I Prefer Paris

Trip to Venice: Ca Di Dio Hotel and Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant

Two of the highlights of our trip to Venice at the end of August was a gorgeous hotel and a very special restaurant experience. 

The first two nights in Venice we stayed at the newly opened Ca Di Dio Hotel, which was originally built as a palace dating back to 1272. We took a boat transfer from the airport to the Arsenale stop, and after fumbling with Google maps for a moment, we realized the hotel was right in front of us facing the lagoon, which already made us smile. The lobby, with towering ceilings, was decorated with curved couches in a soft taupe along with pine green velvet chairs and Murano glass vases and lamps. Looking up, there was a stunning chandelier with strands of cascading clear crystals. 

Our spacious room on the second floor had dreamy views of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. We almost didn’t want to leave the handsomely appointed room with an unbelievably cushy bed with a headboard trimmed in linen, leather straps, and two green and gold Murano glass lamps, wood beam ceilings, two chestnut suede club chairs, and a marble bathroom with a rain shower. 

The next two mornings we enjoyed breakfast with strong Italian espresso and an extravagant buffet with local specialties and home baked pastries, in a quiet courtyard garden with manicured grass lawns, and an ancient well juxtaposed with contemporary outdoor furniture. 

Our main purpose of going to Venice was to attend the Venice Biennale, and Ca Di Dio was an ideal location, just a five-minute walk. Another thing we liked about the hotel, was that it wasn’t in a crowded, tourist area but just a seven-minute walk to San Marco square, and not more than twenty minutes by vaporetto to all the attractions we wanted to visit. 

Ca Di Dio Hotel

https://vretreats.com/en/ca-di-dio/

After we checked out of Ca Di Dio, we were whisked away by a small, wood boat to the J.W. Marriott Venice, which is located on a private island reserved only for the hotel. We were given an extensive tour of the sprawling 40- acre complex, which was originally a man-made island built to house a hospital, and it included olive groves (they make their own olive oil), vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, gardens, a spa and gym facility, a rooftop pool, a cooking school, and four restaurants including a pizzeria and Italian style deli. 

As we were walking through the vegetable garden with the PR and marketing director Andrea, he introduced us to Michael Cusumano, who is the executive chef of the Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant in the hotel. He spoke perfect English, without a trace of an Italian accent, and thought he could be American, but didn’t bother to ask during our brief introduction. 

After relaxing at the spa overlooking the water, we checked into our fabulous duplex room with a living room and dining area on the ground floor and the bedroom suite upstairs. 

That evening we dined at Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant, which has a subdued ambience in an intimate and luxurious dining room. The first course was light as air ravioli stuffed with luscious lobster and subtle hint of ginger, followed by Branzino fish, with polenta, delicately poached in olive oil with a light broth of mussels. One dessert was tiramisu, which was one of the best I’ve ever had, served in a white china cup, and topped with a big scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. Just when I thought they couldn’t top the tiramisu, a dark chocolate terrine with sea salt, and crystallized pineapple, with a dollop of pistachio gelato, outdid it.  

During our extraordinary dinner, Michael the chef came to the table to greet us and to ask how we liked the food. After profusely praising him for his culinary gifts, we got to talking and it turns out my hunch was right: Michael is Italian American, and we almost knocked over the table when he told us he grew up in New Jersey just a few towns from where Vincent grew up. After the Jersey boys bonded, we spoke to Michael at length about how he made his way to Italy, by working summers when he was in college and eventually worked his way up the ladder, working beside top Michelin star chefs in different regions throughout Italy. Michael moved back to the U.S. in 2016 to Washington D.C. as the chef de cuisine under the helm of Fabio Trabocchi, and the pasta restaurant Sfoglina. Last year Michael moved back to Italy and was again named the chef de cuisine at Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant. 

After our long chat, Michael excused himself to get back to the kitchen, but in the meanwhile he kept sending out additional dishes for us to try, and each one was more of a culinary masterpiece than the other. 

I was so stuffed from the incredible meal, I had a food hangover the next day, only eating salads and light dishes. 

Fiola at Dopolavoro Restaurant is open from late March until mid-October and to the public. Reservations can be made online. There’s a free private boat shuttle from San Marco square to take you to and from the restaurant, about 12 minutes away.

https://www.dopolavororestaurant.com

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/overview/

 

Book Giveaway: Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

I am pleased as punch to give away a copy of the wonderful new book, Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah. Jacqueline in Paris is a fictionalized account of when young Jacqueline Bouvier, at twenty-years old, spends her junior year abroad from Vassar College in Paris from 1949 to 1950. She lives in a sprawling apartment with a countess and her two daughters, who are still living with the aftermath of being part of the Resistance in WW II. Jacqueline is thrusted into a world of Champagne, chateaux, art, the avant-garde theater, jazz clubs, and cafes, and eventually has a romantic relationship with a promising writer.

The glowing reviews have been unanimous and Kirkus says it’s a “delightful and surprisingly insightful novel” (Kirkus, starred review) while bringing “insight and vivid details to young Jacqueline Bouvier’s adventurous spirit” (Publishers Weekly).

Ann is also an accomplished food and travel writer and has been published in the NY Times, The Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, and Vogue.

In 2018, I did a YouTube video with Ann, where she took me to an off the beaten path café to try the best aligoté in Paris. CLICK HERE to view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRHIW7Oitw

The fifth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2022/10/book-giveaway-jacqueline-in-paris-by-ann-mah-.html

will receive a copy of Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address. 

CLICK HERE to buy a copy on Amazon.

 

Frida Kahlo-Beyond Appearances

One of the most anticipated exhibitions of the fall season is Frida Kahlo-Beyond Appearances. What sets this apart from past Frida Kahlo’s exhibitions is instead of displaying her art, it contains over 200 personal items from her former home in Mexico, Casa Azul, including clothing, fashion accessories, correspondences, cosmetics, medicines, and orthopedic aids, which were sealed for over 60 years by her husband Diego Rivera and finally released in 2004.

With such great promise for a fascinating look into the world of Frida Kahlo, there’s a critical fault in the way the objects are displayed. The exhibition starts on the lower level of the museum, and about half of the items are crammed into a narrow, winding hallway that barely fits two people side by side, making it almost impossible for more than one person to view things at a time. In addition, the lighting was dim, making it even more difficult to see things. Even though I have been a Parisian for over 17 years, my impatient New York ways still follow me after all these years, and after about 10 minutes of waiting for a single person to view something, I passed on this part of the show, and went on to the more expansive rooms that showed her folk dresses, tiered in vibrant colors, and her accessories. Upstairs on the main floor, the next part of the show showcased the designs of major fashion houses and designers that were either references to Frida Kahlo’s style, or inspired by her.

September 15, 2022 to March 5, 2023

Palais Galliera

10 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75116

https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/frida-kahlo-au-dela-des-apparences

Door(s) of the Month: October 2022

I’m changing up things and instead of posting Paris doors every month, I am going to post more sporadically, as I collect a number of doors to show all at once. The photos were taken in the last few months all over Paris, including the 17^th, 8^th, and 7^th arrondissements.

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone. 

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope. 

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers. 

Cost: $65- Free shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping 

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

Giverny- October 2022

Dear Subscribers, sorry the photos didn't come through the other day in your email, I was having problems loading my images on Typepad, my server. Please let me know if you have any more problems viewing the photos. Enjoy!

I have visited Giverny in every month they are open (from April 1 to October 31) and there’s always something new to discover, whether it’s an unknown spot I missed or a particular flower that bloomed bigger and brighter than before.  It’s the final weeks until they close for the season and the fall palette of crimson, mustard, and burgundy leaves was stunning. In addition, the autumn flowers including the dahlias and golden black-eyed Susan’s with a blue and white striated sky as the backdrop made for some knockout photos.

I can make a photo print of any of these photos. Below are sizes and prices and you can emal email me @ [email protected] to order.

• 10 X 13 inches Price $65 

• 11 X 14 inches Price $95 

• 16 X 20 inches Price $125 

• 20x30 inches Price $175

• Shipping in the U. S. by U.S. Mail is $14 per order 

• Photos are printed Fuji Archival paper 

Henri Laurens and Henry Moore Sculptures at Centre Pompidou

I was at the Centre Pompidou a few weeks ago to do some research and came upon a new sculpture garden with a pond at the entrance to the fourth-floor galleries. At first view, I assumed they were the work of Henry Moore, with their abstract shapes made of smooth black marble, but in fact the six of the seven sculptures were the work of Henri Laurens, a French sculptor and artist who lived from 1885 to 1954.

He was first studied to be a stone mason and progressed to being a sculptor, influenced by Rodin.  Part of the Montparnasse group of artists in the early 1900s, he counted Picasso, Braques, and Juan Gris as friends. Laurens later went on to produce a series of lithographs and etchings from 1917 until the 1950s. Laurens is buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery and his grave site is one of his sculptures, La Douleur.

The six nudes on display range from the 1920s until the mid 1940s, and some pieces were made during the German Occupation of Paris in WWII.

The seventh sculpture is a Henry Moore. Can you guess which one it is?

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

Monet-Mitchell at Fondation Louis Vuitton

I was invited to the opening of the Monet-Mitchell at Fondation Louis Vuitton on Tuesday night, a show I was eagerly awaiting when I first read about it last month. The exhibition focuses on an artistic dialogue between Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell.

Mitchell was a year old when Monet died in 1926, at the age of 86, and they both painted their greatest works in Normandy, Monet in Giverny, and Mitchell in Vétheuil, a small village 11 miles from Giverny. They both captured the stunning landscapes of their immediate environment in an abstract form; Monet obsessively painting water lilies during the final 20 years of his life from his garden that he feverishly controlled by demanding his six full time gardeners to follow his orders to the letter, while Mitchell, who moved to Vétheuil in 1967 and lived there until her death in 1992, painted in glorious color, using the Seine, the surrounding hills, and gardens as her inspiration.

The combination of 40 works by Monet and 35 by Mitchell, taking up the entire four floors of the museum, is astounding and at times, overwhelming by the sheer brilliance of the work. The first galleries on the lower-level start with the early works of Mitchell, where you could already recognize her penchant for color, and quickly seduces you by continuing with her gorgeous palette and her big, bold canvases bursting with amazing colors.

Upstairs, on the second floor, where much of the Monet canvases are hung, I got in touch again with Monet’s genius, with many works I had not seen before, some which were quite unusual and unexpected. The rest of the exhibition is beautifully curated with a wonderful mix of both artists.

The exquisite exhibit should go to the top of your must do list in Paris this fall.

October 5, 2022 to February 27, 2023

Fondation Louis Vuitton

8, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi Bois de Boulogne, 75116

https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/events/claude-monet-joan-mitchell

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

October 2022 Eye Need to Do’s: Zoe Leonard: Al Rio, Monet/Mitchell, Paris Blue & Munch

Zoe Leonard: Al Rio

One of the most gifted artists of her generation, Zoe Leonard brings her highly acclaimed exhibit, Al Rio, to Paris. The prolific exhibit explores the geography of great American river, the Rio Grande, that divides the U.S. and Mexico with over 300 black and white photos, while it also touches upon society, culture, and the environment.

October 15, 2022 to January 29, 2023

Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris

11 Ave. President Wilson, 75116

https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-show-exhibition/272592/zoe-leonard-al-rio-To-the-river

Monet/Mitchell

Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell, both artistic masters of landscape and gardens in the 19^th and 20^th century, have come together to create a visual dialogue gapping their generations. The 60 plus paintings in the exhibition capture Monet’s garden in Giverny and Mitchell’s abstract works she painted from the 1960s to the 1980s, in the village of Vétheuil near Giverny.

October 5, 2022 to February 27, 2023

Fondation Louis Vuitton

8, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi Bois de Boulogne, 75116

https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/events/claude-monet-joan-mitchell

Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love

The talented author and musician Julie Skolnick will be sharing about her romantic memoir, Paris Blue: A Memoir of First Love, about her first true love she met in Paris in 1976 and will also give a flute concert accompanied by pianist Aurelien Pontier.

October 12, 7pm-8:30pm

Reid Hall

4 rue de Chevreuse, 75006

https://globalcenters.columbia.edu/events/paris-blue-memoir-first-love-7-pm-paris

Edward Munch: A Poem of Life, Love, and Death

A sweeping retrospective of the genius of Norwegian painter Edward Munch will cover his entire career with over 100 works, including paintings, drawings, prints, and engravings.

Until January 22, 2023

Musee d’Orsay

1 rue de la Légion d'Honneur 75007

https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/edvard-munch-poem-life-love-and-death