Dear ITG,
I’m back in Paris after my trip to Rome! Every couple of months my kids get two weeks off of school (it’s a French thing), and I work remotely for my skincare brand Furtuna Skin, my husband and I try to take the kids some place new. This time around, my husband and I ventured off to Rome with our kids, who had never been to the city, before heading off to La Furtuna Estate, the 800-acre farm where we forage all of the ingredients for Furtuna Skin. Rome in the Spring is just so beautiful. It’s the best time of the year—it’s not too cold and not too hot. The day we arrived we did a walking tour of Trastevere, which is a neighborhood in the heart of Rome that gives you a spectacular view of the city. You can basically see all of the Colosseum. We went in the afternoon, but if you go at noon, they shoot off a cannon—that’s how people knew it was lunchtime back in the day. We finished out the day with a pasta making lesson from chef Fabio Bongianni, who has taught pasta lessons for a lot of famous people. We made cavatelli, ravioli, cacio e pepe with linguine, and spaghetti with a red sauce and sausage. The cooking class is on a little island, and when you’re there, chef Bongianni takes you outside on his balcony and you can see the oldest bridge in Rome.
The next day, we did a tour of the Colosseum. I couldn’t walk inside of the Colosseum the last time I was there, but Tod’s (yes, the fashion brand) recently finished their renovation of the site. We were also able to visit Ostia Antica, too. It’s an archeological site about an hour and a half outside of Rome. It’s one of the few places where you can go and see how ancient villages were set up and how Romans lived—where the little storefronts were built, and where the old bath houses sat. You can still see the intact ancient mosaics on the ground. That same day, we went to the Castel Sant’Angelo, the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Some people don’t think it’s as important as the Colosseum or other important sites, but I think that it’s incredible to visit, especially if you can go at night and see the city all lit up.
On the food front, Angelina Testaccio had a delicious pasta carbonara. Early in the trip we had a nice bottle of Barbaresco at Tullio, which is such a classic Italian restaurant. But my favorite was testing my favorite dessert, tiramisu, at every single restaurant we went to, to see who had the best. Dal Bolognese and Hotel de Russie came out on top. Hotel de Russie also has the most beautiful garden. You can’t tell that you’re in a busy city when you’re there because it’s so tucked away. It’s great for people-watching, too. You get to see all of the Italian ladies lunch there.
After a couple of days in Rome, we flew out to Sicily to La Furtuna Estate. About 70 percent of the property falls within the Monti Sicani Biological Preserve, which means it’s strictly protected for its rare, threatened, and valuable species, and everything on it is fed with natural spring water that comes down from Monte Barraù. Our journey here started when my husband was 10 years old. His grandmother’s stepfather sold the land, and my husband promised her he would one day buy it back and bring it into the family again. Visiting was a simple moment for us to enjoy as a family after a few packed days in Rome. The kids love to play basketball, play with their dogs, and drive the tractors around the farm. We also did a lot of hiking through the olive groves and cooking—so many pasta dishes.
I always travel with the same four products from Furtuna—Acqua Serena micellar essence, which I especially need for the plane, Porte Per La Vitalità face and eye serum, Due Alberi biphase oil, and Rinascita delle Olive balm for an extra dose of hydration. To counter pollution in Rome and remove sunscreen, I triple cleansed with our Cielo Puro oil balm and micellar essence. At the farm, I added our Visione di Luce eye cream, Perla Brillante day cream, and Fior di Luna night cream because I had a little more time on my hands. Plus, after so much sunscreen application, I really needed to exfoliate with our Tesori di Seta exfoliator. A friend of mine recently gave me the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen. I took it with me to test out in Rome, and I didn’t burn. It’s nice and light. Even my kids, who hate putting on sunscreen, didn’t mind it. Makeup-wise, I’ve been loving Victoria Beckham’s Contour Stylus. I love how skinny and long it is. I’m an amateur makeup artist, and I appreciate how easy it is to blend out. Her Satin Kajal eyeliner and Vast Lash mascara are part of the mix, too. The Seafoam eyeliner is so fun, but I especially love the Gold Lamé shade for a night when I want a little shimmer. I love to make tinted oil by mixing our Biphase oil with Westman Atelier’s Illuminator Drops. It’s perfect if you don’t like wearing a lot of foundation like me. Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks blush in Chouchette is fantastic, too. And I wore Westman Atelier’s Lip Suede in Le Rouge one night. It’s very pretty and chic.
One thing I always do even when I’m traveling? I take a shot of our LXR06 extra virgin olive oil every morning. I pack a small bottle and store it in my makeup bag. EVOO is great for the microbiome. It’s also anti-inflammatory and helps regulate your blood sugar. It really sets up my day. Since I’m not in my kitchen at home, I’ll just take a shot right in the bathroom when I go wash my face. Everyone should try it.
Love,
Agatha
—As told to Daise Bedolla
Photos via the author