Layne Randolph's Digital Portfolio
Decanter
Giglio Island’s wine legacy is kept alive by modern winemakers who continue grape growing despite the grueling conditions that Italians call viticultura eroica, heroic viticulture.
Alberobello, the symbolic home of the Trulli, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. While the Trulli are a must-see, they are the tip of the iceberg when discovering Puglia’s soul.
Haute Living, August 2024
Over the centuries, the Palermo estate has been a haven where royalty, artists, and intellectuals sought inspiration and respite. The villa’s opulent interiors have welcomed luminaries such as German opera composer Robert Wagner, Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini, and Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, each leaving their mark on its storied halls. Wagner, for instance, stayed on the property in 1927 while he was writing the third act of Parsifal, and 60 years later, at 85, he composed “Villa Tasca” based on his visit.
Napa Valley Life Magazine
Over 400 years ago, Pierre Pérignon joined the Benedictine Abbey of Hautvillers in the Champagne region of France. As a monk, he was given the honorary title of Dom and the prestigious position of cellar master. As the story goes, when Dom Pérignon created bubbly wine, he shouted, “Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!” The rest is history. Dom Pérignon was instrumental in inventing what is now known as Champagne, and he has a posthumous, eponymous Champagne, produced by Moët & Chandon, to prove it.
Napa Valley Life
If it weren’t for the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film, “The Birds,” Bodega Bay might be just another scenic fishing village along the Sonoma Coast. The townspeople of Bodega and Bodega Bay embrace the area’s claim to fame with locations like The Birds Café, a visitors’ center with The Birds theme, and an annual “parade” with attendees wearing costumes from the film.
Napa Valley Life
Yes, it is part of Italy, but any visitor will tell you: Sicily is Sicily. It has an ancient soul and a distinct character. In addition to a flourishing wine industry, it is a fascinating destination to explore, especially the western, less-traveled part of the island.
Haute Living Magazine
Beyond Sardinia’s Vermentino and Pantelleria’s Passito di Pantelleria, there are many little-known island wines to explore. Mother Nature has graced these little slices of paradise with breathtaking panoramas and rare wines that are lively, summery, and highly quaffable.
Haute Living Magazine
Oh, but the history. No family represents the tie between the papacy and the Renaissance better than the Borgheses. The Borghese Family were the Medicis of Rome during the Renaissance period—they owned everything. Beyond the Borghese Gardens, Villa Borghese, and the Borghese Gallery is the Palazzo Borghese in the center of Rome. Cardinal Camillo Borghese bought the palace in the early 1600s.
Haute Living Magazine
This reborn resort feels as chic as it must have been when the wealthy aristocrats, royalty, and international jet set graced it during Palermo’s golden age of the Belle Epoque.
Napa Valley Life Magazine
Southern Lazio’s volcano-to-the-sea area begins at the Castelli Romani and extends to the adjacent Latina region that hugs the coastline from Nettuno to Gaeta. Here, Lazio producers are experimenting with rare and little-used native varieties, and this, coupled with the volcano-to-sea terroir, is elevating the region to a new echelon.
Haute Living Magazine
Everything about the Donnafugata partnership with the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house is based around the Mediterranean island of Sicily. The two powerhouses with Sicilian roots joined forces in 2019 to create an even more powerful collaboration—a wine collection designed with Dolce & Gabbana style and Donnafugata wine expertise.
Napa Valley Life Magazine
This is where ancient Roman nobility and popes sourced the most prized wine, and here, near the town of Velletri, the Ômina Romana (Roman Omens) winery and vineyards thrive. The vines—planted in volcanic soil, warmed by the Mediterranean sun, and cooled by sea breezes—grow in an optimal micro-climate that allows them to express their full potential. And it has—Ômina Romana used the fruit from these vines and state-of-the-art tools and scientific research to produce wine worthy of Italy’s highest rating: Tre Bicchieri.
