Our intrepid, inaugural Designer Travels contributing editor, Laurie Blumenfeld, returns to close out the 2025 edition of this series, sharing her travel insights from her recent trip through Italy.
Destination: Umbria and Rome
Month traveled: October, 2025
Duration of trip: 9 days
Temperature range: Mid-high 60’s Fahrenheit. Rainy and misty in Umbria; sunny and clear in Rome.
Solo trip or vacation with family/friends? Vacation with my husband.
First visit here or repeat destination? This was my 9th trip to Italy.
What drew you to this locale?
I chose Umbria for this trip because of its off-the-beaten-path allure. Orvieto is a serene hilltop village with stone streets and sweeping views. Rome was a natural stop to revisit for endless art and design inspiration. An additional reason for choosing Italy: My husband spent his early childhood living in Italy, and we make a point to visit a different area of Italy every year or two. He has dual citizenship. Our dream and future goals are to live part-time in Italy.
The lodgings…
For all of our trips, no matter the location, we hire the fabulous travel designer, Erica Gragg of Escape Artists Travel. I am in the process of expanding my design business to include boutique hotels and hospitality, so together, through that lens, we selected the stunning Palazzo Petrvs in Orvieto, Umbria, and Casa Monti in Rome.
Palazzo Petrvs is a former church transformed into a boutique hotel. They did an impeccable job renovating and designing the space to both respect and relish in its history and, at the same time, elevate the space through thoughtful modern design details. Custom lighting, tiles and fabrics embrace the local aesthetics. (Bedroom upholstery and outdoor built-ins are a nod to the magnificent Duomo of Orvieto.) The mixture of ancient and modern was combined in the most poetic symmetry.
Casa Monti was designed by the acclaimed Laura Gonzalaz; it’s the epitome of Italian maximalism and a celebration of la dolce vita! The hotel design was decidedly inspired by the bohemian life of Rome and Italian sprezzatura (an Italian concept and term for making something difficult look easy by intentionally hiding the hard work). Sporting layers of vibrant colors and textures, the hotel is located in the bohemian vibe-y area along Via Panisperna and Piazza della Madonna dei Monti — a destination for artists and bustling with restaurants, art galleries and wine bars.
Must-sees for design and architecture enthusiasts…
Orvieto
- The Duomo di Orvieto is the crown jewel of Orvieto. The spectacular façade uses marble surfaces, mosaics with golden inlay, and sculpted bas-reliefs. Inside, the flooring uses red marble. The interior alternates with basalt and travertine in the columns and arches, creating a gorgeous visual rhythm and texture.
- We stumbled upon an abandoned building with dynamic street art. We did a little research and discovered it was in collaboration with the Municipal Association for artistic and cultural enhancement of older urban infrastructure.
- The doors of Orvieto. No two are the same. Ranging from classic wood (natural or painted) to glass and metal shapes.
Rome
“This city is the perfect place for a designer. It’s like walking around an open-air museum” — Silvia Venturini, Fendi designer.
I have been to Rome before, so for this trip, my inspirations came from unexpected places, more off the grid. Not to say the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain were uninspiring (clearly they are iconic!), but they were so overrun with tourists, they were harder to enjoy this time.
- The MAXXI Museum of 21st-century Arts. This extraordinary museum opened in 2010. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, complete with her signature curves, cantilevered forms, and open flowing walkways.
- The building and the exhibits embody many of the same principles that define great interior design — spatial flow, materiality, light, and emotion. One of the most inspiring exhibits was by the artist Nacho Carbonell, a Spanish designer with several prominent installations within the museum. He designs and builds chairs, tables and tree-like sculptures that feel almost organically grown versus designed. His use of materials ranges from resin to concrete, metal and paper. The works were all simply mesmerizing.
- On our daily winding walks through the city, we often stumbled upon fascinating examples of stratified architecture. The juxtaposition of modern buildings layered onto ancient Roman architecture.
Postcard moment…
Orvieto
- The landscape of Orvieto. Endless beauty. Sweeping layers of texture in an array of greens and yellows.
- We chose to do a food and wine tasting dinner at our hotel. Not only was it delicious, but the food presentation was as beautiful as an abstract painting.
- The way the vines grow over the buildings, forming their own sculptural design statement.
Rome
- When the sun sets over Largo di Torre Argentina and night settles in, it becomes otherworldly. The ancient ruins magnificently glow from the uplighting. It is a magical and transcending experience. Largo di Torre Argentina is where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.
Souvenirs…
Travel shopping, gathering new resources and meeting local artisans is an important part of my business. In the lounge area of our hotel in Orvieto, they displayed an interesting, colorful and textured ceramic by Marino Moretti. I was able to visit his local gallery: Marino Moretti Studio d’Arte in Orvieto. Via Del Duomo, 55. And purchased a fabulous and unique large-scale bowl from his collection. I was struck by the vibrant color and organic textures. The blue glaze is made with copper oxide and soda water. He will be on exhibition in February 2026 in Rome, at the Marco Besso Foundation.
In Rome, we came across a small boutique, Celadon. I struck up a conversation with the owner and learned that she and her mother are the artists and business owners. We bought a set of handmade espresso cups. Their design is a nod to Art Deco; porcelain with platinum details.
We wandered around the Centro neighborhood. Brimming with art galleries and quaint side streets. There, we discovered another woman-owned shop, Vidi Margutta, for the chicest eyewear. Silvia is the owner, along with her sweet pup Ashoka. Her studio boasts hand-painted wallpaper and ethereal murals. How could I not purchase a pair of “only 100 pairs in the world”?
Lasting influence…
Italy tapped into all the sides of my design brain. From la dolce vita maximalist colors and patterns of Casa Monti, to the ancient, minimal architecture paired with modern touches at the Palazzo Petrvs. The monumental Colosseum, with its curves, and the repetition of the stripes of the Duomo of Orvieto also left an impression (I’m currently working on wallpaper ideas using the Duomo as inspiration).
Greatest takeaway…
I was reminded that traveling and being surrounded by such vibrant inspiration, color, architecture, history, design, texture and taste deeply affect my design psyche and influence my design work.
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