I just spent a glorious few days in Cap Ferrat with my friend Isy who knows all the best places to buy everything from black olives to old-fashioned, pretty cotton nightgowns to vintage Gucci luggage. Even in a nondescript tourist shop chock-a-block with porcelain snails and dolphin key chains, she’ll find the one great-looking, slightly tarnished urn tucked away in the back corner of the shop. She’s a shopper pure and simple.
First we headed to Beaulieu’s weekly outdoor market.
If olives aren’t your thing, how about dried fruits?
Or chic chapeaux?
And don’t let the elephant put you off this Salle des Ventes in town. Finds are to be found, especially if you’re with Isy.
One day Isy’s friends took us to Italy. An hour’s drive but another world away is the dramatic hillside town of Apricale.
We ate lunch nearby in Dolce Acqua, the charming village where Isy spotted that urn. Here’s a sorbet-colored Franciscan building.
This was the final course in a delicious six-course meal at U Fondu de Cascin, an agriturismo restaurant in Dolce where the owner is the chef, and his wife, our waitress. Before this chocolate fondant we feasted on seafood starters, a thin-crusted spinach tart, fresh pasta with a selection of divine, homemade sauces, rabbit or lamb and fab wine and grappa- all for under 30 euros!! (It’s only open Thursday through Sundays for lunch)
How to burn off lunch? How about yoga on a paddle board?
Don’t lose your balance on that shoulder bridge.
Or do lose your balance and go for a swim in the crowded Med.
Go for a walk and enjoy the Cypress.
My favorite beachside spot for lunch…
Travels with Isy, the only way to go.
July, 2014
