What is your summer refuge?
I like discovering new places every year. This summer, we are going to Puglia.
What is one address you almost hesitate to share?
Ol Malo Lodge in Kenya. A place run by an extraordinary family whose generosity and sense of hospitality are as remarkable as the surrounding landscapes. It is the kind of place you hesitate to reveal, as it feels as though it belongs to those fortunate enough to have discovered it.
Which place do you think is summer’s most underrated destination?
The Abruzzo region in Italy. Spectacular nature, authentic villages, and a still-preserved gentle way of life.
What journey do you still dream of taking?
A long train journey across India aboard the Deccan Odyssey, from Mumbai to Rajasthan. I love the idea of slow travel, where the journey itself is as much part of the experience as the destination.
What is your most unapologetic summer indulgence?
Leaving my phone aside for an entire day without looking at it.
The most beautiful hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
Suján camp in Jaisalmer, India. A rare feeling of being cut off from the world, in the middle of the desert.
Which house would you dream of living in for the month of August?
The Indian palace Le Pavillon des Rêves designed by Jacques Garcia at Château du Champ de Bataille, usually closed to the public.
In which room, anywhere in the world, would you most like to spend a summer afternoon?
In the Blue Room of the City Palace in Jaipur, watching the light shift throughout the day.
Which restaurant would you happily plan an entire trip around?
A kaiseki dinner at Tawaraya Ryokan in Kyoto. A mythical, almost legendary place, where one travels as much for the atmosphere and the beauty of the gesture as for the cuisine itself.
What is the most beautiful object you’ve brought back from a trip?
A pair of Moorish heads found in Scopello, Sicily, during our mini honeymoon
What would you recommend reading this summer?
A Passion for India by Javier Moro.
Which song instantly brings back holiday memories?
Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac.
What does the perfect summer afternoon look like to you?
The sound of cicadas, a nap in the shade outdoors, and no obligations.
What is the most elegant gesture of hospitality you’ve ever experienced?
Being welcomed as a member of the family in homes where I was only a passing traveller.
Finally, what is your most precious summer memory?
The summers of my childhood in Poland. We would go into the forest with all the village children to pick wild berries, then return home to bake pies. Half of our harvest always disappeared before we even got back.
