The Curation: Volume 29
Live from Italy - four hotel reviews, a guide to Sestri Levante, and my must-do's in Le Marche. All the details of the first 9 days of my trip.
Buonasera from Liguria, Happy Hotelers! I’ve been in Italy for a week, and it’s been a great one. Despite (or perhaps because?) the fact I forgot all my chargers. Which is why I unintentionally skipped a week, for the first time. Thank you so much for your patience. And I don’t mean that as a platitude, I know you’ve been waiting for this in your inbox and it’s what I’ve promised you. Plus, I’ve been so excited to share with you. I learned that I can write the vast majority on my phone on the notes app, and I’ve also learned even more about Italy. Despite the fact that Mt. Etna caused some uproar and thus I’m not currently on the Aeolian Islands, there’s been a lot of new this past week. I’m so grateful to love this country on a deep level, and I’m ever-amazed how much it loves me back. I find it wild and incredible that I have a place to share it all with you.
In The Curation today
A guide to and journal from Sestri Levante, in Liguria (including a hotel review of a very Special Hotel).
Three other hotel reviews, with my first-ever ratings – a Gothic hotel in Windsor, England, a remote estate in Umbria, and a creative retreat in Tuscany.
Everything I saved for Le Marche, where I had originally planned to go and did all the research for
Next week’s post will likely go live on Sunday, as the first part of the week is my Capri Time, and I always had intended in taking those days with My People as true vacation.
Thank you so much for being here. I wouldn’t be here (right now, in Italy) without you. Literally (dictionary definition). I’ve been super active on Instagram Stories, and I’d love to have you there too if we aren’t already acquainted. I’ll do an AMA in the next couple of days, and will answer the questions I need to gatekeep on next week’s Curation.
A Town & Hotel to Remember
In 1904, my great great grandparents, the Canessas, left their home of Sestri Levante in Liguria, due to drought. In 2024, I came to stay. I’ve passed through twice before, always loving it, but I knew I needed to stay. I’m so glad I did, and I highly encourage anyone to do so as well.
It’s located in Levanto, also known as the Portofino Coast, but is a world away from the yachts of Portofino and the sardine-like Summer situation in the Cinque Terre. It has the colorful trompe l’oeil facades of Camogli, the fishing village charm of Procida, and the options of Forte dei Marmi or Viareggio.
Whether psychosomatic or not, I immediately felt at home. Whether it’s in my imagination or not, I immediately spotted women that looked like my mom, and my grandma, and my great grandma.
Personal history aside, it’s undeniable that Sestri Levante is a Special Place. Flanked by two bays, Baia delle Favole and Baia di Silenzio, the first dotted with beach clubs and boats, the latter with crystal clear water and people playing cards and volleyball and snorkeling. Both, dotted with restaurants and the signature colorful buildings. Another thing about Sestri, the fishing boats are covered with these blue and white striped tarps that are something out of the movie in my mind.
