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An Umbrian Resort Set in a Former Medieval Fortress
The central Italian region of Umbria — with its unspoiled landscapes and ancient Roman ruins — has long been a source of inspiration for artists; in the 15th century, the region even gave rise to a namesake movement that counted the Renaissance painters Pietro Perugino and Raphael as members. It’s against that backdrop that the Babini family — who also own the Hospitality Experience, a hotel group, and the Place of Wonders, a foundation dedicated to preserving traditional Italian craftsmanship — recently opened Borgo dei Conti, a 40-room resort perched on the grounds of a former medieval fortress about a half-hour drive from Perugia. Inside the property’s original neo-Gothic villa are preserved frescoes and wood-beamed coffered ceilings along with Etruscan terra-cotta floor tiling and furniture covered in fabrics handwoven at a nearby textile atelier. Between meals at Cedri, a fine-dining restaurant placed in a former limonaia (lemon greenhouse), and L’Osteria del Borgo, an all-day trattoria serving Neapolitan pizzas, guests can visit the wellness spa — complete with saunas, a salt room and an outdoor solarium — or visit the Italian-style gardens of the surrounding 40-acre park. From about $650 a night, borgodeicontiresort.com.
Gift This
A London Jeweler Turns to Home Goods Made With Precious Metals
Walk down a side street in London’s diamond district and you might catch the scent of frankincense and agar wood as it drifts out of the showroom of Alighieri, a jewelry brand that takes its name from the 14th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri. “We describe it as the smell of church vaults and old libraries,” says Rosh Mahtani, who founded the company in 2014 to make heirloom jewelry. Now she’s creating items for the home, including this incense. The housewares collection, Alighieri Casa, is made up of tableware and cooking accessories with imperfect finishes. A bright, gold-plated candlestick curves into a lion’s paw — a reference to Alighieri’s best-selling lion medallion pendant, a talisman for courage — while another pair look like asymmetrical silver pebbles. Bottle openers shaped like lobsters and sea horses blur the line between ornaments and kitchen utensils; Mahtani wears one on a length of black leather cord as a necklace. Gold-plated and stainless-steel cutlery are made at a female-owned foundry in Delhi using a method called sand casting. The tactile pieces, which reference tribal hunting tools, feel precious, but Mahtani hopes that people won’t set them aside for special occasions. “Life is tough,” she says, “and most things we can’t control. But we can build rituals for ourselves at home that are beautiful. There’s a lot of comfort in that.” From about $190, alighieri.com.
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Black Abstract Art, on View in Los Angeles
While the sheer expanse of the Black experience defies easy categorization, a number of artists have focused their practice on chronicling its contours. “Social Abstraction,” a two-part exhibition opening at the Beverly Hills Gagosian before moving on to the gallery’s Hong Kong location in September, assembles 13 of these artists — among them Theaster Gates, Cy Gavin, Alteronce Gumby, Lauren Halsey, Eric N. Mack and Amanda Williams — to explore Blackness through abstract expression. Curated by the gallerist Antwaun Sargent, the mediums on display range from resin and oil paints to textiles, rubber latex and synthetic hair. “I’m working to complicate the reduction of Blackness that a rush to solidarity with a phrase like Black Lives Matter generated [in 2020],” says the Chicago-based Williams, whose work often blends art and architecture. “The blanket desire to embrace Blackness actually resulted in its flattening: a matte Black.” Williams conjures childhood memories of joyful summers within her poured-paint composition titled “CandyLadyBlack (This Stuff Is Starting Now).” The work’s Jolly Rancher-hued palette is a nod to the sweets sold by local women during the ’70s and ’80s in Black neighborhoods across America. “They were stewards of community and extended family, but also businesswomen,” Williams says. The title of the canvas — which incorporates a lyrical snippet from Cameo’s 1986 hit song “Candy” — serves as another element of nostalgia. “My memories of the song are about middle school sleepovers and lip-syncing with best friends,” Williams says. “Social Abstraction” is on view at Gagosian Beverly Hills from July 18 through Aug. 30, gagosian.com.
Drink This
Cocktails Infused With Indian Herbs and Spices
South Asian restaurants across the country are showcasing essential spices in their cocktail menus. At Baar Baar in Manhattan — and its 14-month-old outpost in Los Angeles — cocktails infused with cardamom, turmeric and saffron take on the names of famous Indian films “Lagaan” and “Sholay” that serve as the drinks’ inspiration. At Pijja Palace, a Los Angeles strip mall restaurant specializing in Indo-Italian mash-ups, tamarind-infused rye adds a tart note to the traditionally bitter Paper Plane. The cocktail menu at Washington, D.C.’s lauded Daru, which takes its name from Indian moonshine, relies on various spices borrowed from the restaurant’s kitchen. The Bandit Queen, named for a film devoted to an Indian activist, incorporates rum, garam masala, the aperitif Bonal, tamarind, a Szechuan-flavored amaro and mole. “Some of the ingredients are so ancient that it’s fun to use them in new ways,” says Daru co-owner Dante Datta. At Jazba, a restaurant inspired by Indian roadside eateries that opened in New York’s East Village in October, the Mumbai margarita balances the sweet and spicy with mango purée, rose-chili syrup and cilantro-chili Maldon salt. Hemant Pathak, the general manager who oversees the bar for Jazba and the restaurant Junoon, recalls tasting the same flavored salt growing up in India. “Mom used to roll two stones with the rock salt, fresh cilantro, green chili, and a touch of garlic. We’d eat that with bread and buttermilk,” Pathak says.
Eat Here
An Airy Members’ Club and Restaurant on the Banks of the Miami River
The best way to approach Casa Neos, a four-story building that comprises a restaurant and a private club situated on the Miami River, is by boat. From that bobbing vantage point, the architecture reveals its roots in Mediterranean modernism: Concrete arches stretch along the facade, and a rectilinear pergola suggests an open-air retreat. To that end, Casa Neos, which was opened last month by Riviera Dining Group, which also runs Mila in nearby South Beach, acts as an all-day idyll with multiple ports of call. The members-only club, complete with a saltwater pool and a 45-foot yacht for charter, beckons sun seekers. One floor up, the property’s namesake restaurant (which is open to nonmembers) leans toward the Aegean with dishes like eggplant chips paired with tzatziki and whole grilled branzino. Noora, a rooftop lounge inspired by North Africa, is scheduled to open this fall, along with four guest rooms featuring waterfront balconies and murals by artist Carly Kuhn. “We wanted an artisan touch,” says the architectural designer and painter Lázaro Rosa-Violán, who was born in Morocco to Spanish parents and who drew on his travels for the interiors. Berber carpets, Greek ceramics and Iberian tapestries come together for a tactile backdrop that mirrors the river’s dynamism. “Stir the water and the thirsty might show up,” goes an old Moroccan proverb. Fluff the pillows and the revelers might rest their heads too. casa-neos.com.
Try This
Cashmere Blankets and Pillows in Calming Earth Tones
Tom Chapman, a co-founder of the online homewares shop Abask, first met the interior designer Pam Shamshiri when she was redesigning his Los Angeles home in 2017. “She makes every property feel relaxed and easy and comfortable,” says Chapman. “There’s nothing quite like waking up in Shamshiri bedroom.” Shoppers will be able to experience a bit of that feeling themselves when the pair’s 24-piece collection launches this month. The cozy blankets (some of which are large enough to drape over a California king bed), pillows, hot water bottles and eye masks are made at a family-owned factory in the foothills of the Himalayas from locally, ethically sourced cashmere in earthy hues. “I love changing colors with the seasons, so the blankets are all two-faced and with different edges,” says Shamshiri. “Depending on how you place them, you can have a different experience and create change in a room.” With every product sold, a donation will be made to Doctors Without Borders. From $200, abask.com.
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