The summer of Italiamo’s editor-in-chief Sophie van der Meer

Spring begins, summer is being unlocked. In the category of anticipation and hopefully inspiration, I asked all our editors and other colleagues for their best vacation memories and plans. Today it’s the turn of the editor-in-chief of our Italian sister Italiamo.nl: Sophie van der Meer.

Spring is starting, summer is being unlocked. Where are you going on vacation this year and why did you choose this place?

I’m a disaster at planning vacations: I often decide just three weeks in advance to suddenly go away for a few months. My wanderlust has also decreased a bit since corona, and I’ve become even more in love with Italy, where I still have so much to discover. In short: my vacation is not planned yet, but I dare say it will be Italy. I prefer to settle myself ‘at home’ in Florence and make day trips from there. I need to see Sicily, I still have the whole south to discover, and I want to return to Naples. I just need to force myself to take more than one week or a few days off. And maybe that only works outside of Italy...

Zoom in on that perfect evening. Where are you sitting, what’s on your plate, and who’s at your table?

I think of two settings, is that allowed? Although they do overlap: by the sea. Dream evening one is in a well-reviewed restaurant that I found after thorough research beforehand, outside on a terrace with a view of the sea. On my plate pasta, it doesn’t matter which, as long as there’s cheese in it and then tiramisu comes to the table. Or a chef’s menu that surprises me, that’s fine too. A bottle of Fiano next to it is also essential, but with that menu I’d like a wine pairing. Ingredients for a perfect evening where I apparently don’t even need company at the table, because this is already the pinnacle of happiness for me. But ‘happiness only real when shared’ taught me Christopher McCandless, so just put a good friend across from me. Dream evening number two is one I had last year, on the deck of a gently rocking sailboat in an Italian harbor. With the best supermarket wine I could find and a really bad takeaway pizza; the main role is for the sun slowly setting into the sea. Company is absolutely important here, I’d like to have a few good friends on board.

Are you the type to plan, book, and fix everything or do you let it come to you a bit? What is already set and what is still open?

I prefer to plan nothing at all, except for my accommodation. I even like to keep my return flight open. Getting up and feeling what I feel like doing that day is wonderful. Only towards the end of a vacation is there some planning, if there are still ideas left unexecuted. Because I do have plans in my head, I just prefer not to fix them.

Is there still a bit of movement or is vacation for you really ‘rest in place’?

I could never have imagined it before, but nowadays I take my sports clothes with me on trips and suddenly go running. Up the mountain and so on, even though I actually hate running. But I love moving, being active, and sports in general. Furthermore, I really walk an insane number of kilometers a day, I prefer to do everything on foot. Last week I walked almost 25 kilometers crisscrossing Florence, even though that city isn’t even that big.

Have you thought about your summer wardrobe? What’s going in the suitcase and how do you put your outfits together?

I should learn to pack better, because I prefer to wear fixed sets, which is a problem on vacation. You have to take a lot with you if you don’t want to wear the same thing twice. I like to wear outfits that match in shape and color, either bought or put together myself. They can be the brightest colors, but I always remain a fan of white: extra beautiful when you’re tanned. I also need to take a lot of clothes, because I always adjust my clothing to how I feel. Preferably, my legs remain uncovered all summer.

By the way, I’m still not sure whether I’m going to completely overhaul my summer wardrobe this year or just supplement it; I’ll only know once I’ve ‘tried out‘ a round from my current wardrobe. If it feels good, it will be supplementing, if not: overhauling. Usually, my clear fashion choices have a lifespan of about two years. The expiration date of my bermudas should therefore expire this summer, but I doubt that. The loafers can still last another year according to that rule. Perhaps the dress will make a comeback this year, because it hasn’t been prominently present for two years.

Is there already a playlist made for summer 2024 and what will definitely be on it?

Nope. I’m stuck musically in an era when I wasn’t even born yet, so there’s little movement in my playlist. Except for the Italian top 40 which I secretly shamefully listen to and which I would never listen to in Dutch or English.

Is there already a stack of books ready? If so, which?

Not really. When I’m on vacation, I can devour five books in a week. But I haven’t had a week of lounging on the beach for quite a while, so I’m behind on the world in terms of books. I actually always find it nice when someone gives or lends me a book. Then I’ll definitely read it.

Then a few either-or questions.

Bikini or swimsuit? Bikini.

Cocktail or mocktail? Cocktail.

Museum or beach club? Ehhh… Beach club.

Location recidivist (returning to the same place) or adventurer? Location recidivist when I’m alone, adventurer when I’m with someone.

Book or E-reader? Book.

Make a photo book or save everything on your iPhone and never do anything with it? Save everything on the iPhone and then lose it.