I attended a lovely event for the launch of a high-end Italian mattress, now available in the country. We stayed overnight at Discovery Country Suites, where we each got to sleep on a different kind of mattress (I got a firm, eco-friendly one made with bamboo fiber).
Over dinner, I was assigned to sit beside the owner of the mattress company, an Italian gentleman from Tuscany. Towards the end of the meal--possibly because I kept giving him all the wine that was being poured for me--he told the local mattress distributor that he would like to give my baby one of their sumptuous mattresses. To which I replied, "But what about the parents?" Har. I was also seated across superstar designer Kenneth Cobonpue, and I was utterly starstruck (and giddy when he congratulated me and wished me a good pregnancy when we said goodbye). Unfortunately, I was too shy to ask for a photo with him.
After our overnight stay, we got massages at the spa at Sonya's Garden, then had a long, leisurely lunch at a place I had been wanting to visit for a while now: Marcia Adams Restaurant.
Other blogs have described Marcia Adams as looking very Tuscan, and since the only part of Tuscany I've visited is Florence, I'll just take their word for it! The restaurant is made of stone, with rustic wooden furniture, a mix of crystal and wrought-iron light fixtures, and lots of fresh flowers.
The food, as described on their Facebook page, is a mix of Italian and Greek dishes. I would describe it as hearty and comforting.
(From top) A filling clear broth soup, very flavorful aromatic pork with pineapple chutney, and (my favorite) grilled orange with vanilla ice cream--I actually took the placemat out because I wanted a rustic-looking photo. That's what this job does to me.
Mr. Italian Mattress-maker wasn't able to join us but he probably would have felt right at home.
