The Roma Diaries #3

Living in Rome has given me the opportunity to travel to far away places that I never would have thought or planned to go, since I have to take advantage of proximity being here. As you read in my previous post, a couple of friends and I traveled to Israel for a weekend trip. What a dream come true. We arrived and spent the night in Tel Aviv and took off the next morning to explore a bit.

Mornings // We rented a car and from Tel Aviv drove to Jerusalem, then to the Old City and spent a whole day there. What a beautiful city it is! Definitely not what I expected but the history there is very powerful. We spotted many tourists around the city and a lot of the locals also speak English. The picture above was taken at the Mount of Olives where you see all the olive trees overlooking the city. Our mornings were pretty busy given the little time we had, but our exhaustion at night was so worth it.

Afternoons // We spent them shopping at the markets and enjoying the local foods. There are streets and streets filled with so many things that I wanted to buy everything. Beautiful colors, textiles and so many handmade items that you can really see the time and effort the artisans took to create each one. 

Evenings // We made sure to eat very well for dinner. The guys researched and found the best restaurants in the area since who knew when would we ever be back. If you are in Tel Aviv, MantaRay is a great one to check out. It's right on the water and, during the day, you get a great view. The food and dessert were amazing!!

* Not a sponsored post for the restaurant. Visit their website here.

* More Roma pics here.

* All photos taken by Katty for Xiokat and edited with Norma and Jean actions from A Beautiful Mess's Mini Collection. 

More travels....

I have been living out of the states for a month now and it has been an amazing experience. The opportunity has now come for me to travel outside of Italy, so today we are off to Israel for a couple of days and I couldn't be more excited! It's one of those places I have always dreamt of going but never really thought I would actually go so soon. A group of friends were planning this trip and one of the them invited one of our friends and she invited my roommate and I, and of course we couldn't say no to that. We will be visiting Tel Aviv, Nazareth & Jerusalem. Having been raised Catholic, I am most excited to see the culture, history and roots of where it all started.  I don't know how the internet will be there but I will try to post some pics up on my instagram. Follow along! 

baci
Katty

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new york city love

 | The High Line |

| Brooklyn and fabric shopping in the city |

Finally sharing a few pictures of our July trip to New York City. It had been way too long since our last visit - almost 2 years! Katty was attending the Premiere textile show in the city and we decided to make a weekend trip of it to scout some fabrics for xiokat. Not to mention all the inspiration the city gives us!

We stayed with a friend on the Upper East Side, went to the Met for the Punk and Chaos exhibit, fabric shopped and then met up with our friends, who were also in town, at the High Line. That day was probably one of the hottest of the summer and we sure felt it as we walked all over the city, but it was worth it. We went for dinner that night then drinks around town. Sunday we headed to the Brooklyn flea market and the Artists and Fleas. We met a lot of talented artists and designers and picked up a few goods to bring home. We sat near the water and enjoyed a couple of beers with friends. I left the next day after exploring the city solo while my sister stayed for the show. All in all a short but relaxing and productive trip. We can't wait to come back!

 Guanajuato, MX 

Rooftop Party | Guanajuato

Destination :: Mexico

Off to Mexico this weekend for a wedding in the beautiful town of Guanajuato.

Can't wait to explore the colorful alleys, shop at the mercados for artisan goods, eat some delicious food, and possibly visit the Diego Rivera museum. We extended our trip past the weekend to celebrate my birthday there. Planning to come back with tons of inspiration for the upcoming collections!

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-xio

{ roadtrips + adventures }

Just got back from 10 days of exploring the southwest and 

visiting a few places I missed while living in Arizona...

Took a roadtrip from Phoenix to 

Havasu City, Kingsman, Williams, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, and Sedona.

Drove on Historic Route 66, ate yummy food (fish tacos!), had a few margaritas, 

explored some caverns, spent time with good friends (that I miss lots!), 

and stopped/shopped at many antique/thrift stores along the way, among other things.

I ♥ roadtrips!

{ photos credits } xiomi

{ vegas }

Katty is in Las Vegas right now attending the Magic Show, a trade show for fashion, textiles and accessories. It’s her first time there and I know she must be having a blast, as I did two weeks ago when I was there for the first time too! I went with the girls from the showroom I work at to also attend a trade show, the World Furniture Market. There was so much inspiration at the show and in the city itself: 

 The city lights!

 Ceiling at the Bellagio!

 The interiors of the new City Center!

Every hotel and restaurant interior 

(this bar reminded me of a project I did for school!)

Plus all the furniture and accessories that I saw at the show!
I can't wait for Katty to share her pics!