Journal

Stories of Italian living, the art of the table, and the places behind MI RE LA

Italian Lifestyle Journal

Where would you like to start?

Everything we have written on linen, on the motifs we embroider, and on the table they end up on.

What We Make

What each piece is, what size it comes in, and how to choose between them.

Your Table

Wood, marble, glass. What each surface can take, and how to lay a table without covering it.

The Collections

Where each motif comes from, why we chose it, and what it means in the place it belongs to.

Caring for Linen

Washing, drying, the first two minutes of a stain, and what a coated finish actually does.

Hosting

Receiving people. The seasons, the kitchen island, and the hour before dinner.

Trunk Shows

Where to find us in person, and what linen turns out to be once you can pick it up.

Who We Are

Two people, a workshop in Italy, and the reason any of this exists. The flax, the embroidery, the hands and the machines, and where the name came from.

The Animal That Returned to the Rock
In 1965 eight ibex were released in the Dolomites. One pair walked away, crossed two mountain groups, and founded the colony still standing above Cortina.   Read more...
Aperitivo, Back Inside
Après-ski faces backwards, toward the slope. Aperitivo faces the other way. The Italian hour between the last run and dinner, and what a table is for once people start using... Read more...
The Mountain Does Not Need to Be Added
Antlers on the wall, skis over the door, checks on every cushion. The houses in Cortina that convince you do the opposite, and they always have. Read more...
The Flower Closest to the Rock
The emblem of the Alps did not come from the Alps. It arrived from the deserts of Central Asia during the ice ages, wearing a coat built to survive drought. Read more...
Before the Chairlift
In 1925 a cable car saved you an hour of walking. In 1936 a sledge carried fifteen people up through the snow. Then came a single chair, and one skier... Read more...
When the Kitchen Joins the Room
The open kitchen keeps you in the conversation — and puts dinner's smell in the whole room. How to cook for guests without it taking over. Read more...
A Village That Learned to Receive the World
Most people already have an image of Cortina. It is real, but it is not the beginning. A prologue to Collezione Cortina and the five motifs from the valley.   Read more...
The Dragonfly Rarely Stays
Light without being fragile. The story behind the dragonfly embroidery in Collezione Toscana.   Read more...
Lavender Beyond Provence
Provence made lavender iconic. Tuscany gives it a different accent — the story behind the lavender embroidery in Collezione Toscana.   Read more...
Let the Table Breathe
Garlands, candlesticks, objects everywhere — then the guests arrive. Our 25% Rule for a table that is beautiful and actually usable. Read more...
A Summer Stop in Bridgehampton
A special selection developed for L'Épicuriste — six summer days on Main Street in Bridgehampton, July 30 to August 4. Read more...
A Guest Will Not Open Your Drawers
MI RE LA · Italian Lifestyle Journal Hosting · The Guest Room A Guest Will NotOpen Your Drawers What to leave out in a guest bathroom, what to leave in... Read more...