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Happy Day after Memorial Day! I hope yours was amazing. I wasn’t here this Memorial Day. Instead, I am vacationing in Italy. Specifically, we are staying in a small town called Panzano deep in the Chianti region of Italy. This will be our third trip as a family having been 10 and 20 years ago.

When I think of this region of Italy several things come to mind.

• Authentic Architecture
• Outdoor Living
• Wine Country
• Amazing Food

Authentic Architecture

This part of the country has done a great job preserve their architectural history. This is especially true of the amazing stone farmhouse turned villa that will house our friends and family. They seem to have struck a balance between modern conveniences and old-world construction. Last trip, our room had a new casement window in a 2′ thick stone wall that overlooked a working vineyard.

I’m told building and remodeling is filled with regulations and delays. It is a painfully slow process. Hopefully all the delays and regulations don’t create economic hardships for those brave souls willing to tackle the balance between old-world and new.

Outdoor Living

Our previous trips were in early June when the weather was warm and inviting. After one particularly long journey filled with flight delays arriving at our villa where a white canvas awning had been stretched across a stone patio where comfortable chairs welcomed us to our destination. Perched upon a hilltop overlooking the vineyard where the breeze was warm and soothing – worth all the hassle after all. It was our biophilic healing moment.

We were a large group staying in several smaller apartments in this large villa. As such, there was no interior room large enough to accommodate our entire group. The solution was to gather the table from several apartments and place them together outside on the shady side of the villa.

Dining al fresco (Italian for in the “fresh air”). Dining in the fresh air was something we all learned to cherish after being shut in during the pandemic shut down.

Wine Country

Vacationing in wine country has its benefits. The wine is not only fresh and delicious but very affordable in the “alimentari” or neighborhood grocery store. We had a collection of wine bottles that we saved and placed in the thick stone windowsill. Not surprisingly, this fresh wine didn’t give our guest a headache the next morning. Perhaps that was why do many bottles were drank.

But it isn’t just the wine that makes this region so appealing. There is something so soothing about viewing the rolling hills laced with grape vines. Clever farmers work with the topography in their planting, so the result looks like a topographical map. But instead of curving lines on paper, these are actual rows of grapevine. Incredibly scenic as the vines reveal the gentle sloping hills instead of masking them. Maybe that’s the architect in me who tries to work with the challenges of topography in our practice.

Amazing Food

Of course, the food is amazing. Most only think of fresh pasta when they think of Italian food. But this region is also famous for its meat. We will be visiting the world-famous Dario in his butcher shop in Panzano. The region is also fabulous for fresh produce as one would image in a place where grapes flourish.

One of the true delights of our trip is the visiting chefs. These culinary wizards are capable of cooking for a large group, bringing in all their ingredients and preparing fabulous meals in a different villa kitchen each night.

I think about high residential and commercial kitchens and how picky some owner’s and chefs can be about their kitchens and equipment. The saying, “a poor craftsman blames his tools” comes to mind. The traveling chefs have learned how to make delicious work – wherever and however.

Lesson Learned

I think we can enrich lives with well designed, beautiful architecture. We should try to be authentic to our times and blend comfort, aesthetics and practicality together.

We need to find more ways to enjoy nature and capture the benefits biophilia. We should spend more time in the fresh air and why not enjoy great food and wine while doing so.

Salute – to your good health. Ciao!