Dreaming of: Escaping to the Palazzo Margherita

It's usually around this time of year that I start craving an escape. March in Seattle...winter hangs on tight, spring tries to elbow her way in, the sun comes out and teases you a bit before the weather turns back to a cold, wet mess (blossoming trees aside).  It was almost this time six years ago when Mr. H and I took our first vacation together -- and came back engaged. He treated me to a gorgeous sunny week in Belize, where we stayed at the two dreamy properties owned by Francis Ford Coppola.

Staying at Francis' place, you find that every detail has been looked at with a director's eye--nothing is out of place, yet there's still a kind of nonchalance that can only be created with a lot of vision and planning.

 Vogue

  WSJ

So when I read about his latest undertaking--restoring a 19th century palazzo in his Grandfather's hometown of Bernalda, I couldn't help but dreaming up ways I could convince Mr. H that Southern Italy needed to rise to the top of our adventure list. I'm still working on it, but until then let's visit together, shall we? 

  Palazzo Margherita

Coppola describes Bernaldo as "real Italy" a "Fairy tale place." It's a working town, not on the tourist trail.

The Palazzo Margherita opened to guests last week, but like most of his properties, it started as a family retreat.  Sofia Coppola married Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars in a garden ceremony last summer.

 WSJ

Family members were invited to weigh in on the deigns of their own bedrooms as star French designer Jacques Grange took on the renovation of the historic palazzo-- the result is a melange of styles and influences from Tunisian and Modernist to the "summer palace chic" of Sofia's bedroom.

 

 Palazzo Margherita

Dramatic frescoed walls and ceilings and lavishly tiled bathrooms are the common element in all nine garden rooms and suites.  "Every interior is basically a painting since it's covered with frescoes. There's virtually no art on the walls because the walls are art," Coppola explains to Vogue.

 Vogue

Palazzo Margherita

Add a lush interior courtyard, garden and pool, daily cooking classes, Iberian sea beaches close by and mountains to hike just an hour away, it sounds like just the spot to please all kinds of adventurers. I'm hoping the hiking will be a selling point to Mr. H, but you'll probably find me sipping a Campari and soda with lime by the pool!

A girl can dream, can't she?