VENICE, ANYONE?
Venice, Italy — If you’ve been wondering where everyone went to ‘R & R’ this summer, rest assured, The Malibu Times leaves no beach towel unturned. We think local, but go global.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell reigned in Spain, while Pierce Brosnan made a splash in the Mediterranean and Mel Gibson took the kids off to Rome.
But the real action was up on the Adriatic. That’s where we caught up with Sting and wife Trudie Styler (who apparently let their colony cottage for the summer). Dressed in white and looking very cool, despite the sweltering heat, they savored a full-tilt feast that was oh-so-squisito at Villa Rotonda, which was oh-so-splendido.
Popping across the lagoon, the Venice Film Festival was all-abuzz, drawing Hollywood heavyweights like Helen Hunt, Charlize Theron and Denzel Washington. The Italian papers zeroed in on Nicole Kidman, her dinner at Harry’s Bar and the “mystery man” who kept her company.
So here’s the dish from my dish at the next table: After whetting her whistle with a Bellini (that famed concoction of peach juice and prosecco), the “To Die For” beauty dined on pasta with fresh white truffles and a plate of steamed veggies. More importantly, she was with not one, but two very attractive young men. As for their names – well, as we say in Venice – acqua in bocca!
The very next evening, Terry and Dennis Stanfill hosted a Cinderella-style reception at Ca’ Rezzonico, that magical Venetian palace overlooking the Grand Canal. Following in the footsteps of larger-than-life legends like Robert Browning and Cole Porter, their guests wandered through the palazzo’s majestic rooms and learned all about the achingly beautiful Tiepolo frescoes, which were restored with great love and care thanks to Save Venice, Inc. and its fearless leaders Bea and Bob Guthrie and Tia Fuhrman.
More than 350 of us then sailed over to Palazzo Pisani Moretta for a black-tie, candle-lit gala and danced till the wee hours to the Peter Duchin orchestra. Once again, Save Venice put together an unforgettable weeklong fairytale fete, but beneath all the satin bows and dazzling diamonds is a serious cause. It is worth noting between 65 percent and 70 percent of all international restoration funds from private committees come from this amazing organization, which works tirelessly to preserve the world’s most beautiful city and its artistic gems. Now that’s amore and a lotta lire!
To top it all off, grand dame Elizabeth Taylor came to town with her precious pooch, Sugar, in tow. Ms. Liz hosted a celebrity-studded ball for her AIDS charity, which pulled in high profile pals like Ms. Kidman, sexy Charlize and ber-model Claudia Schiffer.
It was to be sure a settimana molto speciale — the people, the pasta, the palazzi, the paparazzi. Santo Cielo! Now I need a vacation!