Bric-a-Brac 73
A secret region of Italy so close to Rome, our favorite packable and rollable sun hats, a London hotel that feels like living history, and the Labour and Wait of Rome
JUST BACK FROM…Tuscia
For years, I’ve heard friends go on about how amazing Tuscia is—just north of Rome, it’s part of Lazio but named for its role as the Etruscan stronghold of the region. I’d been to one of my favorite hillside towns, Orvieto, many times; Bomarzo, the 16th-century surreal “monster garden” park; the raised Renaissance gardens at Castello Ruspoli; and spent a night at the lovely Villa Tirrena—usually on route to Tuscany, Umbria, or anywhere north. But I’d never planned an intentional trip to the region.
It started with an invitation from my friend Marie-Louise, who wanted to show me a project she’s working on: “You could just come for the day, it’s so close—or you could spend the night if the Corte della Maestà has a room available.” I’d been wanting to stay there ever since photographer Stephen Ringer wrote about its kitchen in our very first issue of YOLO Journal. And I’d never been to Civita di Bagnoregio—only seen it from Lubriano (which has an incredible view of the hilltop village). Once we’d secured a night at the Corte della Maestà (they only have four rooms) and a car, I thought we might as well check out the other place I’d been wanting to go for so long, Tenuta di Bertarello. Luckily they had availability, and our 3-day, 2-night adventure was set.
We rented our car at the Rome Termini train station (we’re fans of Sixt), and headed north. I’d taken some notes on a few stops along the way—including, of course, flea markets/antiques stores to help fill our new apartment in Rome. First, we happened upon Domus Vitrae, an antiques shop that has great outdoor furniture, the kind you need a very grand garden for. We drove a bit further to Dal Brocante, which was like being in a Salvation Army in Upstate NY—although they did have boxes and boxes of dead stock Lago di Bracciano postcards (which founding members will be getting in the mail this summer). We drove around the lake, which was so charming and completely caught in time. For a very warm Sunday in May, we were shocked to see so few people there. We drove through the medieval lakefront town of Anguillara Sabazia, then over to Bracciano, where we skipped the Odescalchi Castle that dominates the landscape, because it was time for lunch and we knew we’d be back.
Our lunch destination was Il Porticciolo on the lake in Trevignano, and we were so excited for it. Since I knew how sleepy the area is, I didn’t think to call ahead and book. Only when I saw the packed parking lot did I start to get nervous. Sure enough, they were totally full and I had no Plan B. There were plenty of other very cute options all along the lake in town, but everything was packed. With my travel editor tail between my legs, we drove towards our next destination and at this point, figuring we would get a porchetta sandwich along the way. We spotted a restaurant, Liutprando, that looked meh but had a packed parking lot, so I ran in while Matt stayed outside with the engine running. When I saw all the aged beef in their display cooler, I knew we’d found our plan B. It wasn’t charming, but it was really good!
Afterwards, just a short walk away, we wandered into a park called Parco Naturale Regionale dell’Antichissima Citta di Sutri, where a couple of families were out for a Sunday walk. Imagine that just an hour north of Rome you could be wandering through an Etruscan park and have it all to yourself! We’re talking about an ancient amphitheater and mitreo—a church built entirely into a rock. We did a quick walk-through before driving 20 minutes further to the pentagonal Villa Farnese. Two words: Mind. Blowing. In so many ways. That we could be in the most beautiful Renaissance villa with, at most, 20 other people, was just unbelievable. If you’re heading to Rome this summer and are beating yourself up for not getting into the Galleria Borghese because you forgot to reserve in advance…rent a car for the day and come here. And then after meandering through all the rooms (the map room, on which the Vatican’s map room is supposedly modeled, is worth a trip in itself), you get to the Renaissance gardens, which are as impressive as the villa.
From here, we were just 20 minutes to the Tenuta di Bertarello, driving up the cypress and poppy-lined road, arriving at the golden hour to a warm hug from Beatrice, the owner. What a place! An18th-century watchtower that had many lives before Beatrice found it some 20 years ago and started a deep renovation, creating a very special place to stay. We hit it at the height of rose and jasmine season, and I’ll never forget our delicious aperitivo with local cheeses and charcuterie, with that scent and that light.
The next morning, we went to nearby Viterbo with Beatrice, checking out the Terme di Papi (this whole area has incredible thermals all around), and she told us there’s a newer place that’s quite good called Tuscia Terme.
After a delicious lunch in town at Tre Re (open since 1622), we headed to our final destination, Civita di Bagnoregio. We arrived at the end of the day, when all the day trippers had left, and the light over the valleys surrounding the tiny town was beautiful. A big perk of staying overnight is that you get the parking closest to the walking bridge to the town, and there is an ATV shuttle that brings your bags up. I don’t think we’ve had a more charming 24 hours—from the crossing of the bridge to the village, our dreamy stay at Corte della Maestà, and the lovely hosts Cristiana and Paolo—it’s so filled with soulfulness, love and history.
Tuscia! I missed so many things—Villa Lante, Tarquinia, all the thermals, and Bolsena, to name a very few—and I can’t wait to come back. Stay tuned for Guest Books on the Bertarello and Corte della Maestà!
THE SOUVENIR: Emporio Centrale
The other day in Rome, I walked a route to Piazza Farnese that I hadn’t taken before, and not only did I run into friends from the Napa Valley, I found this incredible store, Emporio Centrale, that opened in December. If you’re a fan of Labour and Wait in London, this place is for you—in fact, they acknowledge it was a big source of inspiration. Every single object (from kitchen to cosmetics, with the best old-world packaging for kids’ games) was so well considered, and even better, well priced. We bought two coffee cup sets at 4.90 each, and a little Calabrese perfume for just under 10 euros. They even have Venetian slippers in great colors (gray, navy, and also brights) for, shockingly, just under 50 euros. It’s an amazing place to get inspired and to also pick up any souvenirs for yourself and whomever you’re gifting. —Y.E.
GUEST BOOK: Raffles London at the OWO
By Alex Postman
In short… A memorable splurge for history and Bond buffs
The backstory… So many stories behind the Raffles at the OWO’s stony façade! The Old War Office was built with fortress-like solidity and Edwardian grandeur in 1906 as HQ for the British Army, across the street from the Royal Horse Guards. And one layer down in the London clay lies the remnants of the original Palace of Whitehall, home to 15th and 16th-century kings including Henry VIII, who died here (the original timber structure burned down). The OWO was the site of some of the most important military decisions of the first part of the 20th century, including during Winston Churchill’s time as Secretary of State for War (1919-21) and First Lord of the Admiralty (1939), when he ran war councils from the second-floor conference rooms and gave addresses from the balcony of the grand staircase. Both MI5 and MI6 got their start here, which brought colorful characters through a side “Spies Entrance.” In fact, the OWO helped inspire Ian Fleming to write his Bond series, after he worked in naval Intelligence and was a regular at the military library (now Saison restaurant). Room 007 in the basement was once used as high-security storage vaults for falsified identity papers for spies. Coincidence? I don’t think so. The OWO has appeared in several Bond movies over the years, including Octopussy, License to Kill and Skyfall.
The building’s Whitehall location was entirely deliberate—there are tunnels running to 10 Downing Street, Parliament and other VIP sites for emergency evacuation. (The Ministry of Defense moved across the street to a new building in 1964.) And it really couldn’t be more central if you’re in London to sightsee, being just minutes from the Thames, the National Portrait Gallery, St. James’s Park, 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. In 2014, the Hinduja family bought a 250-year lease on the OWO from the Ministry of Defense and took it on as a passion project, allegedly investing 1.4 to 1.6 billion pounds into its meticulous restoration, while bringing in Raffles as hotel operator and opening in fall 2023.
The vibe… For such a massive and very masculine structure, the new design has a surprising warmth to it. The lobby is dominated by the grand staircase, illuminated by a skylight that had been covered over since WWII. (Former military who used to work here are known to stop by and excitedly venture to the second floor, as it was off limits to all but higher-ranking officers.) Architect-designer Thierry Despont created cheerful, soft social spaces off of the lobby, like Saison, where a white trellis and garden-themed mural obscure the old subway tile underneath, and the colorful, oak-walled Guards Bar and lounge.
But you can still imagine the place as a hive of activity—the flanks of the building are connected by 2.5 miles of corridor and you will get lost! It took me two days just to remember how to find my room. The upstairs hallways are lined in cherry red curtains with brass buttons, reminiscent of the Horse Guard uniforms. The hotel is full of cool attention to detail like this, including a nod to the fact that the building had London’s first state-of-the-art telephone system, and the cast-iron grilles that allowed the wire to pass through are also highlighted throughout.
The rooms… There are 120 guest rooms including 39 suites, and another gender-bending detail I appreciated is that the eight corner suites are named after women and female spies, like Churchill’s wife, Clementine, and Christian Lamb, a Wren intelligence officer who worked on the D-Day landings. (On the day I was there, the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, she actually received the Legion d’Honneur from President Macron at age 104.)
I stayed in the Margot Suite, named for Brigadier Dame Margot Turner, a WWII military nurse. The sitting area had a sort of cavernous Oval Office vibe, high ceilings with polygonal walls (it’s beneath one of the OWO’s four turrets) and low, jewel-toned Deco-ish furniture. But the bedroom was cozy and a great sleep—all cocooning creamy carpet and textured walls. I also was happy about the radiant heated floors and towel warmers, which I often find excessive, but even in June in London it was chilly. The custom bath products, 1906, had an especially nice sandalwood-vetiver scent. And honestly, this was amazing: a toilet bowl that glows at night.
There are five “Heritage Suites” on the second floor that were once occupied by some of Britain’s most prominent politicians, including Churchill and Lord Haldane (also Secretary of State for War), which have been restored by an army of 1,500 craftspeople—woodworkers, plaster workers, iron workers—and filled with period antiques. The most popular suite in the building is the Turret Suite, a duplex with two balconies and a 360 view of basically all of London. The rest of the OWO is given over to 85 Residences, whose owners can use the hotel’s facilities but also have their own.
The food & drink… So many options. Since I was here on a press trip, I tried them all (almost). The Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco (known for 3-star Mirzaur in Menton, France, and his garden-to-plate approach) oversees three restaurants. The fine dining spot (named for him) serves a vegetable-forward tasting menu with wine pairing. Normally I don’t love these because you wind up feeling so stuffed, but the 5-course spring Knotted Garden Flower Menu was amazing, including a starter of pickled rose petals and carrot shavings that looked like fresh pot pourri, peas and runner beans with turbot, and duck with beetroot puree. Saison is, of course, all about local/seasonal ingredients: creamy Irish oysters, super light Cornish cod Provençal style, and possibly the best “chips” I’ve ever had, which are triple fried. I had a detoxing porridge breakfast with a ginger and lemon shot at Pillar Kitchen, the healthy/clean eating café, and a lovely lobster salad at Café Lapérouse in the hotel’s courtyard (an outpost of the Parisian one featured in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris). There’s also a sushi restaurant on the roof, Kioku, where we only went for a drink (great nonalcoholic tea-cocktail menu). The Guards Bar is an homage to the Raffles Singapore institution, founded in 1887, a sultry room with red velvet booths where you can order a Singapore Sling, which was created at the iconic Raffles Long Bar. And you can’t skip a nightcap at the Spy Bar, for hotel guests only, that you arrive at via a basement corridor lined with rooms once used for debriefing spies. Behind door 007 is a speakeasy-style room outfitted with old telephones, a vintage liquor cabinet, and half an Aston Martin DB5 on the wall. I highly recommend the (very strong) vesper martini, but not at 11pm!
The wellness… The health facilities are huge—a 20-meter swimming pool, vitality pool, steam room and sauna. The OWO spa is run by Guerlain and I had a deep facial that followed a kind of mood-journey with Guerlain scents, and ended with an LED laser treatment. I’m not a hotel gym-goer, but there’s a big gym with Technogym equipment and free weights and daily yoga or HIIT classes. Pillar also runs the health club, and you can arrange for private physical or nutritional coaching.
Be sure to… Visit the Churchill War Rooms across the street. The complex was fitted out as an emergency HQ just before WWII broke out, in the reinforced basement of an office building. Some 500 people worked in this airless warren of rooms at any given time between 1939 and ‘44 and rode out the London Blitz here. Visit the map room, the beating heart of the war operation where hotlines rang with updates from the field and push pins marked the movement of convoys. And the War Cabinet Room, the seat from where Churchill directed much of the war effort. I definitely recommend booking a behind-the-scenes tour if you’re into that sort of thing.
Parting words… My watch/read list now includes Darkest Hour, The Imitation Game, Season 1 of The Crown, The Splendid and the Vile… Hard not to get obsessed!
Dates of stay… June 5-7, 2024
Alex Postman is Yolo Journal’s deputy editor
SHARE CONTACT: The Thinking Traveller
Earlier this spring, we wrote about our partnership with our friends at The Thinking Traveller—a family-owned villa rental agency who have lovely properties in Italy, Greece and Corsica that are exclusive to them. If you still haven’t figured out your summer plans, here are three that look great and still have some availability during the summer. Also, The Thinking Traveller is extending their 5% off the rental cost to YOLO subscribers for bookings made by July 31. Just mention YOLO when speaking to their villa specialists to receive it!
Mnyme, Paros: a whitewashed, Cycladic-style house (well, two) on the northeastern tip of the island near the ferry to Antiparos; sleeps 12.
Sintineddu, Corsica: a modern house with huge sliding glass doors that open to sea views on a little beach-flanked promontory along the south coast; sleeps 10.
Tenuta Falconeri, Sicily: A breezy, open property with Arabian Nights vibes on a hill above Syracuse, with two pools and surrounded by thousands of lemon trees; sleeps 12.
TRAVEL UNIFORM: Packable Sun Hats
As a kid of the ‘70s who grew up in California, I’d certainly learned my lesson by my late twenties when I was spending a lot of time dealing with the effects at my dermatologist. Since I’ve basically been wearing sun hats since then, I’ve developed some strong opinions: they can’t be too precious/expensive (lost that Borsalino to the meltemi winds in Milos in 2017), ideally have a chin strap if you’re going anywhere windy or on a boat, have a roll-up option so you can carry one in your purse too. We asked our style editor Sarah Meikle to weigh in here, and also backed up some of the choices with endorsements from our friends who actually own them. —Y.E.
1. Borsalino - I love this roll-up that can go in a purse, and the band around it is very cool!
2. Kin the Label - Our friend (and favorite swimsuit designer) Malia Mills says this one is her “current fave–super chic and takes up no space in my suitcase.” We asked their customer service how that’s possible, since it looks like you’d have to pack it upside down and stuff it with a t-shirt. But they said they designed them with an elastic thread that runs through the fibers so it can actually collapse and return to its shape when unpacked.
3.- 4. Janessa Leone - Honestly all of her hats are beautiful and meant for travel. Her site shows exactly how to pack the hats, and they also have a strap so you can easily carry it on a handbag or arm. Our friend Pia Baroncini loves her Teagen bucket hat, but when I grow up and buy one, I’ll take this gorgeous wide brim Harlow hat.
5. Helen Kaminski Desmonda hat - While this one is on the higher end, it actually rolls up, which for me is a big plus because it isn’t bulky or only folds flat–meaning it can easily fit in a purse.
6. Cos - For a big sun vacation, this very wide-brim hat would be great, and the price is right.
7. Mature Ha - I discovered this pack-flat hat at our friend’s store Mouki Mou, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It’s a Japanese husband/wife team who make them, and at $327 they are more of an investment piece. Our friend, the designer Nikki Kule, swears by it too.
8. Magic hat - I’ve had one of these for many years and it has somehow not been lost on all my trips to either the wind or forgetfulness. It’s flattering, has great coverage, and best of all, it’s washable.
9. Lola Hats - Love the wide brim on this, and the stripes are a nice subtle pop.
10. Lack of Color - A great canvas wide-brim hat with a chin strap, in great color options and is less than $100.
11. Muji - If you’re going somewhere windy or on a boat, this is perfect—very utilitarian, long brim, and has a chin strap.
12. Jenni Kayne - Our deputy editor Alex Postman loves this hat for its “really good wide brim and how it stays on in the wind,” plus it folds or rolls and packs like a t-shirt.
13. Scha - I wouldn’t wear this beautiful white hat to the beach, but it’s perfect for summer events, from casual to elegant.
14. Muji bucket hat - A perfect hat to keep in your bag should anyone need one–love that it’s in indigo, the chin strap, and that it’s made from kapok, a fiber that is grown without pesticides and is much lighter and softer than cotton.
Thank you for your most excellent commentary, I have put your counsel to good use on several occasions and especially appreciate that many of the most interesting places you recommend are not unaffordably Luxe and overdone.
I’m going to see OWO in my dreams now…what a spectacular stay. 🤍👑
Tuscia looks like a completely memorable off the beaten path adventure. 🙌🏼🗺️