Nine years ago, I went on a girl’s Euro trip with my mom and sister. It was their first time in Europe, but I was lucky enough to have previously visited, so I guided the travel agent on the planning of our three-week adventure. After Paris – we’d started in London – I thought it would be great to end our trip in Italy. The incredible food, scenic train rides, and Aperol Spritzes were a huge motivation. I hadn’t been to Venice before, so the Italian leg of the trip started there and ended in Rome. That trip will probably flash in my mind’s eye the day I leave this realm. Witnessing the sheer joy on their faces still makes my eyes misty.
In Venice, my sister and I got lost at night on one of the “roads” – because let’s be honest, they have passages, not roads – and we stopped to ask for directions at a restaurant where a Chinese waiter gave us directions in fluent Italian. We walked out laughing, unsure whether we’d hallucinated that part, or if it was the after-effects of the best pizza and rosé we’d ever had. We took a boat out of Venice, on our way to a blissful train ride to Rome. But the memory that makes my heart swell with love, is how my mom would treat us to gelatos at the end of each day. On our last day in Rome, as we were having lunch and getting ready for the airport, I’ll never forget my mom’s face when she said: “Bantwana bami (my daughters), I’d like us to have one more gelato before we go home because I’m going to miss having them so much.” My mom was sad and happy all at once. Something every traveller is familiar with, that bittersweet feeling of ending a memorable holiday with people you love.
And it’s not just my family that’s obsessed with Italy, the whole world is, including Netflix’s favourite American marketing executive whose visa never expires – Emily, who will now be headed to Rome after Paris. In this issue, we’re bringing you la dolce vita with Leigh Herringer exploring Capri (page 56) and Edward Makwana unveiling Maserati and Lamborghini’s new supercars (page 62). But more crucially, to celebrate the warm weather in the Southern Hemisphere, October is our fashion issue. We’ve rounded up our pick of the best designers on the continent (page 44), compiled the must-have summer looks (page 36), and we’re thrilled to exclusively share the Don Julio Por Amor Artist Residency that will have Lukhanyo Mdingi, Crystal Birch, Kelvin Momo, and Imraan Christian visiting Mexico to work with artists from that country (page 24). This issue is about revelling in the good life, enjoying fun in the sun and never forgetting that luxury is your right. Ciao!
