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Heading south

Italy is pasta and ristretto, kisses on the left, kisses on the right and lots of extravagant gestures. This dolce vita feeling is embodied in films and books and is familiar to anyone who has ever enjoyed an ice cream at sunset in the south. Assouline grabs photographers Ferdinando Scianna and Bruno Barbey and cruises with them through Emilia-Romagna and all the way down to Sicily, where they capture everything and everyone that gives the Italian way of life a face.

Travel news of the month — © Shutterstock

Cesare Cunaccia, “Dolce Vita”, ca. 115(assouline.com)

Nice to have

Royal Casino

Staring at the screen for hours above the clouds? Well, at some point Harry Potter and co. have simply had their day. Better: practicing classic games again. Dior pimps bridge and playing cards and provides us with a luxurious set with a Dior motif and other trinkets, so that the sight of the pretty cards and chips comforts us over any defeat in the game.

Dior, “Oblique”, in blue and beige, from approx. 1’300.-(dior.com)

We love

Travel News: Berlin Babe

Berlin has one more hotspot: Provocateur is a bar, restaurant and hotel in one and the perfect place to escape the Berlin winter, at least for a while. Wherever you look, you feel like you’re in a French living room from a glamorous era. No wonder: the makers also pay tribute to Paris in the 1920s with their design and bring this French salon flair to the German capital thanks to red velvet, dark wood and sparkling chandeliers, where we feel like Edith Piaf or Oscar Wilde ourselves at the bar counter. The highlight, however, is located in the basement, where the event location La Cave offers Berliners 120 square meters of party space. After all, there’s always something to celebrate.

Provocateur Berlin, Brandenburgische Straße 21, 10707 Berlin, Germany(provocateur-hotel.com)

Darling

Rolling Home

Motorhomes are the home of philistinism. At least so far. Japanese caravan manufacturer Kworks has teamed up with interior design professional Lixil to reinterpret the white monster and ensure envious glances at the campsite with its stylish vehicles. Minimalism is key: Light wood panels, rounded edges and a modular interior in retro style create a modern home that can be adapted to your own needs at any time.

Kworks x Lixil, “Mio Space”, pre-orders from spring 2024(newsroom.lixil.com)

Nice to know

Snowflake

It’s finally time to hit the mountain again! Get on your skis or snowboard and whizz down the slopes, feel the wind, the sun, the freedom, the whole shebang. Blacks Outdoors has found the best ski resorts based on the length of the slopes, the length of the ski season, the cost of a day ticket and the sports stores available. At the very top: the French resorts of Les 3 Vallées and Les Portes du Soleil, closely followed by the Swiss Matterhorn region, whose 360 kilometers of slopes make it easy to spend days on end enjoying snow adventures.

Places

Snuggle up

It’s time to snuggle up together again, gaze into the crackling fire and take a deep breath. The best place to do this is in the mountains, where the fresh air sharpens your focus on what really matters in life. The Hotel LeCrans in Crans-Montana in Valais is the perfect place for this, as the interior, accentuated with lots of wood, is all about relaxation. With the Alpine mountain range in view and the forest behind you, you can make yourself comfortable here in one of the pine-panelled rooms and apartments tastefully furnished with antique furniture. The names of these promise adventure: Annapurna, Kilimanjaro or Everest is the motto of the accommodations, which lull you with their coziness and give you the feeling that you have found the right place for the coming hibernation. However, the spa is also vying for this title. The panorama can be enjoyed at least as well from the heated outdoor pool as from one of the tables in the Michelin-awarded restaurant, whose name LeMontBlanc not coincidentally pays tribute to the mountain whose snow-capped peak is probably the only thing that draws the eye away from the plate.