Travels With Bella Figura USA

Let's Go Shopping in Florence - Italy, that is!

We love all the beautiful Italian products we carry in the boutique: ceramics, leather, soaps.  And quite by accident, all of the products available now, were handcrafted in and around Florence, the magnificent capital of Tuscany.

We thought it would be fun to share this video - a little different from the ones we normally post.  It's a bit long (almost eight minutes) but it's utterly charming: a tour group exploring the beautiful city.

The video (from TourVideos.com) takes us to some of the famous piazzas and the Uffizi Gallery (at least the facade) and of course you can see the Ponte Vecchio and Arno River.  But besides the lovely scenic shots, they've included open air markets and restaurants - always fun!

If you've had the good fortune to visit Florence, this video will stir up good memories and have you yearning for a return trip.  And if you haven't yet visited, it will stoke the flames of desire, as they say!

Enjoy!  (And to see a short video that's just beautiful photos and cool music, check out Affordable Italian Luxury.)

The Great Black Out of 2009

That's right!  Don't forget that tomorrow, Saturday the 28th, everyone's asked to go lights out at 8:30PM.  (That's 8:30PM your time - wherever that may be.)

Now the raison d'etre for this voluntary black out: showing your concern and raising awareness about global climate change - global warming.

All good things.  But I'm loving it for other reasons: much more romantic - or perhaps whimsical.

Where I lived growing up, you could actually see the stars at night.  In fact, on warm summer nights, sprawled out in lawn chairs, a favorite thing was to star gaze and see how many constellations you could find.

And here's the thing:  when the sky is clear and black, and you can really see the Milky Way, a magical thing happens.  It only takes a little while of staring intently, before the mind starts to play a trick on the eyes and suddenly you feel as though you're falling into the sky.

It's a wondrous feeling.  Unfortunately, too many kids these days will never experience that sensation, due to the light pollution all over the planet.  (One beautiful and exotic place where you can still see the stars - Marrakech.)

So tomorrow, express your concern, or simply remember the days of your youth - and we'll star gaze together!

Watch a beautiful time lapse video of the moon and stars - and remember...

See the World With Abercrombie & Kent

As promised in the previous post, here's a spectacular video from luxury tour operators: Abercrombie & Kent.  (I honestly thought we'd posted this before, but a quick scan didn't reveal it. If we're repeating ourselves here  - apologies.)

Enjoy the video:

To learn more about Abercrombie & Kent, check out their website.  And to read our personal take on the company, click here.

A Luxury Train to Carry You Into the Past

OMG  - that's the first thing that came out of my mouth when I saw this video.  And the next was: sign me up!

I've mentioned that Sicily might be the destination for our next (big) buying trip.  But the other place that's been vying for the top spot is India.

India - so much to see - so much ground to cover - so many fantastic handicrafts for the boutique!  But like any other small business, we're faced with the universal problem of time: not enough!  We simply don't have the time to do everything we'd like to do - go everywhere we'd like to go - meet all the artisans we'd like to meet.

But enough with the woes.  Last night I was checking to see if Abercrombie & Kent had put out any new videos (you know we LOVE them here at Bella Figura USA - and I'll put up one of their stunning videos after this post.)   Anyway, in my search, I stumbled upon this video of The Golden Chariot.

Now, I'd never even heard of The Golden Chariot before.  Turns out, it's a luxury train that journeys through the Karnatuka region of southern India.  And when I say luxury - I mean it.  This baby rivals the Orient Express.  For seven days and seven nights, the train transports you to ancient, historic sites throughout the region.

Check it out for yourself:

Travel to Sicily with Everyone's Favorite Chef: Anthony Bourdain

Who doesn't love Anthony Bourdain?  Come on, admit it - it's impossible not to: he's charming, funny as hell heck, well traveled, and - the man can cook!  Who could ask for anything more?

Now a few weeks ago, I mentioned that Sicily was on the top of my list for the next big trip.  While it hasn't  been finalized (I'm still considering other possible destinations) I'm keeping an eye out for anything and everything to do with Sicily.

When I go on these trips, technically I'm on business: the business of finding unique artisinal items for the boutique.

But hey, like Napoleon's army, I travel on my stomach.  I'm as interested in the food, as I am in anything else.  So, when I found this video of Tony in Sicily...   Well, enough said.

Enjoy the video; it's a bit long, but don't miss the visit to the tailor's shop at the end - pure Tony!  And to see the rest of the show, click here.

(And note the little sign taped above Tony's head in the plane:  Be a traveler - Not a tourist!  Oh yeah, one of our mottos here.)

That's Life - But it Shouldn't Be

So here I am - staring into the abyss. 

OK, maybe not the abyss; but definitely incredulous over stupidity - not to mention horrendously bad manners.

Here's the story:  invited to a party at an Embassy (live in the DC area, so opportunities for interesting gatherings abound) but on the day of, decided I just wasn't feeling up to it.

So, HoBF comes home, finds a visitor, and says,  "Take our tickets, please.  And enjoy."

Next day, visitor calls to express thanks for tickets, and says what a wonderful evening it was.  I, of course, immediately inquire about the food; as a buffet dinner was being served.

And here's where the fun began.  "Oh," I was told, "I don't know because by the time I got to the table, everything was gone."  Hm...  struck me as odd, because while I've seen plates emptied at these gatherings before, they've always been quickly replenished.

"But no," I was told, "They didn't bring anymore food out; and by the time I got up there, I only got a cherry tomato and lettuce leaf."  Hm...  sounds a little fishy to me...

Then the coup de grace: "A man came to the table and was straightening things up, saw me, and asked me if I'd enjoyed everything.  I replied, no, because there was no food left when I got there."

"And he smiled and said something like, 'We forget that Americans eat bigger portions than we do; and that we need to put out more food.'  (Again, sounds suspicious to me.)

But then the real kicker came: her response to the gentleman: "So how many times have you done one of these?"  "Five times", he replied.  "Oh, so you're either really slow learners or...."

At this point my brain shut down.  WHAT?  You said WHAT?  You're an invited guest, on another country's soil (remember, when you're in a foreign embassy, you're technically on their soil) and you INSULTED the man?  Are you kidding me?

"Oh, he laughed. He thought it was funny."  Yeah right,  He works at an embassy; he's trained and paid to be diplomatic at ALL times.  He's smiling at you and thinking, "What a rude, ignorant American."

Much is being written these days about the lack of manners.  But when a grown (some would say elderly) woman, pops off like a smart-ass teenager; and actually thinks she's being funny and clever?  Gasp...

What's the world coming to?

Happy St. Pat's!

As the Chicago River flows emerald green - we want to wish everyone a  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Deep Dish vs. Thin Crust Pizza

It's Friday, the end of a LONG week.  But before the weekend begins, there's always one last thing to contend with: Friday night dinner.

Now, I'm not one for going out on Friday night.  In fact, I generally avoid it like the plague, just because I'm  tired.  But one still has to eat.

At my house, that means one of two things: a simple omelet and nice wine, or pizza delivery.

The best pizza I've ever had was at a little restaurant in Sorrento, Italy - a very basic Pizza Margherita.  But I have friends that say, "No, you have to have pizza from Naples.  It's the best in the world!"

Then there are the folks that swear by the pizza in NYC - or Chicago.  Uh oh - that's where the fighting begins:  thin crust vs. deep dish.  I've actually witnessed sane adults get into shouting matches over pizza crust.  Mamma Mia!

So I was curious to see how our friend Anthony Bourdain would react to a Chicago style pizza; especially since he says upfront that pizza should have a THIN crust.

Enjoy the video - and pizza all around!

Mint Juleps, James Bond and New Orleans

It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

Now I'll admit right off the bat, mint juleps have never been a particular favorite of mine.  But maybe it was that couple minutes of Goldfinger I caught the other day - the scene where the men are sitting on the veranda sipping juleps.

Or maybe it was the utterly charming mixologist, Chris McMillian, on his last day at the Library Lounge in the New Orleans Ritz Carlton, reciting poetry - history -romance, as he demonstrated the making of a mint julep.

Regardless, the video is a delight.  And after hearing Chris expound on the glories of the julep - well, maybe I've just never had a really good one.  Time to try again!

Dreaming of Sicily - and Dessert?

Oh, this is just TOO much fun: continuing on with our Sicilian theme, we were charmed by this video we found on YouTube.

This lucky group of travelers found themselves having a sumptuous dinner in a medieval palazzo in Palermo.  At the end of the dinner, the Chef came out and showed them how to make a classic Sicilian dessert - the cassata.

There's only one problem: it's hard to watch without getting VERY hungry.

Now that you've been warned - enjoy: