Aielli & Benevento

The Relais San Maurizio is not your typical refurbished monastery cum classic hostelry. No hard floor sleeping here. Situated in Piedmont’s heart, (Santo Stefano Belbo) the property has a Michelin ranked restaurant, Ristorante Stazione, and a caparccio and trufflesh dish that draws gourmands. If you go, try to get room 115 … ask for Nadia Finelli, the manager, and of course, tell her Aielli & Benevento recommended the place. San Maurizio has 31 rooms with suites at $425 a night.

The Company of The Courtesan is a new book by Sarah Dunant, who also wrote the very popular “The Birth of Venus.” A recent NY Times Book Review by the always amplified Erica Jong, suggests this historical novel ‘meanders’ and succumbs to the gory style of “The DaVinci Code.” Nonetheless, lovers of Venice and its history may appreciate this well written piece of historic fiction about 16th century romance on the mysterious lagoon.

Conde Nast Traveler magazine recently conducted its annual survey of the best the world has to offer in terms of resorts, hotels and cities. The awards are based on the views of their savvy traveling subscribers. And guess what? When asked to rank their favorite European city, Florence, Rome and Venice finished first, second and third among Traveler’s readership. When asked to rank their favorite hotels around the globe, no country had more picks in the top 100 than Italy. The properties that “made the list” were the Four Seasons in Milan, Palazzo Sasso (Ravello), Hotel Splendido (Portofino), Hotel Il San Pietro (Positano), Le Sirenuse (Positano) and the Hotel Gritti Place (Venice). The drummer for Bon Jovi must be a Traveler reader too. According to the latest issue of People, Richie Sambora was recently hanging out at the San Pietro with Denise Richards (Charlie Sheen’s soon-to-be ex).

The third generation of Cipriani fame is undertaking a spectacular new real estate project at 55 Wall Street. The namesake grandson of the founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Giuseppe Cipriani, has opened New York’s first building dedicated solely to pieds-a-terre residences. These 106 apartments come fully furnished with Italian design products from Ivano Raedelli linens to a Saeco V’spresso machine. The Cipriani Club Residences, as they are called, include a private library, movie theater and billiards room.

The Ferrari F430 Spider and the V10 Lamborghini Gallardo are two of the most exotic sports cars found on the planet. At 490 and 493 horsepower respectively these hand crafted vehicles dare comparison. But that’s what a writer for ForbesLife recently attempted. After a few days driving each masterpeiece through California’s wine country he drew the obvious conclusion: these cars can’t be easily compared any more than can be two classic Barolo wines. Before you seek a test drive one point worth mentioning is the Lamborghini Gallardo prices in the $200,000 orbit, and that’s the convertible version! Alternatively, you can buy the Lamborghini logo cap for less than 30 euros.

This fashion house, once run by the famous five daughters of its founder, Eduardo Fendi, is taking on a major fellow. Actually, they were referring to a Fellowship in the form of a scholarship for fashion design. Teaming with the American Academy in Rome, the House of Fendi will offer the Fendi Rome Prize in 2007. The award will allow an American fashionista to join a select group of artists and writers at the academy. Better still, the winner of this award will live at the Academy’s 130 room palazzo set amongst 10 acres of gardens.

A recent Wall St. Journal report suggested that possibly the ultimate product placement might be with His Eminence Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict XVI is “striking a snazzier profile” according to this story. He has been seen wearing Geox walking shoes, sporting Serengeti-branded sunglasses and keeps handy a specially engraved Apple iPOD given him by Vatican radio technicians. Steve Jobs had no comment.

For travelers who are not yet ready for Private Concierge Class, A&B has introduced custom touring plans. These are detailed trip itineraries with specific tips and recommendations. Each day is outlined with a proposed daily schedule of activities, sights, museums, city walks, etc… In addition to our own savvy traveler tips, these touring plans provide specific suggestions on accommodations, professional guides and other services. For a typical one week stay in Rome and Florence, a client receives a 20 page personalized itinerary. By Fall ‘06, A&B will offer 12 different touring plans available to download at our website. For more on these A&B custom touring plans, email: info@aielli-benevento.it.

While the artistic leader in the Renaissance era, Florence of late has never been viewed quite as sophisticated as Italy’s other major cities. But Rome, Milan and Venice look out. Since the new millennium, we have seen a slew of new, chic design oriented hotels popping up around the Arno. Among the new boutique properties vying for the savvy traveler trade is J K Place, the Savoy Hotel, and the Gallery Hotel Art; the last being a Ferragamo owned and operated facility. Make your reservations early as these three hotels regularly sell out, even in the off season.