Summer Stories

London, August 30th 2025

Dearest,

I hope you're well? It's been so awfully long since I wrote to you. But life has been so terribly full since my last letter. A lot has happened but, I must say, I'm terribly happy now. How was you summer? Mine has been so wonderful but incredibly busy! My dear friends and I went to the Opera twice in Hampshire, one of my best friend's birthday party and Henley. 

I have only just returned from the most enchanting trip through France and beyond, and thought it would be lovely to share some anecdotes with you before the glow of it fades into the routine of London life.

We began in started off in the deep south of The Netherlands, where we spent a day driving around visiting charming towns, and visited Mummy's chapel, where she and her brother were baptised and stayed in Maastricht for the night, it was so charming and I just adored Mummy telling stories. Then on to Reims, that cathedral of champagne. The town is beautiful in its own right, but I must confess it was the inexhaustible flow of sparkling coupes that truly made the visit worthwhile. Apart from champagne fields and cellars of various houses we drove through vineyards and valleys and rolling hills, quite magical really. I fear we saw more of the inside of cellars and chateaux than of churches, as one does. But then one must worship where one’s spirits are lifted and where love and inspiration is found. One more glass of champagne as an aperitif or whenever is always a good idea methinks...

From there, we drifted towards history and interiors, two châteaux, each imposing in their own right, but it was Compiègne that captured me utterly. Its salons breathe a grandeur, an elegance that spoke more than any photo of it could. From stark classical simplicity to opulent parvenue grandeur of the Bonapartes. Although I left half-tempted to exchange my London flat for the imperial apartments, not to mention the gilded ballroom we had alll to ourself. When was the last time that ever happened to you?! Don't answer that...

Then on to Deauville, where life was a dream,  strolling at ease between sea and sand. Les Planches with their parasols and cabins and glamour, when people still knew what the word meant. The resplendent base of Le Normandy which whisked away any worry anyone might have, the salt air blowing us through dinner at the many brasseries, you know how I simply adore a brasserie. And I seemed to have had steak and frites or tartare or foie grass the entire holiday as far as I can remember, surely not a bad thing... We had ice cream every day, naturally and we even tried soft ice cream laced with the dreamiest pistachio cream and chewy chunks of pistachio macarons, it was beyond delicious! And of course lovely days on the beach basking in the sun (smothered in suncream obviously) and followed by lunch at the most wonderful Bar du Soleil which was simply wonderful. How happy one can be with simple things in life. It really did feel like a few days in paradise and naturally a few day trips away to Honfleur for example which was very picturesque and a stroll in Trouville.

Lille offered a surprise. I always thought it would be a horrible little town, since the station where one arrives with the Eurostar is not to be mentioned. But, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The town was absolutely filled with delightful shops not be be found elsewhere and we stocked up on pistachio and cherry gaufres (my favourite combination, as you know) and had a moment of relaxation with coffee and gaufres there to recharge. And such beautful buildings too! The next was stop was in stark contrasts with everything we had seen so far, though no less a delight: a modernist villa whose rugs, furniture, wooden panelling and restrained geometry filled me with such inspiration! Seldom have I seen a place like this that swept me right back to my fantasies of les annees 30. It was a veritable altar to clean lines and elegant Moderne living, I confess, one should have a streamlined flat somewhere to entertain with a suite of martinis and a heap of records and myself draped on a leopard fur upholstered chaise and ideally a zebra skin rug, or in winter, me wearing one for the evening. Essential, methinks!

We paused for a day in Antwerp, as fun as ever and it reminded me of a lovely school trip, 100 years ago where I spent the whole day on my own with one of my best friends buying fabulous vintage clothing, how young we were... After that we circled back to The Hague, where family visits were at the top of the list. There, of course, lunch with my sister at HQ, des Indes which restored me to the natural order of things followed by a stroll on de Lange Voorhout, naturally and a visit to my favourite little museum, how Dutch Baroque always fills me with joy. I had a particularly divine dinner with a dear friend of mine, who as always reminded me how wit and excellent and inspiring conversation can intoxicate more thoroughly than any champagne coupe, which we also had and cigars in her garden. She's my favourite and most knowledgeable purveyor of fine prints and we talked endlessly about books, Europe before the war, life and anything else we could think of, as always. I felt recharged after that.

And so, back in London, where autumn is already plotting its arrival, today was particularly autumnal. The rain was incessant and it felt like a November morning this morning, after I was already woken up by the rain earlier at night. Let's hope we get a few more nice days, but not too hot, but nice enough so we can show off a bit more of that summer glow, before we return to our porcelain pallor and dress up in our fur coats and endless knitwear. I find myself both content and recharged. The season ahead feels like a stage waiting for its curtain to rise, as the heavens know we always have a lot going on this time of the year and I look forward to my next little adventure very soon...

Dearest, I trust you're well and life treats you kindly? What are you currently reading? I'm re-reading one of my books, as per usual, and am looking forward to a rather interesting book that a very dear boy has written and sent to me from a not so far away land namely, The Netherlands. I shall report back once I've started it. Look forward to hear from you.

Yours, as ever,

Fabio