Travel + Leisure June 2022

PRASAD RAMAMURTHY CULTURAL CAPITAL (P. 29) The Mumbai-based writer profiled artists and craftspeople in Kochi, India, who are using their work to promote tourism in the wake of COVID. “It’s wonderful to see how locals are embracing the artistic emergence,” he says. TARA RICE PLAIN SAILING (P. 98) “My biggest fear was getting seasick,” says the photographer of her journey along the coastline of Maine, her home state. “Luckily, that didn’t come to pass. So my biggest challenge came later—cooking for myself after a week of being spoiled by the ship’s chef, Anna Miller.” VICKY LOWRY HIGH SUMMER (P. 112) “Returning to Aspen felt like a homecoming of sorts,” says the design writer, who has been visiting the Colorado ski town for the past 25 years. “No matter how much development is booming, the natural environment has remained…

IN THE SUMMER OF 2019, my family and I traveled to Puglia, never imagining that less than a year later, the sun-kissed shores, olive trees, and aperitivi of Italy would be far, far out of our reach. Well, here we are in 2022, and Italy is finally within reach for the Giffords. Though the country has been open to Americans since May 2021, I’m just now planning a trip, slightly overwhelmed by the choices, and wondering, Why did I wait a year? Should we do Rome for two nights, because it’s time for my son to see the Sistine Chapel? Is visiting Capri and Ischia and Sicily in one trip too much? Probably. But this girl can dream. The planning stage of travel is part of the fun. And now that…

A GLOBETROTTER’S GUIDE TO THE LATEST IN TRAVEL IN 1996, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra (sandiegosymphony.org) filed for bankruptcy. Frankly, no one was really surprised. California’s third-largest metropolitan area, the home of the state’s oldest Spanish mission and its youngest baseball team, had never been known as a center of culture. In many ways, it still isn’t: beach volleyball, yes; craft beer, yes; braised-beef tacos, absolutely. But art, music, design? Not in Ron Burgundy’s town. And yet without losing its sandy, sun-damaged charm, San Diego is stepping up its game, and is now home to several impressive new cultural venues. This summer, right on the scenic waterfront, acclaimed conductor Rafael Payare will lead the SDSO in a series of performances at the Rady Shell (theshell.org), a captivating bubble of a building that seems…

PRAIRIE FLOWER James and Louisa Green, owners of Nashville hot spot Otto’s (ottosnashville.com) concocted the perfect drink to sip under the Southern sun. The key? House-made hibiscus simple syrup. “We buy our hibiscus from a local craft tea shop, but it can be replicated at home with any brand,” James says. To make their syrup, mix a 1-to-1 ratio of water and white sugar and boil with a bag or two of hibiscus tea, then let the mixture cool completely. 0.75 oz. hibiscus syrup0.75 oz. lime juice1.5 oz. Insólito reposado tequiladash of cardamom bitterscavaorchid Shake the first four ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into a coupe and top off with a splash of cava. Garnish with an orchid. RAMOS GIN FIZZ This one requires a lot of shaking, but for Danina Calame, bar manager of…

AS A STUDENT of Italian art and literature in Florence in the early 1980s, Temple St. Clair did not expect to fall into the world of jewelry making. Then her mother came to visit, bought an ancient coin as a souvenir, and asked for help finding a local goldsmith to turn it into a piece of jewelry. St. Clair wandered into the Casa dell’Orafo, in Florence’s long-standing goldsmith’s quarter, and found herself mesmerized by the artisans’ craftsmanship. She was hooked—and founded Temple St. Clair (templestclair.com) in Florence in 1986. That same year, Barneys New York commissioned its first fine jewelry line from her studio. Known for her signature rock-crystal amulets and statement cocktail rings, as well as the celestial motifs that appear on many of her pieces, St. Clair still relies…

MOST VISITORS TO Illinois make a beeline for museums and dining in Chicago, or walk in Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps in the capital, Springfield. But the state also has fields, forests, and hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife. And with domestic travel continuing to boom, a new luxury campground is beckoning travelers deeper into the great outdoors. A 90-minute drive southwest of Chicago, Camp Aramoni (camparamoni.com; tents from $450) was built on the site of a 19th-century brickyard and is surrounded by 96 acres of forest along the Vermilion River. Before it opened this spring, owners Jennifer and Tim Bias spent four years turning the land into the first glamping experience in Illinois, complete with 11 safari tents—custom-made in South Africa—that feature hardwood floors, en suite baths, king-size beds, and…