My Italian Holiday: Part 3

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures in Italy here and here.

We spent the last 3 days of my trip to Italy in the beautiful city of Sorrento.  The view (pictured above) from our hotel room was spectacular.

After checking into our hotel, Katie and I went to the Lemon Grove Garden to see the beautiful, HUGE lemons and to sample the limoncello.  They also had liquors in a wide variety of flavors including blueberry, basil, and mandarin.  Molto bene!

Check out the view of Vesuvius from Sorrento.  SO amazing!

We were obsessed with the chairs that were IN the water.

More gelato...DUH!

Gorgeous striped flowers outside of our hotel.

In love with these amazing purple flowers that blooms all over 
this part of Italy. Such a gorgeous building too.

Not sure who this guy is, but I liked his statue.

More pretty flowers.

Katie and I at The Foreigner's Club, our absolutely FAVORITE spot in Sorrento. It is this amazing, old school restaurant complete with a huge dance floor and the most incredible view ever.  We ate there both nights because we loved it so much.  The limoncello flows, anything goes on the dance floor, 
and the waiters are super cute. 

Such lovely flowers everywhere.

We took the bus to this beach just outside of Sorrento.  

It was very crowded but quite refreshing and relaxing.

I seriously contemplated swimming up to this boat and trying to climb aboard.

Delicious pizza for lunch.

On our way to another fun night at The Foreigner's Club.

One last photo of the beautiful hydrangea found 
all over this region.  My favorite!

Le profile d'Audrey

(image courtesy of Conde Nast)

Recognize this image?  It hangs in the bedroom of one of my favorite ladies on the UES.  Leave a comment if you know who it is.


I am obsessed with this stunning profile of my beloved Audrey.  It's taken me awhile to find it, but I finally did.  You can order it here.  My "half birthday" is coming up...think about it ;)

The Duchess of Cambridge Strikes Again

We all know how much I love Kate Middleton.  Her style, class, and charm are incredibly endearing.  Since becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, I haven't seen even one unflattering photo of her.  She is a style icon in the making, and I can't wait to see what she wears next.


Check out my video for some more thoughts on the future Queen of England:

How can a non-royal compete with the Duchess?!?

My Italian Holiday: Part 2

I hope all of you enjoyed reading My Italian Holiday: Part 1 last week.  Now, for round two of my amazing Italian adventure.


We headed to Vomero and downtown Napoli in Limone, Katie and Andrew's small, yellow, Italian car.  I heart Limone.  If you have ever driven in Europe, I'm sure you noticed how aggressive the drivers are there.  Katie was a pro!  Seriously, she should consider a career in race car driving.  Molto bene mia sorella!

Downtown Napoli is extremely cray cray...there are people everywhere, tons of sights to see, and cars/scooters zipping by you.  The view of the Bay of Naples is quite spectacular.

I'm not sure of the name of the next few buildings, 

but they are all lovely.  

 Super cool old castle on the water.

 Loved this huge government building.  

It reminds me of Il Vittoriano in the Piazza Venezia

(my favorite building in Roma.)

 I'm pretty sure this is the opera house. 

I absolutely LOVED the outdoor market in Vomero...it had everything from fresh produce and locally caught seafood to shoes, jewelry, and clothes.

 What a great reminder to go green and eat local whenever you can.  I wish that Atlanta had amazing daily markets like they do in Europe.

 We finished the day with a delicious lunch of fresh veggies, 

bread with olive oil, and wine.  

My Italian Holiday: Part 1

I've been remiss in posting this blog because I knew that doing so would mean that my amazing Italian holiday was officially over.  It was one of the best vacations of my life, and I will cherish the memories forever.  Because I have so many photos, I decided to do three posts: two of our time in the Naples area and the other of our weekend in Sorrento.


Getting to Aversa, Italy from Atlanta, GA is no easy feat.  I took MARTA to the airport, flew about 9 hours to Rome, took the Leonardo Express train to Roma Termini, and a second train to Aversa where my sister-in-law picked me up and took me to their house.  Mamma mia!


I had been to Italy before but never to this part of the country.  I was amazed at how busy downtown Naples is...there are SO many people walking around.  Good thing I had an expert tour guide (gratzie Katie!) to show me around.  After a very windy drive, we hiked to the top of Mount Vesuvius to see the view of the bay of Naples.  It was very overcast that day, but you can kind of see the view below.  At the top of Vesuvius, we enjoyed some wine made in a winery close by...I just love that Italians can always find an occasion to drink wine.  Salute!

We had way too much fun posing in a cave formed from some craters.  

Someone had left this painting and prayer along the way...a prayer that the volcano will never erupt again.

The next day we explored Reggia di Casserta, a palace constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples.  It was molto grande!  In fact, it was the largest palace constructed in the 18th century in Europe.  It was absolutely breathtaking and lovely.  Georgia and I would be quite happy to set up shop in one of the countless rooms in the palace.  

I was absolutely obsessed with the delicate chandeliers throughout the palace.  My favorites were the ones with flowers all over them-SO gorgeous and intricate.

I also loved the view of the interior courtyard and could just imagine myself flirting with a visiting prince from across the way.

Behind the palace are the English Gardens.  They're about a one mile walk...just long and far enough to be obnoxious.  Those Bourbon kings certainly must have been obsessed with size.  

This is the ceiling of a very old building in the gardens...SO romantic and mysterious.  Perfect for a secret rendez-vous.  

Check out this spectacular view of the back of the palace before a storm hit. 

What day in Italy is complete without gelato?

My brother, sister-in-law, and me before dinner.  

I miss them every single day.  

A few words from Audrey

Ciao ciao

I am back from an amazing week in Italy.  It was truly one of the best trips of my life.  I had the best time ever and will always look back on it with the fondest of memories.


Once I get over the jet lag and finish getting my life here organized, I will post more about my trip.  The palaces, food, wine, sights, and weather were all incredible.  However, my favorite part of the trip was spending time with my brother and sister-in-law.  The picture above is my favorite one of the almost 200 photos I took.  I miss Katie and Andrew already and hope to see them again when time allows.  Ciao!

Happy 85th Birthday Queen Elizabeth!

The royal family celebrated Queen Elizabeth's 85th birthday today (her actual birthday is April 21st) during the Trooping of Colour ceremony at Buckingham Palace.  The Duchess of Cambridge was as stunning as ever.  I can't wait to see what she wears next.  I love how happy she is in the bottom photo...I have no doubt that Prince Harry just said something hilarious and possibly off color.  Such a minx!

Happy Saturday!

Roman Holiday

Next Monday, I am going on my first REAL vacation (other than a long weekend) in almost 10 years.  Words can't express how excited and thankful I am to have this opportunity.  Many of you know that my brother Andrew and sister-in-law Katie live in Naples, Italy.  Andrew is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and they moved to Naples last August for his job.  


I am going to see them next week and absolutely cannot wait!  I've been to Italy before (Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Pisa), but I haven't been to this part of the country.  We will spend most of our time seeing things around Italy (such as Pompeii) before heading to Sorrento and Capri (pictured above) for the weekend.  


I am beyond thrilled to experience more of Italy: the sights, the food, and the drinks fill my every daydream.  Most importantly, I am looking forward to spending time with Andrew and Katie.  Since I don't get to see them often, this trip is incredibly special for me.  I know we will make memories that will last a lifetime.  And of course, I will post my pictures and stories when I get back.  Ciao!

A peaceful Pearl Harbor

This is a photo of my grandfather (my mom's father) taken after WWII began.  His transport ship stopped at Pearl Harbor where he got to meet my grandmother's sister Frankie and her husband Phil for the first time.  Papa (my grandfather) was an enlisted soldier and was quite nervous to meet Phil, an Army Captain and his sister-in-law for the first time.  Frankie sent Papa countless messages to come meet them at their apartment.  After ignoring all of their messages, Frankie mentioned this to Papa's commanding officer.  He finally made Papa go see them. 

This story makes me laugh because (as far back as I can remember) Papa was never scared of ANYTHING.  Frankie and Phil arrived to Pearl Harbor on the very last peacetime a few days before the fateful day of December 7, 1941. 

I am extremely proud of my family's long line (on both sides) of men AND women who have served in the military.  I miss you Granny and Papa!  Thank you for your years of service.