Corinna B's World

Monday, March 25, 2013

Retrovisor ~ Elle Mexico

Model Katie Fogarty channels a little Mary Quant

in this fabulous editorial from Elle Mexico.

Retrovisor ~ Elle Mexico

Photographed by Amanda Pratt

and styled by Nick Nelson

Katie gives a swinging sixties, London mod chic flair

to clothes from designers including

Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Lanvin and Valentino.

Makeup by Willow Mayer

Hair by Yoichi Tomizawa

Retrovisor

Retrovisor ~ Elle Mexico


Retrovisor ~ Elle Mexico

Friday, March 22, 2013

Where To Stay Under The Tuscan Sun

Thinking about spending some time under the Tuscan sun??

Podere Cunina standing watch over the Val D'Orcia

Every year I like to spend a few weeks in Italy.
Actually I would like to spend endless months there, but have to settle for weeks instead.
Tuscany has become my home away from home.

People always ask me where to stay in Tuscany, especially if they are not seeking out an overly homogenized hotel experience.
Personally I love to rent an apartment, rent a car and drive around Tuscany, finding endless spectacular towns and villages that aren't in the guide books.

Podere Cunina, Buonconvento, Tuscany

I like to be super close to Florence, and not too far from Rome. In a country with such a fantastic rail system, I like to be close enough to a train station that it's easy to make a last minute day trip to Venice, or maybe Pompei - wherever feels like fun that day.

one of the patios at Podere Cunina, Buonconvento, Tuscany

I like to chill out in the piazza, drink cappuccinos and watch the world go by. Shop at local markets for fresh produce,all grown inside a 10 mile radius and picked to be sold today, with flavor that just explodes in your mouth. (Unlike the flavorless factory farmed produce here in the US)
There's nothing quite like having a local vendor choose items for you, and tell you how to prepare them the way generations of their families have been doing for centuries, and then going home to your gorgeous Tuscan apartment, throwing it together and enjoying it, truly enjoying it with a local Sangiovese, or maybe a Brunello, living the luxe life.

I love filling my Italian apartment with freshly picked wildflowers and sprigs of fresh rosemary, the combined olfactory delight of which tells my brain I'm really, truly here.

My dear friend Silvana is living the life I dream of.
Together with her husband Piergiorgio she bought an old, run down farmhouse on a little hill overlooking the spectacular Val D'Orcia. They rebuilt, refurbished and restored it using traditional materials, creating a home that at the same time is visually mesmerizing, maintains historical truth but is equipped with all the modern conveniences. Its called Podere Cunina.

Beautiful Podere Cunina in Buonconvento Tuscany

The stonework, the iron work, the colors are achingly beautiful.

Part of the restoration project involved creating 7 apartments to rent to vacationers.

One of the apartments at Podere Cunina, Tuscany

Apartment at Podere Cunina, Tuscany

Apartment at Podere Cunina, outside Buonconvento Tuscany

Apartment at Podere Cunina

There are 2 two bedroom apartments and 5 one bedroom apartments, each of which is just gorgeous.

Apartment at Podere Cunina, Tuscany

Podere Cunina is located 3 kms outside of Buonconvento, near Siena. An easy drive from either Rome or Florence it places you in the ideal location from which to drive around Tuscany and really experience the majesty of this amazing part of the world.

After a long day of enjoying yourself it is just lovely to sit out on the patio area and have a prosecco as you watch the sun set over neighboring Montalcino (one of my favorite villages in all of Italy).

The pool at Podere Cunina, near Buonconvento, Tuscany

Wine lovers adore the region, as it is home to the Brunello, one of my all time favorite reds.

Prosecco time at Podere Cunina as the Tuscan Sun sets

Silvana is the ultimate host. She always has loads of ideas of great places to go see and experience. She always tells me about fabulous villages that the tour buses (thankfully) don't know about, is endlessly knowledgeable about where the best local markets are and when, which restaurants and cafe's you mustn't miss, and has the most wonderful stories about this spectacular slice of the world.

Lovers of Frances Mayes' Under The Tuscan Sun, and her subsequent tomes about her life in Tuscany will love driving to Cortona, which is not too far away, and spending the day walking through every moment in her delicious Tuscan world. (I think at this point I probably know her books by heart)

3 million years ago the Val D'Orcia was under the ocean, which is no doubt why the hills have the most beautiful undulating roll to them. A couple of years ago some guests were walking through the fields on the beautiful Podere Cunina property and picked up a perfectly formed shark's tooth, that scientists later dated as being 3 million years old.
You just never know what you're going to find in this wonderful place!

Summer is not the only time to enjoy Tuscany. Spring and autumn are beautiful, and this year if everything goes as planned we are hoping to touch down in Tuscany over the winter too.

If staying on a glamorous little farm is a bit to rural for you, Silvana also rents out an apartment in beautiful San Gimignano, which is my Italian home, and which I can never go a single day without thinking about.

If you would like to know more about Podere Cunina or about vacation rental in Tuscany, click this link:
Agriturismo Podere Cunina