio, 14
sugar covered violets or roses anyone? the most delicious handmade sweets see here