Reims, France the capital of champagne. The small town is a typical french town for its architecture and style, but behind wooden doors, high walls and under the pavements of the city lies a world dedicated to the most appreciated bubbles in the world. Behind one of these doors you can find the Hôtel du Marc, the former home of Madame Clicquot, and now a 6 bedroom villa opened only to the guests of the Veuve Clicquot house of champagne.

Built in 1840, it has incredibly survived through two World wars and after renovations by french designer Bruno Moinard, the villa is a beautiful place where guests can feel at home. As a guest of Vueve Clicquot it was my home for the 3 days I spent in Reims discovering the world of champagne, and a welcoming place to people who find joy in the finest things in life like design, food and wine.

The reason of this visit was to discover the new champagne of the Veuve Clicquot Rich. A new experience of serving and sipping champagne that makes it the perfect summer choice. In a next post I'll be writing more about it, while for now I wanted to show the amazing photos of teh design in Hôtel du Marc.

[caption id="attachment_9906" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot Rich Hôtel du Marc[/caption]







[caption id="attachment_9903" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Hervé Van der Straeten mirror[/caption]











[caption id="attachment_9896" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] The Japanese room Hotel Du Marc[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_9894" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] ''Cadre de Vie'' Pablo Reinoso Hôtel du Marc[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9893" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Charlotte Olympia Veuve Clicquot Collaboration[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9892" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Veuve Clicquot Book - A novel cookbook for all celebrations[/caption]







[caption id="attachment_9910" align="alignnone" width="1050"] Jugnet+Clairet Chandeliers at the Veuve Clicquot Atelier[/caption]

It has become a yearly appointment, I have to go back to Florence at least once a year. Most of the time it is for work, and sometimes and I can squeeze in a long weekend of relax. I have my own list of things to see and places that I haven't visited yet because I've taking it slowly every time. During this last visit the mission was to go around and try to get lost in the streets. This way I discovered an amazing place 'The Rose Garden' by created in 1865 by Giuseppe Poggi, who also has designed the famous Piazzale Michelangelo.

Florence it is not just a city, it is an experience. This time I got an experience even with my stay, which was at an artist's apartment booked with Solo Affitti Vacanze, which was located in the very center of the city, behind the famous Duomo. A perfect location for shopping, visiting museums and partying. But what struck me more was the inspiration that the apartment and its interior design gave me during the stay. Surrounded by oil paint supplies like brushes and palettes it looked like an invitation to try my artistic skills, skills that I don't have for sure but that I didn't know I wanted to have. My walls at home are white with no paintings on, so seeing the creations by the artist that owned the apartment I started thinking of giving it a try.

I'm back now from Florence and haven't acted yet on my desire to try painting, but now that I'm looking again at the photos that desire emerges again. Experiences like this are unique, that is why I have stopped booking hotels and I am renting every time someone else's home.  Entering someone else's world and this time it felt like I was the artist for those 2 days spent in Florence.

 Check out the trip video recap #007MissioneVacanza

*This post is written in collaboration with Solo Affitti Vacanze.

I remember the first car that did fascinate me as a child. It was a neighbor's  white pickup from the late 80s and he didn't mind letting us children play with it. We didn't have the keys or anything, but we were allowed to jump inside and travel with our imagination. We would first fight on who'd be driving, then once that was settled the driver would pick the location and 10 children would be going all together in an imaginary trip to the Sahara desert, the Chinese Wall or the Machu Picchu. Since that early age my fascination with cars has always been about the trip itself and the experience of getting to the destination.

The day I got my driving licence I was not able to park at all, I remember clearly the instructor yelling ' Your parking skills are terrible, you can't be driving in a city and go shopping' to which I answered 'I'm not going shopping sir, I'm going on a road trip'.

Today sometimes I go shopping, but the driving experience I enjoy most is a journey to somewhere, anywhere. Those journeys can be also organized inside the city and this Milan Design Week I'm taking one of those city journeys, visiting all the design districts around Milan for 6 days with the new Lexus NX Hybrid. 

[caption id="attachment_9528" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Fuori Salone 2015[/caption]

The first stop was the at the Lexus: Journey of The Senses exhibition in Via Tortona 32. The space is designed as an experience showing how much important are the senses to the driving experience. Designed by French designer Philippe Nigro the 'Inside Out' concept enables visitors to experience beauty from every angle. The various zones stimulate different senses so that we can make new discoveries.

Zone 1: Engaging the Senses gives us a look into the future with the display of the Lexus concept car surrounded by hundreds of mirrors that reflect every angle and car details.

Zone 2: Exploring the Senses is based on the works of 12 designers that were invited to explore the theme of 'Senses' and interpret it across a wide range of disciplines. From fashion to engineering, 12 innovative ideas have taken shape.

Zone 3: Experiencing the Senses through a tasting experience done in some non-ordinary settings. Moving on through a series of latticework cocoons that evoke the Lexus philosophy of 'Inide Out' every cocoon has it's own tasting from chef Hajime Yoneda who takes from its own Lexus driving experience and develops the food concept. Entering the first cocoon I was immersed in the experience of driving in a rainy day. While rain sounds and sights were something I was already acquitted with, when the tasting moment of 'raindrops' made of sparkling candy came I wasn't ready for the sensation of feeling raindrops in my mouth. The second experience is about beauty of the nature in a cocoon that resembles the inside of a tree, with the sounds of a growing forest and the tasting of the ‘life force of a tree’ wrapped in cacao butter that when bitten releases fresh aromas of greenery.  The third experience is about hospitality, and what better representation than the Earth itself that with its gifts of water, air and nature welcomes us all. A warm soup for the tasting, a sky full of stars from outer space as a surrounding and mother Earth in the center of the room is the experience that reflects the Lexus commitment to the planet's future with itshybrid technology.

[caption id="attachment_9516" align="aligncenter" width="700"] LEXUS AN EXPERIENCE OF EXHILARATION[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9515" align="aligncenter" width="700"] LEXUS EXPERIENCING BEAUTY INSIDE OUT[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_9517" align="aligncenter" width="700"] LEXUS EXPERIENCING THE LIFE FORCE OF EARTH[/caption]

*This post is in collaboration with Lexus. Follow all the updates on Milan Design Week with Lexus NX Hybrid on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook