If you’re anything like me and justify your shopping addiction by supporting local businesses, let me introduce you to Siembra Heritage.
Siembra Heritage is a small business that supports small businesses – so really, everyone wins. This SoCal-based shop captures coastal culture in each of its one-of-a-kind accessories handmade from sustainable materials by native Argentinian communities.
From leather bags and woven totes to belts, hats and crystals, Siembra Heritage founder Jacqui Stephen commits herself to connecting Argentinian craftsmanship with Southern California style through each collection.
My woven ‘Beata’ bag from the Carandillo Collection will be by my side at the beach all summer long. It’s sturdy, lets sand seep through and best of all, fits a bottle of rosé just fine.
Not only does Stephen source the products herself, but she also returns 10% of her company’s revenue to the Qom and Wichi villages that have helped make Siembra Heritage happen.
Siembra Heritage has new collections coming soon – shop its latest styles here.
Helllooo world! As I make my debut as a #blogger (NBD), I couldn’t think of a better way to start off than to share some bits and pieces of my trip to Italy over the summer!
In April, I was accepted to the summer program at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan which is what originally gave me an excuse to travel to Italy. I wanted to explore more of the country while I was there, though, so I decided to fly over a few weeks early to extend my trip.
The Amalfi Coast is the first place that I traveled to, and it is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Located on the Sorrentine Peninsula in Southern Italy, the pastel-colored coastal towns are built upon lemon-tree covered hills, and they overlook the beautiful blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
One night, I took the ferry to Positano. It was rainy so I didn’t get to wander as much as I would’ve liked to, but I did get to munch on a delish margherita pizza and sip on my first of MANY Aperol Spritzes at Chez Black. Once the rain died down, I was able to make my way to the top of the hill to get a load of this pretty little view.
For my last day in Amalfi, I booked a boat trip to Capri. This was one of the most amazing days that I had during my time in Italy. The trip lasted about 8 hours while we cruised along the coast and saw the Baths of Queen Giovanna, a natural waterfall in Sorrento and once we got closer to the island, the White, Green and Blue Grottos. Before we got off the boat to explore the island, we anchored down, popped the prosecco and jumped in the crystal blue (absolutely freezing) waters of Capri – such a surreal experience that I will remember forever.
My next stop was Rome, where I met up with a friend from school whom I spent the rest of my trip with. If I had one word to describe myself in Rome, I would probably break the rules, use two and call myself a hot mess. The city is amazing with so many beautiful places to see – a few of my favs being Saint Peter’s Basilica, The Vatican and the Trevi Fountain – but when you’re stalked on your way home for the night, get a ticket on the bus from the Italian police and almost miss your train to Florence, well…let’s just say that Rome was a big fat lesson learned.
On the bright side, Florence treated us well due to the lack of public transportation and stalkers (lol, kidding). Seriously though, it’s nice that you can walk all over the place at any time and still feel completely safe. We met up with some friends from San Diego who happened to be there and took a bottle of wine or two…or three to the Piazzale Michelangelo where we watched the sun set over the entire city. Afterwards, we ate dinner at Gusta Pizza – so tasty, the pizza was heart-shaped and the owner treated us like queens (basically, he gave us free shots of limoncello), so I highly recommend it. We stayed in a hostel that was about a five minute walk from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Gucci Garden and a bunch of yummy restaurants. If you’re in the area, check out La Ménagère and Osteria Santo Spirito – so good.
We took a weekend trip to Venice where we went on a gondola ride through the canals, took a tour of the city and spent a day on Lido Island which was one of the best days ever. We spent a few hours in a hut on an empty beach with the locals who built it along with their pups. The things that you hear and learn from conversations like the ones we exchanged with them are unforgettable.
By now you’re probably wondering if I actually went to school, and yes, I did eventually settle in Milan for two weeks to take a class on Mass Communication & the Media. School was cool because I met so many amazing people from all over the world. When we weren’t in class, we took the train to Lake Como, climbed Duomo di Milano, visited the Armani/Silos exhibition, became aperitivo enthusiasts and got our fair share of the city’s night life.
This trip was everything that I dreamed it would be and more. To be honest, I wasn’t too crazy about the whole study abroad thing at first because I didn’t love the idea of being away from my friends and family for such an extended period of time. But when I learned of the option to study abroad for just a few weeks in the summertime, I decided to apply on a whim the week that the application was due. Though I was initially nervous about traveling to Europe alone and spending my first few days there by myself, I look back on the experience now and am so grateful for being able to travel to the places I went to and meet the people that I did. If you are at all considering a study abroad program, I encourage you to go for it. It’s basically a vacation, but one that will challenge you, present you with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and enrich your entire perception of the world.
Riley Carr 