Positano

Positano Picture perfect something right out of a movie. Its one of those places where you have to see it to believe it. Now being back in toronto nestled on the couch with a hot cup of tea watching the snow fall there is nothing better to do then go back through pictures of those hot summer days when you were on vacation and all you cared about was soaking up the sun and enjoying the fresh sea air. That is exactly what took me to this magical place. It was a hot day in early september. We made the drive along the amalfi coast in our fiat 500 sun roof down wind in my air. I decided to go for a teal blue wrap dress something elegant light and fun. With a sparkly teared necklace and my round old fashioned sunglasses. It was the perfect attire for a day like this. To enjoy a lovely lunch on a cliff looking down on Positano and the waterfront. Nothing could have been more perfect or romantic. 

"A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see." --Samuel Johnson -

 xo Nicola 

Castello Vicchiomaggio

Between Florence and Siena, Italy there lies Chianti. 

What is Chianti known for you ask? Well, this tuscany region is famous for producing some of the best italian wine out there. I was fortunate to visit the Castello Vicchiomaggio winery. It was a beautiful villa and the view from the terrace overlooking the vivid green vineyard was spectacular! We gathered there for some lunch and drank their wine and enjoyed the good company surrounding us.  This is a place I would like to go back and have a romantic weekend getaway with my boyfriend, to sit by the pool or even the spacious balcony with a glass of white wine in the summer evening watching the sunset go down.

A simple grey t-shirt made my day with a pair a cute sandals. 

xo Stephanie

Isola Bella

Summer has come and gone, even though we are still sweating our tushies off over here in Sicily!!
We are getting by and embracing the heat, before it all comes to an end and we are pulling out our
heavy gear. August is the month when the entire country of Italy goes on stand-by for 2 weeks to jet
off to the closest beach for what they call ferragosto: a time when you spend your days and nights
at the beach: “taking the sun” (the Italian-English translation for sunbathing) during the day, and
dancing the night away, sipping on vodka lemons or gin tonics. Being in Sicily during this time is

perfection: there are endless beaches to discover with breathtaking views and grottos and there are the
most beautiful restaurants by the sea that serve classic Italian dishes with the freshest seafood you can
find on the Mediterranean. It’s a time when you feel young, wild and free. Days turn into nights and
nights into days and you live each day excited to see what the next one will bring. 

On one of these exciting days we decided to go on a little road trip to Isola Bella, which means beautiful island: a perfect description for a picturesque destination. It is situated directly below Taormina, which is simply the most fabulous town in Sicily. With the beats blasting, sunroof open and the sun shining down, we knew it was going to be a good day. Nicola decided to go for a very casual, almost “Johnny Depp” inspired look with a straw, flat brimmed hat, beige graphic tee with non other then her inspiration in life, Audrey Hepburn (in Breakfast at Tiffany’s) on the front, and a pair of black shorts. Stephanie, on the other hand, went for the more “I’m on a yacht” inspired look, with a loose long collared shirt, buttoned down the back, which is very “in” right now. A pair of jean shorts completed the look and provided that extra bit of coverage, in case the wind picked up.

We spent the day on the very rocky, pebble stone beach, looking out on the Mediterranean Sea, with Isola Bella as a backdrop. We also enjoyed a boat tour around the island, looking into the grottos, listening to the music we had brought on board, thanks to the Bose speaker, and jumped over board to take a dip in the crystal clear waters. It was the perfect day, ending in the best way possible with a gelato from C&G, which was “to die for”. Summers in Sicily are simply magical.

xo Nicola & Stephanie

Drinking Good Wine With Good Food in Good Company Is One of Life’s Most Civilized Pleasures --Michael Broadbent

Nothing like a Thursday night under the stars barbecuing some seafood. While drinking wine, dancing and laughing the night away. We decided on an uneventful Thursday evening to have an impromptu barbecue at a friends country home where here in Italy it is like a cottage which is only a 10 minute drive away instead of that 3 hour traffic filled drive up north to the lake. We got dressed up in our best country looks which for Nicola consists of one of her only pairs of jeans (similar style click here) adding hooped earrings and a head scarf some how creating a 70’s country chic look. Where as Stephanie opted for her cute denim jumpsuit and semi western black ankle booties (similar style click here) to create that casual denim yet trendy country outfit.

The girls prepared the octopus and shrimp salad in the kitchen where as the men built the fire as there ancestors the cave men had done many many years before, oh how history repeats itself. The wine was flowing, the music was playing and the fish was barbecuing. It was a perfect Sicilian dining style evening. When all of a sudden Spice Girls came on the radio, which naturally lead to a full on karaoke sing-along musical production. Resulting in the end of six bottles of white wine leading us to the demise of four bottles of prosecco. However, traditionally you sip prosecco in champagne flutes, where as our friend Davide opted in showering us with prosecco creating the great 'Prosecco War of Ispica.' Of course, boys will be boys!

All in all we had a sizzlin' eventful drunken and tasty evening!

xo Nicola & Stephanie 

Enjoy our little dance off of 'Wannabe - Spice Girls'