Travel + Leisure July 2022

Stefan Giftthaler A ROMAN’S HOLIDAY (P. 72) “Staying at the Hotel Punta Rossa in San Felice Circeo was a fantastic experience,” says the Milan-based photographer. “You feel like you are back in the golden age of Italian cinema.” Giftthaler has photographed for Vogue and Architectural Digest. Maria Shollenbarger A ROMAN’S HOLIDAY “Lazio felt kind of like a throwback to the days when the world didn’t know every last corner of Italy thanks to Instagram,” says the regular contributor to T+L and contributing editor at the FT. “Winding down my summer there was pure bliss.” Nneya Richards COVER Bergamo, Italy–based Richards has styled the likes of Michelle Obama and Ansel Elgort—making her an obvious choice for our cover shoot in Lazio, Italy. “I’m thrilled with the photos,” she says. “And to have traveled to a new, beautiful place in…

SLIGHT CONFESSION: I don’t drive. That’s not to say I can’t drive, as my New York State license proves. But as a longtime city dweller, I’ve gotten comfortable taking subways and taxis and buses. These methods of transportation, however imperfect, are now as familiar to me as a four-wheel-drive is to someone who lives in a rural part of the United States. Still, I believe in the universal appeal of road trips and the sense of freedom they bring—of just picking up and going somewhere, with music and snacks, laughter and bickering, scenery and your companions as a welcome distraction. Many of us Americans grew up memorizing the 50 states and their capitals, making lists of places to explore with a road in front of us and the wind at our backs. This…

A GLOBETROTTER’S GUIDE TO THE LATEST IN TRAVEL Small cities, quiet suburbs, country towns: these are the types of destinations that aren’t often covered in a glossy travel magazine. But sometimes—maybe even most of the time—when you find yourself in one, you fall head over heels. This month, Travel + Leisure celebrates the varied and vibrant appeal of Main Street America—something the people who know and love these places have appreciated all along. POPULATION 176,000 FLY IN TO DENVER (DEN) KNOWN FOR COLLEGE-TOWN CHARISMA PERFECT FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART WHEN HARPER GOFF, an illustrator and production designer for Walt Disney, was asked in 1951 to draw up plans for a section of the company’s new California theme park, he thought back to his childhood home: Fort Collins, Colorado. Established as a military outpost…

POPULATION 38,676 FLY IN TO NEWARK (EWR) KNOWN FOR QUIET WITH A SIDE OF CULTURE PERFECT FOR CITY FOLK WANTING TO PRESS PAUSE THREE YEARS before launching the makeup line that made her a household name, Bobbi Brown left the glitz and glamour of Manhattan to move to Montclair, New Jersey. Located in the foothills of the Watchung Mountains, it’s just 12 miles from N.Y.C.—“but once you’re there,” she says, “you feel transported.” She raised three children in Montclair with her husband, Steven Plofker, all the while overseeing a growing cosmetics empire. Montclair became Brown’s muse when, in 2016, she severed ties with her namesake brand and began to channel her creativity in a new direction. The place had “everything,” she says—“all the energy, cool businesses, and interesting people you can find in the city”—but…

POPULATION 33,027 FLY IN TO GRAND RAPIDS (GRR) KNOWN FOR DUTCH DELICACIES PERFECT FOR EUROPHILES STAYING STATESIDE YOU DON’T HAVE to sail across the Atlantic to get a taste of the Netherlands. Instead, look for the fields of colorful tulips, a giant wooden windmill, and delicious Dutch food in Holland, Michigan. Founded by Dutch settlers in 1847, the town has maintained its historic roots thanks to a remarkable number of family businesses that have been passed down through the generations. After a 30-minute drive from Grand Rapids, crossing the Macatawa River into downtown Holland feels like stepping into another country—especially once you see the 125-foot De Zwaan windmill. De Zwaan, Dutch for swan, was brought over from the Netherlands in 1964, and is the main attraction of the Windmill Island Gardens (cityofholland.com). Tour its four…

POPULATION 54,341 FLY IN TO RALEIGH-DURHAM (RDU) KNOWN FOR CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY PERFECT FOR SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY YOU COULD EASILY drive past the small highway marker on the side of an unremarkable road in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. But if you stop to take a closer look, you’ll learn that Martin Luther King Jr. first gave a version of his “I Have a Dream” speech at a high school here, just nine months before the March on Washington. Once a hub for the cotton, railroad, and tobacco industries, this city—which lies an hour east of Raleigh, and is also the birthplace of Thelonious Monk—is now following in the footsteps of other Southern manufacturing towns, turning its historic buildings into creative spaces. But what’s more notable about Rocky Mount is who’s driving the revitalization…