For our fifteenth issue of Darling our editor-in-chief, Sarah Dubbeldam, traveled to Italy to shoot the cover of the magazine. During her time there, she visited Rome, Florence and Tuscany and graciously returned with a handful of places to share with the Darling community. Here are a few noteworthy places to dine and lodge during your next trip to Italy:
ROME
il Boom (ilboom.it): “If you love interior design, this place takes the cake. Colors flood the living room with a bright orange chair; pop art and black and white photography on the walls, books upon books on shelves, black and white checkered floors, and light blue walls with satin-finished blue accents on the trim of the doors.”
Casacau (casacau.com): “The host, who spoke excellent English, explained how his primary aim with the apartment was for guests to have an authentic experience of what it’s like living in the real Rome—to prove this point he even took us out to a nice restaurant and treated us to ‘apertivo’ (Italian happy hour), and gave us many other local recommendations.”
Casa Howard on Via di Capo le Case (casahoward.com): “They serve breakfast in bed with a tray covered in fresh croissants, frothy cappuccinos and freshly squeezed orange juice. This place feels like being at home in a small villa of the early 16th century.”
Casa Fabbrini (via secretplaces.com): “We felt like we went back in time as we walked up three flights of narrow stone steps with deep wear from the 16th century. Our room was all white with lovely linen sheets, wooden ceilings and windows and an extremely modern bathroom full of organic skin and hair products.”
Villa Spalletti Trivelli (villaspalletti.it): “Our bedroom featured blue fabric walls, beautiful tall ceilings and wood floors, and I felt like I was in Downton Abbey as they stopped by at 10 p.m. to ‘turn down the bed.’ Outside there were gardens and lovely places to sit and stroll.”
Blue Hostel (bluehostel.it): “The host’s vision was to create a clean, hip, and hospitable place for travelers who wanted an affordable accommodation just a notch above a hostel. It was designed with flair, pop colors, black and white patterned tiles, nice linens and a full kitchen stocked with a complimentary lovely bottle of red wine and fresh pizza breads.”
J.K. Place Roma (jkroma.com): “Our room was light and airy with a beautiful canopy bed, flat screen TV, marble bathroom and the best steam shower you’ve ever experienced—complete with sold slippers, a robe and organic body products.”
FLORENCE
Mr. My Resort (mrflorence.it): “The rooms are traditional and quaint in décor, with large sweeping drapery, light lavender and dark purple paint, and bathrooms with heated floors. Outside we loved the beautiful sitting area by fountains, and the best party was that the famous Duomo, one of my all time favorite churches, was only a seven-minute walk away.”
L’Osteria Di Giovanni (osteriadigiovanni.com): “As we sat in the quaint dining room surrounded by Florentine antique furniture, we had the delicious homemade pici pasta with sausage and kale ragout and the bistecca alla Fiorentina, a delicious steak with roast potatoes.”
Ristorante La Giostra (ristorantelagiostra.com): “We were enchanted by the flavors of a forgotten Tuscany, hundreds of years old—the homemade pasta, local wine and chocolate cake and cheesecake. We even met the prince himself, who was kind and gracious and told us all about this heritage, his passion for where he grew up in Tuscany, and his vision for bringing together community through refined hospitality around beautiful food.”
TUSCANY
Follonico (via secretplaces.com): “Our hosts, a husband and wife with several children who live their full time, spoke perfect English, gave us a daily “to do” list about Tuscany and made delicious breakfasts—including prosciutto, olive oil (pressed from their farm) and lemon crepes.”
Ristorante La Grotta (lagrottamontepulciano.it): “ With multiple dining rooms, large fireplaces and flickering candles, it feels like you’ve come to a castle to dine in 1671. It’s been in the same family for several decades and David and Christina, the brother and sister team who run the restaurant, enhance the renowned local produce with creative flair.
Ristorante La Chiusa (ristorantelachiusa.it): “Umberto, the owner, took us into the kitchen before our meal to give us fresh oven-baked bread and olive oil while he talked to us about the power of love, leaving a legacy and treasuring your life—more than just a restaurant, this place is an experience.
While there are so many other spaces to discover in Italy, we hope that this list of recommendations will help you navigate and enjoy all that Italy has to offer. Whether it be through a decadent meals or exquisite architecture and design, there is always something new to discover.
Arrivederci, Italia!
