Design & Culture by Ed

Rome! I utterly fell in love with this city. It’s just so cinematic, elegant, sunny, magical. The weight of history makes every single street feel so unique, as if those cobblestones and walls told their own story. Here are some of details I captured – my favourite addresses are coming up soon!

Rome’s signature rust red; Karl Lagerfeld’s sketches for Fendi at the brand’s gorgeous Palazzo on Via Condotti; the architectural gem – Pantheon; flower trucks near Campo Di Fiori; Di Trevi fountain, looking fresh after Fendi’s renovation; the opulent Santa Maria’s basilica in Trastevere.

Mum on the streets of Ponte district; Italian lemons…; the gigantic trees in Trastevere; another Roman postcard; those Sicilian pastries near our apartment were heaven.

A coffee situation in Trastevere; near the Spanish Stairs; the ‘can I stay forever at Prada‘s store on Via Condotti?’; there’s nothing more Roman than a Vespa.

Artichokes, minutes before getting fried and served, in the Jewish district; the beauty of bouquet making process at Campo Di Fiori; vintage books near Campo Di Fiori; again, a look at Santa Maria’s basilica in Trastevere – I’m always enchanted by the details here.

All photos by Edward Kanarecki.

If you’re travelling by car and got a place to stay at in Florence, you really should go and discover Tuscany. To feel the Tuscan rhythm of life, try Montepulciano. This medieval village rests atop a narrow hill and can be found in an unbelievably postcard-perfect landscape, filled with cypress trees and sun-drenched vineyards…The best way to discover the elegant historic center is on foot: as you walk along, you’ll come across Renaissance palazzos before reaching – at the highest point of Montepulciano – the main piazza. But despite its beauty, Montepulciano is also world-famous for its Vino Nobile, considered one of the best Tuscan wines in the world, made with grapes coming from vineyards surrounding the village. Also, it’s worth visiting the local food stores (I mean, their salami and cheese… well. I can’t believe I ate all the supplies I brought home!) and the oldest library in town – Magnanet Libreria Di Lorenzo Rago. The owner is the third generation of the family that opened it and there are more than 15,000 books (!) in their archives. It’s impossible not to fall in love with this place…