Italy Broke My Heart—Ten Years Later, I Went Back | Condé Nast Traveler

"On my first visit, I was supposed to write about this luxurious seaside hotel in Puglia, which has been attracting celebrities and other beautiful people since 2010, but I ended up soaked in Negronis, weeping in the piazza, sobbing by the bougainvillea, hysterical in their hammam, and literally praying on the rooftop of my casetta to one day return as a proud mother. A decade later, I did return—and to my shock, to the same Cassetta Magnifica—and found a glamorously chill haven where gorgeous Europeans, cool Americans, sweet kids, and quiet sophistication collide; my children ran around the piazza I’d nearly collapsed in while my partner and I rode bikes to the sexy beach club for Aperol Spritzes and sneaking kisses, and the whole experience felt deeply, beautifully cathartic." - Alyssa Shelasky