NetJets EU Autumn 2025

THE QUARTER SHARE

- A n IsI

land Sanc t u ary like no oth e r

cd: ROBB AARON GORDON

LOVELANAI.COM

Talaia ©Jaume Plensa, courtesy of the artist

THE NETJETS—THE QUARTER SHARE QUARTER BY NETJETS SHARE

10

Throughout the year, and no matter

the season, evolution is always on our

minds. As such, we have been focusing on

expanding our already exceptional fleet –

an ongoing growth strategy that is

highlighted in this edition.

Our new Embraer Praetor 500 officially took to the skies in

July. With industry-leading speed, state-of-the-art technology

and a comfortable cabin experience, the aircraft complements

our midsize US lineup – you can check out its impressive

stats on page 64. In addition to the Praetor, we plan to add

the Cessna Citation Ascend to the US fleet in mid-February.

Every aircraft addition helps us travel further together.

No matter your destination, we look forward to creating

exceptional experiences, memorable moments and

lasting connections.

Only NetJets!

Harry Seymour

Having recently worked on a list, for

Christie’s, that homed in on the art

world’s top 100 Instagram accounts,

the London-based writer was well

placed to distil the rise of artists

self-promoting their work via social

media. Find out who to follow in

Insta Success (page 44).

Dustin LeFevre

The Utah-based fine-art photographer

spent his childhood taking snaps of the

Oquirrh Mountains, where he was raised.

His innate talent shines through in Turn,

Turn, Turn (page 54), a photographic love

letter to the underappreciated leafpeeping

season of the American West.

Elisa Vallata

With a skill set ranging from art

direction to editing, Italian-born, Britishbased

Vallata is almost as versatile as

the rainbow-like assortment of jewels

she styled for True Colours (page 68) –

not to mention the chameleon she cast

to star in the photoshoot.

Adam Johnson

Chairman and CEO

Chris Hall

In an age of characterless smart watches,

the seasoned journalist is passionate

about sharing the stories behind some

of the world’s greatest traditional

timepieces. In Crowning Achievements

(page 74), he reveals the latest designs

made with both groundbreaking

technology and an abundance of style.

10

Lucy Kehoe

Few ingredients connect gastronomy

with a sense of place as potently as

truffles, which made them ideal subject

matter for the food and travel writer

with a strong environmental interest,

as showcased in her tale of the fêted

fungi’s European resurgence in What

Lies Beneath (page 82).

THE NETJETS—THE QUARTER SHARE QUARTER BY NETJETS SHARE

44

54

74

12

Belle du Jour

With a reenergised hospitality offering,

Charleston’s charms are more beguiling than ever.

pages 16-24

Host with the Most

With Columbus hotel The Junto, Rockbridge CEO

Jimmy Merkel delivers hospitality with heart.

pages 26-28

Old is New Again

In Minneapolis, vintage baseball gloves are being

quietly revamped for both play and posterity.

pages 30-32

Urbane Evolutions

Six cities changing up their cultural fabric

through culinary and artistic renaissances.

pages 34-43

Scrolling with It

Aided by social media, next-gen creatives are

reframing art’s journey from studio to global stage.

pages 44-52

Through the Leaves

For landscapes burnished in seasonal gold and

bronze, we take a peep out to the American West.

pages 54-63

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY LUCIENNE O’MARA, DUSTIN LEFEVRE, © BVLGARI

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GABRIELA HERMAN / GALLERY STOCK, MATEJ PALUH, GREG BRAVE / SHUTTERSTOCK

34

Change in the Air

A sleek package of pace and performance, the

Embraer Praetor 500 is uplifting mid-range flying.

pages 64-67

Full Spectrum

Multihued jewellery to transform autumn’s most

elegant looks in chameleon-like style.

pages 68-73

Dialling it Up

Melding design wizardry with craftsmanship,

the latest haute timepieces are second to none.

pages 74-77

64

A Life Transformed

How Mayo Clinic’s Dr Dawn Mussallem beat

overwhelming health odds to thrive as an athlete.

pages 78-80

Unexpected Treasures

Across Europe, truffles are being rediscovered,

from Greek forests to England’s chalk downs.

pages 82-88

Art of the Season

NYC’s just-renovated Studio Museum in Harlem

sheds new light on African American talent.

page 90

82

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE QUARTER SHARE BY NETJETS

On the Cover

Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, whose magnificent

19th-century dome still encapsulates the city’s evolving

identity. Photograph by Arno Partissimo

Editor in Chief

Thomas Midulla

Editor

Farhad Heydari

Creative Director

Anne Plamann

Photo Director

Martin Kreuzer

Writers, contributors,

photographers and illustrators

Stephanie Burt, Alex Foster,

Chris Hall, Katy Spratte Joyce,

Jörn Kaspuhl, Lucy Kehoe, Dustin

LeFevre, Harry Seymour, Michael

Verdon, Xavier Young

Published by JI Experience GmbH,

Thomas-Dehler-Straße 2,

81737 Munich, Germany

The Quarter Share by NetJets is

the official title for Owners of

NetJets in Europe.

The Quarter Share by NetJets

is published quarterly by JI

Experience GmbH on behalf of

NetJets Inc.

NetJets Inc.

4111 Bridgeway Avenue

Columbus, Ohio 43219,

United States of America

netjets.com

+1 614 338 8091

Art Director

Anja Eichinger

Managing Editor

Claudia Whiteus

Group Publisher

Christian Schwalbach

Michael Klotz (Associate)

Advertising Sales

14

Editor at Large

Emma Ventura

Staff Writer

John McNamara

Chief Sub-Editor

Vicki Reeve

Editorial Assistant

Jamie Watkins

Production Director

Albert Keller

Separation

Jennifer Wiesner

Europe

Katherine Galligan

katherine@metropolist.co.uk

Vishal Raguvanshi

vishal@metropolist.co.uk

US

Jill Stone

jstone@bluegroupmedia.com

Eric Davis

edavis@bluegroupmedia.com

Rachel Hale

rhale@bluegroupmedia.com

Copyright © 2025

by JI Experience GmbH. All rights

reserved. Reproduction in whole or

in part without the express written

permission of the publisher is

strictly prohibited. The publisher,

NetJets Inc., and its subsidiaries

or affiliated companies assume

no responsibility for errors and

omissions and are not responsible

for unsolicited manuscripts,

photographs or artwork. Views

expressed are not necessarily those

of the publisher or NetJets Inc.

Information is correct at time of

going to press.

BY APPOINTMENT TO

HIS MAJESTY THE KING

MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR

CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

CROCKETTANDJONES.COM


QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

To Charleston’s historic cobblestone streets, mossy oaks and

sun-swept beaches, add a heritage-sensitive mix of new hotels,

cultural and dining attractions – all seasoned with the city’s

famous southern hospitality. By Stephanie Burt

16

CHECKING IN

Over the past decade, Charleston has shaken off its Old

South sleepiness while still retaining much of its charm.

The tourists have come flocking, and with them, the

construction of many new hotels. While some feel like

more of the same in slightly different wrappings, a few

stand out, beginning with one of the anchors in town, The

Charleston Place (charlestonplace.com). The distinctive

grand staircase remains a centrepiece, but beyond it, a

$150 million renovation is transforming other spaces,

from rooms to spa to dining, including a new, year-long

From top: a view of

the city’s historic

downtown from a

Juliet balcony at The

Charleston Place

hotel; acclaimed

chef Daniel Humm,

whose Charleston

Place residency

kicked off this

autumn

FROM TOP: PETER FRANK EDWARDS, © THE CHARLESTON PLACE


From top: The Nickel

Hotel’s Europeaninspired

central

courtyard; inside a

cottage-chic suite at

The Dunlin hotel

18

Daniel Humm residency that began this

October in the former Charleston Grill space.

The boutique 86 Cannon (86cannon.com)

has recently been fully realised, after owners

Lori and Marion Hawkins completed a longterm

restoration of this 1860s-era Greek

revival property last year, turning it into an

old-school, 10-room inn blending heritage

values with contemporary luxury.

Two newly constructed hotels, The

Nickel Hotel (nickelhotel.com) and The

Dunlin, Auberge Collection (auberge.

com), nod to the past with a firm eye on

the future. The former sports a King Street

façade with distinctive arched windows

encased in pre-cast concrete, behind

which a lush courtyard is surrounded by

50 lovingly detailed rooms and suites with

plenty of opulent flourishes. In contrast,

The Dunlin, tucked some 30 kilometres

away on the Kiawah River on Johns Island,

recalls a bygone era of breezy, Sea Island

retreats. Incorporating porches, gabled

roofs and 72 cottage rooms, architect

Robert Glazier designed the property in

such a way as to work within the ecosystem

rather than sit on top of it. That means

plenty of open space to observe the

area’s distinctive flora and fauna, be it

Spanish moss moving with the breeze in

the surrounding oak trees or a snowy egret

catching its dinner. It’s rustic elegance,

with wicker accent pieces adding to the

atmosphere, but modern amenities like the

spa – always an Auberge Resorts signature

– as well as a beautifully designed pool at

the river’s edge, keeping the luxury firmly

in the present.

FROM TOP: MATTHEW WILLIAMS, PETER FRANK EDWARDS / REDUX / LAIF; OPPOSITE PAGE: CAMERON WILDER

The dinner crowd alights

at Italian eatery Sorelle,

set within a pair of

restored buildings on

Broad Street

EVOLUTION ISSUE – 2025

EATING OUT

Charleston’s dining scene is also experiencing a burst of creativity inspired by ingredients

rooted in tradition and place, cast through a kaleidoscope of cooking styles. Style is the name

of the game at the recently opened Marbled & Fin (marbledandfin.com), which pays homage to

the glorious mid-century steakhouse tradition, with an interior featuring luxurious banquettes,

plenty of glass, wood and MCM detailing, which sets off its excellent menu of cooked-toperfection

steakhouse classics, including seared wagyu and local raw-bar offerings with Regiis

Ova Caviar service. In fact, unique settings are one of the things that place Charleston dining in

a class of its own. On Broad Street, Sorelle (sorellecharleston.com) meanders elegantly through

multiple historic buildings, so there are plenty of unique tables at which to enjoy one of its

signature dishes – perhaps Pillows of Gold (ricotta tortelloni, prosciutto cotto and balsamico

extravecchio) or Chicken Milanese with local tomatoes.

Merci (mercichs.com), another European-inspired offering, is truly a study in the

perfect marriage of setting and culinary talent – in this case of chef Michael Zentner,

who uses a bevy of local ingredients to paint fine portraits of seasonal selections

in the front room of a 19th-century former residence. Meanwhile, the team behind

Chubby Fish (chubbyfishcharleston.com), which recently landed at number 19 on this year’s 50 Best 19


20

Clockwise from above left: a corner booth at Sorelle looks out to

the 18th-century St Michael’s Church; the laid-back scene at

Coming Street seafood joint Chubby Fish; Merci’s slow-cooked

chicken with braised greens and crispy duck ballotine

Restaurants list for North America, has opened, just

next door, a bar named Seahorse (seahorsechs.com).

Here, where the Elizabeth Ingram-designed interior is

as quirky yet refined as its sister restaurant, ice-cold

whiskey highballs from a Suntory highball machine are

a staple of the menu, as is the freshly fried cacio e pepe

potato chips, piled high with shredded parmesan.

Speaking of whiskey, local maker High Wire

Distilling (highwiredistilling.com), which has

consecutively taken home multiple golds at the San

Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Jimmy

Red Corn Bourbon expressions, is releasing some

exciting new offerings from its Charleston rickhouse,

including a seven-year-aged wheated Jimmy Red

Corn Bourbon, a Double Oak Jimmy Red Bourbon and

a four-year Bottle in Bond peach brandy, all distilled

from South Carolina products.

Spoleto Festival (spoletousa.org), an arts and

culture powerhouse founded in 1977, is still going

strong each May, but in the modern era, the city

has begun to fill with revelry on a regular basis.

Building on the budding restaurant scene when

it began 20 years ago, Charleston Wine + Food

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PETER FRANK EDWARDS, SQUIRE FOX, LINDSEY SHORTER

egwu

BANQUIERS

SWISS PRIVATE BANKERS SINCE 1886

WWW.GUTZWILLER.CH


The bar at High Wire Distilling offers a glimpse into

the production of its award-winning bourbon

(chswf.org) will celebrate two decades

when it returns in March 2026, filling

the city with signature dinners, beverage

seminars and tasting-tent excess.

Food & Wine Classic Charleston

(foodandwineclassicincharleston.com)

added to the city’s culinary blueprint

when it launched last year, bringing

with it a new level of close-up culinary

star power, including Emeril Lagasse,

Tyler Florence and Maneet Chauhan

to hungry audiences. It also hosts its

own flavour of special events filtered

through the magazine’s specific lens in a

multiday offering, with guests treated to

seminars, live-cooking events and plenty

of celebrity chef demos at Charleston

Gaillard Center (gaillardcenter.org).

FROM TOP: PETER FRANK EDWARDS, MCG PHOTOGRAPHY

BROWSING AROUND

22

Beyond food, the city has always been a favoured stop

on the regional indie-music scene, and since 2017,

the High Water festival (highwaterfest.com) at North

Charleston’s Riverfront Park has placed it on the

national radar, with bigger acts filling the two-day bill

each year, from Jack White and Beck to Mavis Staples.

The Gibbes Museum of Art, a Charleston institution,

is also reaching new audiences through Art Charleston

(gibbesmuseum.org), a five-day celebration of visual

arts that expands beyond traditional offerings and

explores Charleston’s evolving cultural identity across

mediums, from fashion and landscape to culinary

excellence. Held every April, next year’s dynamic

event will feature luncheons and lectures, an artisan

community fair and a street party, with all proceeds

going back into the local community.

And for those who want to take art home, not just

celebrate it, Corrigan Gallery (corrigangallery.com), located

on atmospheric Queen Street and celebrating 20 years in

2025, remains one of the best places to peruse. With estate

pieces from Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and Alfred Hutty, plus

Perusing the vast offerings at The Gibbes Museum of Art


24

Blue skies over King Street, Charleston’s

boutique-filled shopping stretch

contemporary local artists such as Hirona

Matsuda and Midge Peery, it achieves the

perfect balance between traditional and

modern.

For more shopping, the aforementioned

Charleston Place renovation has welcomed

higher-end outlets such as Gucci and Louis

Vuitton in the hotel’s signature shops. A

standout on that portion of King Street is

Estelle Colored Glass (estellecoloredglass.

com), founded by the Lowcountry’s

Stephanie Summerson Hall and offering a

rainbow’s array of collectable hand-blown

glass. Her signature is pieces that are

elegant yet full of whimsy, displayed in an allneutral

store that feels like it is showcasing

jewellery. The King Street Antiques District

(from Queen Street to Broad Street) is a

destination district to shop for heirloom

jewellery as well as significant antiques

from the past 300 years, many of which

have graced Charleston homes of the past.

For clothing, fans of high fashion

head to Hampden (hampdenclothing.

com), a destination in its own right

thanks to a variety of offerings from

close to 100 designers, including Isabel

Marant, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin and

Tibi. Although the women’s clothing

boutique has been heralded many times

through the years, it remains fresh

because of its focus on contemporary

and innovative designers and the ability

of its staff to expertly match its clientele

to those that will make them shine.

M Dumas & Sons (mdumasandsons.com),

family-owned for more than 100 years,

remains known for its traditional men’s

clothing and exceptional tailoring –

everything from sportswear by Barbour

to trench coats and Lucchese shoes. Go

on any weekend, and the store is bustling,

with many shoppers, glass of whiskey

in hand, getting measured for a suit or

tailored shirt. It’s a fitting metaphor for

a city rooted in tradition but still always

looking toward the new.

PETER FRANK EDWARDS / REDUX / LAIF


HOMETOWN SPARK

Rockbridge CEO Jimmy Merkel’s path comes full circle with

The Junto, Columbus, Ohio, a boutique hotel that embodies his

community-first philosophy. By Katy Spratte Joyce

26

T

hat spark was lit right away,” says

Jimmy Merkel, CEO and cofounder of

Rockbridge, reflecting on the moment

The Junto opened its doors in his

hometown of Columbus, Ohio. A ground-up

project years in the making, the boutique hotel

was thoughtfully envisioned not just as a place

to stay, but as a kind of living room for the city.

The Trade Room, The Junto’s buzzing groundfloor

hub, quickly became a vibrant space for

coffee, conversation and connection. It was

clear early on that this wasn’t just a hotel; it

was a place where people wanted to be. Merkel

recalls standing quietly inside, watching it all

unfold. “I thought to myself, ‘This is going to

work; this is resonating.’” The atmosphere was

alive, grounded in intention. “Downstairs was

hopping. It was relevant by definition, [where]

you feel like you’re in the right place,” he adds.

Merkel’s journey to opening The Junto began

three decades ago, when he was a student at

the University of Michigan, interning with

Banc One Capital Markets, where he later

launched his career. “I thought I needed to go

to a big city to do investing,” Merkel recalls.

But at Banc, and later Rockbridge, he gained

a holistic perspective, learning from experts

who understood every facet of hospitality,

and he was able to do it right at home. That

early exposure ignited a lasting passion, and

in 1999, when Banc’s real-estate arm spun off

to form Rockbridge, he was one of the original

Right: the cosy

living room of

The Junto’s East

Loft suite

Below: the Belle

Street entrance

of The Juno,

Rockbridge’s new

hotel in downtown

Columbus


FROM TOP: MELISSA CHU, © THE JUNTO

four employees. At its core, he emphasises,

“we are a real-estate hospitality investment

group. Every operating component we build is

designed to increase the odds of growing realestate

value for our investors.”

“I love that this type of investment

activates both sides of the brain,” he adds.

“It lets me use strategy and creativity to build

value in a way that feels meaningful.” Eighteen

years ago, when Rockbridge reorganised,

Merkel became CEO and has since shaped the

company’s unique approach as a vertically

integrated hospitality-focused investment

firm. Keeping development and operations

in-house gives Rockbridge a competitive edge

by ensuring quality control throughout every

stage of the project lifecycle. Merkel stresses,

“That integration leads to better assets and

the ability to drive more risk-adjusted value.”

Rockbridge has also benefited from the

evolution of consumer travel preferences,

where technology and cultural shifts mean

travellers have started valuing authentic,

independent experiences over cookie-cutter

options. These trends have helped bring

independent hotels into the mainstream,

creating a natural opening for Rockbridge’s

MakeReady brand, launched in 2015.

27


“WE CAN DO BUSINESS,

DO IT WELL, AND DO GOOD

AT THE SAME TIME”

Top right:

Rockbridge CEO

Jimmy Merkel

Below, from left:

canapés and

cocktails at the

hotel’s Little West

Tavern; the striking

skyline view from

The Junto’s eighthfloor

Brass Eye bar

Today, with 18 properties scattered across the

US, MakeReady is still “just getting started”,

as Merkel puts it. “We saw a fragmented

market with growing demand,” he explains, “so

we built the business as a long-term solution.”

Running a hospitality business at this scale

demands a unique combination of skills. “The

operating side requires another competency,”

he notes. His team’s process and expertise drive

hotel value just as much as smart development.

The company’s recent acquisition of the Hotel

ZaZa group signals its ongoing ambition.

“The plan is to continue growing with the right

brands underneath our umbrella,” Merkel says.

Merkel’s rise to the upper echelon of

hospitality investing is well documented, but

it’s what you do at the top that truly defines you.

He attributes much of Rockbridge’s success

to a strong sense of community engagement.

“We want to enrich lives and cultivate value,”

Merkel says. That means doing business the

right way, with integrity, and a commitment

to giving back. Enter RTRX, a Merkel-founded

cancer-research fundraising organisation,

embodying his belief that “we can do business,

do it well, and do good at the same time.”

Reflecting on Rockbridge’s decades,

Merkel’s focus remains clear: “Our goal is to

build spaces and places where people want

to be, places that take care of the customer

and deliver true value.” The Junto is a clear

reflection of that ethos. It doesn’t just

add hotel rooms to the city of Columbus; it

adds life. And for Merkel, that’s the point.

thejuntohotel.com

28

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: © ROCKBRIDGE, COLIN MCGUIRE, © THE JUNTO

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PLAYING IT

In Minneapolis, a small workshop is breathing

new life into old baseball gloves – preserving

major-league gear and family heirlooms alike,

one stitch at a time.

By Josh Sims

30

BEFORE


AFTER

As a lifelong Minnesota Twins fan, Jimmy Lonetti says

he’s rather troubled by his team’s recent controversial

trades. But in a few seasons, those troubles will have been

forgotten. Besides, his work – restoring baseball gloves –

has him pondering the much longer term.

“I just fixed one customer’s glove – it was his father’s and

was given to him by his uncle, who’d play catch with it against

the barn door,” he says. “And now he’s using it again to play

with his own grandson. These gloves have sentimental value

for a lot of people.”

Maybe that’s why Lonetti receives gloves from all over the

US, from teams and private individuals alike. And why he pays

such close attention to making them good again. He has,

for example, gone down many a rabbit hole researching the

right leather lacing to use in, say, a specific model of glove

from the 1910s: “You just can’t use the wrong width lace

on a vintage glove,” he insists. Or experimenting with the

perfect leather conditioner (and no, it’s not shaving cream,

for its lanolin content, as baseball myth might suggest) to

get the right colour, or so a glove doesn’t look too new. Even

31


Above: Jimmy Lonetti in his curio-filled shop in

Minneapolis’s eclectic Longfellow neighbourhood;

right: every glove that passes through D&J has

its own story to tell

32

apparent lost causes – cracked and dried out or chewed by

the family dog – are never as hopeless as they seem.

“I like to say that I never refuse a glove,” says Lonetti,

who opened D&J Glove Repair in Minneapolis three years

ago, likely making him and his son and partner, Dominic,

the only baseball-glove repair specialists in the country.

The move to a brick-and-mortar shop came after some 12

years of fixing up gloves from his garage – a retirement

gig following a long career with the US Postal Service.

“I sometimes surprise myself at how I can patch together

something functional again. And it needs to be fit for play

again, not to hang on a wall.”

Not that Lonetti sees any problem with this – the walls

of his own shop are lined with his collection of Twins

memorabilia. And certainly, he’s especially appreciative

of gloves from the 1960s and 1970s, when – before the

forced growth methods of industrial cattle farming – hides

were of a higher quality: strong, soft and lustrous. It’s just

that he hates seeing children new to baseball playing with

neon vinyl gloves when they could be starting out with a

timeworn classic.

He’s not alone. A while back, a woman sent him three

worn-out gloves used by her son, who had died in a house fire.

She told Lonetti, it would help her “heart heal to see them

fixed and to know they were being used again by some kids.”

Lonetti duly made that happen. While he concedes that this

particular story is something of a tearjerker, he finds that

his efforts are usually more about delivering outright joy.

“It’s for all those people who want to create that famous Field

of Dreams scene – and they send me pictures of them doing

just that with what is a family heirloom,” he says.

“Gloves can bond the generations together,” he adds. “It’s

very rewarding for me to rescue a glove and know it’s back

out there being played with. And it’s relaxing and meditative

work for me. I put a ball game on the radio, and the time just

flies.” djgloverepair.com

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF D&J GLOVE REPAIR

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Discover more


La Cité du Vin museum,

crowned by a 180-foot

tower that swirls

above the Garonne River

in Bordeaux

34

CITIES


IN

BLOOM

The most storied destinations sell themselves, but that

leaves, well, the rest of the world. Here, we home in on six

alternative global metropoles – fast-evolving hotspots of

gastronomy, culture and creativity – ripe for rediscovery.

By Emma Ventura

35


36

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © ARS ELECTRONICA, STEFAN BONESS / VISUM, GABRIELA HERMAN / GALLERY STOCK, ALEXIS GERBAUD / UNSPLASH; PREVIOUS SPREAD: © LA CITÉ DU VIN

Facing page, clockwise from top left: Linz’s

Danube-front Ars Electronica Center,

a cutting-edge hub for new media art;

a mural depicting Joy Division’s late

frontman Ian Curtis graces a historic

façade in Manchester’s Northern Quarter;

Austin keeps it weird outside the

legendary Continental Club; dusk falls over

Bordeaux’s La Cité du Vin museum and the

Jacques Chaban-Delmas bridge beyond


Bordeaux, France

With vineyards increasingly opening

their doors to visitors, the wine in and

around Bordeaux is flowing more freely

than ever – but the city itself is the

real revelation

In recent decades, a sweeping urban

renewal has scrubbed its limestone façades

back to golden brilliance and returned the

shine to landmarks such as the Miroir d’Eau

reflecting pool, with the Unesco-listed

city centre navigated via a cable-free tram

system. The 2016 unveiling of the enormous

La Cité du Vin cemented Bordeaux’s place

INIGO BUJEDO AGUIRRE / VIEW / ALAMY

at the top of the global wine pantheon, but

newer cultural powerhouses – such as the

MÉCA arts hub and the immersive Bassins

des Lumières, one of the world’s largest

digital galleries – have broadened its

appeal. Beyond the architectural highlights,

the Darwin Eco-système – a locus of ecofriendly

restaurants, stores, event spaces

and start-ups on the right bank of the

Garonne river – and lively multicultural

markets perfectly encapsulate the city’s

new attitude. Bordeaux may be synonymous

with wine, but today it offers far more than

just a vineyard pilgrimage.

Today’s Pour

Offering wines by the glass from every

Bordeaux appellation, Le Bar à Vin is a

Bordeaux institution.baravin.bordeaux.com

Manchester,

United Kingdom

Music has always been at the

heart of modern Manchester – from

hometown heroes Joy Division in the

1970s to The Haçienda, an iconic

1980s-1990s nightclub

Today, the beat is still pulsing but maturing,

as evidenced by Oasis, whose long-awaited

reunion lit up Heaton Park this past

summer, the arrival of the UK’s largest

music arena – Co-op Live, with a capacity

of 23,500 people – and the extensive

refurbishment of beloved live-music venue

Band on the Wall, set in a Victorian pub.

Above: within La

Cité du Vin, bottleshaped

columns

guide visitors

through the

exhibition path

37


Below: inside

Band on the Wall,

a time-honoured

live-music venue

on Manchester’s

Swan Street

Today, the beat is still pulsing but

maturing, as evidenced by Oasis, whose

long-awaited reunion lit up Heaton Park

this past summer, the arrival of the UK’s

largest music arena – Co-op Live, with

a capacity of 23,500 people – and the

extensive refurbishment of beloved livemusic

venue Band on the Wall, set in a

Victorian pub. The city’s culinary scene,

which has long played second fiddle to

music, is also on song: this year has already

welcomed Shaun Moffat’s well-received

modern British restaurant, Winsome, the

first outpost of Italianate Lina Stores to

open outside of London, and Big Mamma’s

Sardinia-inspired Circolo Popolare. For

stylish stays, there’s chic pied-à-terre

Leven as well as the forthcoming Soho

House and Mollie’s motel. To boot, a new

Foster + Partners-designed Manchester

United stadium is in the works, and there’s

much heritage to discover all around town,

from suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst’s

former home to beautiful libraries (this

being a Unesco City of Literature), and the

Manchester Museum, recently crowned the

best in Europe.

What’s On

Catch two of the UK’s finest symphony

orchestras, Manchester’s Hallé and the BBC

Philharmonic, at a superb concert venue:

the city centre’s The Bridgewater Hall.

bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Little River,

Miami, Florida

Tucked just north of Wynwood and

Little Haiti, Little River has quietly

transformed from an industrial

backwater hub into an epicentre of

art, gastronomy and design

38

Taking its name from one of the city’s

few natural waterways, its weathered

warehouses hum with creative energy,

drawing artists, entrepreneurs and

Michelin-starred chefs. Imperial Moto

Café, a biker-chic coffeehouse, kickstarted

the buzz back in 2016, and it

still delivers great, sustainably grown

brews, but there’s plenty more to

choose from on the F&B front these

days, including La Natural, a Michelin

quadruple-Bib Gourmand pizzeria

serving minimal-intervention wines; and

JODY HARTLEY


ALFONSO DURAN / NYT / REDUX / LAIF

A convivial evening at

Sunny’s steakhouse –

which earned a spot on

The New York Times’s

50 best restaurants in

America list this year

39


40

The Art Deco-era

Industrial Trust

Building and the

1775-built First Baptist

Church in America rise

above Providence’s

historic skyline

STOCKSY

Ogawa, an 11-seat omakase gem with a

Michelin star. Sunny’s steakhouse serves

up retro glamour below a banyan tree,

while The Citadel – part food hall, part

rooftop hangout – packs in everything from

churros to cocktails with skyline views.

Retail is equally eclectic: from Carolina

K’s Latino-inspired luxury lifestyle store

to Mids Market’s thrifted treasures. With

construction in play on a new campus for

major artist support organisation Oolite

Arts, Little River looks set to continue as

Miami’s newest frontier of creative cool.

Perfectly Framed

Art underpins much in Little River;

experience it at Latin American-focused

contemporary gallery Dot Fiftyone, one of

Miami’s best. dotfiftyone.com

nearly 645 kilometres of sparkling coastline

– it was Sky Kim, of raw bar Gift Horse,

who wound up walking away with this

year’s James Beard Award for Best Chef:

Northeast, after all – or that Providence’s

colonial streets teem with students, artists

and innovators (this being home to the

world-renowned Rhode Island School of

Design). Regardless, it all comes together

at the recently opened Track 15, a 1,670sq

m food hall set in the former Union Station

that showcases some of the best culinary

talents in town.

High Tastes

Aperitivo hour at The Beatrice hotel,

where you’ll find the Bellini Rooftop bar,

a panoramic venue by Italian hospitality

royalty, Venice’s Cipriani family.

thebeatrice.com

Below: evocative

sculptures by

Piero Penizzotto

at Primary, a

public artscentred

gallery

in Miami’s

Little River

neighbourhood


Providence,

Rhode Island

Hungry? With restaurants, bars and

nightspots rivalling those of far bigger

cities, Rhode Island’s capital seems

on a mission of late: to prove the

country’s smallest state capable of

punching above its weight

ALFONSO DURAN / NYT / REDUX / LAIF

Four chefs and restaurants in Providence,

which has fewer than 195,000 residents,

were 2025 James Beard Foundation Award

finalists, and this eminently walkable city’s

25 eclectic neighbourhoods are abuzz

with diverse dining, from French-inspired

fine fare at Claudine to Uyghur noodles

at Jahunger and pantry staples at Nicks

on Broadway. It’s really no wonder, then,

that the city has begun luring diners from

neighbouring Massachusetts. It also can’t

hurt that the Ocean State is serviced by

41


A long-exposure shot

captures Swarms,

Ars Electronica’s

drone-based light

performance over Linz

Linz, Austria

From sooty steel town to forwardlooking

cultural hub, the Danube city is

Austria’s underappreciated urban gem

Long dismissed as the country’s ugly

duckling – at least compared to its

famously gilt-trimmed cities, like Vienna

or Salzburg – these days, Linz is awash in

green spaces, aiming to be carbon neutral

by 2040. It also pulses with creativity,

anchored by the Ars Electronica Center,

a glassy, geometric beacon where art,

science and technology collide. Every

September, the Ars Electronica Festival

draws global crowds with its mindbending

mix of futurism and philosophy, while the

riverfront Donaupark stages the annual

spectacular Klangwolke sound-and-light

show, transforming the skyline and

river into a living artwork. Elsewhere,

Lentos Kunstmuseum showcases modern

masters in its light-filled galleries, and

Brucknerhaus concert hall offers a yearround

roster of events – many attended

by the city’s numerous music students.

Above it all sits Linz Castle, dating back

to the 14th century but with a sleek steeland-glass

cultural wing dedicated to the

history of Upper Austria, also conveniently

affording pretty views over the Old Town

and broader cityscape.

42

City Hack

Pick up a Linz-Card for easy access to

museums, exhibitions and public transport.

linztourismus.at

Austin, Texas

Few cities have reinvented

themselves as dramatically as this

hub of nearly one million


© INTEL CORPORATION / ARS ELECTRONICA

Once celebrated for its “slacker” spirit,

Austin is now a glittering cultural and tech

hub, where glassy towers rise beside storied

music halls and stylish new hotels welcome

an international crowd. Elevating the scene

in recent years have been the Commodore

Perry Estate, a Jazz Age mansion reborn as

part of Auberge Resorts; the Austin Proper

Hotel with Kelly Wearstler’s exotic interiors;

the restored mid-century Line Austin; Soho

House; and the botanically inspired Loren

at Lady Bird Lake. Next up: 1 Hotel Austin,

aiming for eco-cred while becoming the

city’s tallest tower. Austin’s dining scene has

soared, too. Breakfast tacos and barbecue

remain legendary – Franklin Barbecue is

still the benchmark – but now share the

spotlight with refined bistro dining at Le

Calamar, contemporary Caribbean brilliance

at Canje, omakase at Craft, modern Mexican

at Suerte and Este, and inventive wine bars

such as Birdie’s. Music is still the soul of

Austin, though: the likes of Willie Nelson

and Janis Joplin cut their teeth here, and

with iconic venues such as The Continental

Club and The Broken Spoke still humming

alongside glam newcomers like the

Prohibition-era inspired Nica on 4th, the

beat looks set to go on.

Festival Fever

Trademarked the “Live Music Capital of

the World”, Austin is especially famous

for its Austin City Limits and SXSW (South

by Southwest) festivals, which you can

catch in October and March, respectively.

aclfestival.com; sxsw.com

43


Insta

Success

For many aspiring talents, discovery is just a swipe away,

thanks to social media – specifically, Instagram – which has turned

the casual scroll into a global exhibition space, enabling

emerging painters, sculptors and digital creators to bypass

traditional gatekeepers and connect directly

with collectors. By Harry Seymour

44


Now celebrated

worldwide,

Ghanaian painter

Amoako Boafo

was discovered

on Instagram

45


46

I

n July 2019, the Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Jerry Saltz uploaded nine screenshots

of paintings by a little-known artist called Anna Weyant to his Instagram feed. For Saltz

– and his hundreds of thousands of followers – this was an everyday occurrence. But

for Weyant, who had only graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design two years prior,

it initiated a fairy-tale ascent to the top of the art world.

Weyant’s first solo gallery show opened two months later. Prices for her pictures, which

riff on Dutch Old Masters, started at $2,000. Everything sold out. By May 2022, aged just

27, she had become the youngest artist represented by Larry Gagosian – considered the

most powerful art dealer in the world. More was to follow: a spot on Forbes’s “30 Under 30”

list; a Vogue cover commission from Marc Jacobs; a monographic exhibition at the Thyssen-

Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid; and seven-figure prices in the coveted evening

sales of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. As Artnet observed, it was “one of the most remarkable

trajectories of the present era”.

From left: Green Handbag (2021), a finger-painted work by Amoako Boafo; British painter Flora Yukhnovich –

discovered by a London gallerist via Instagram – poses in front of one of her ornate, Rococo-inspired works

FROM LEFT: © 2024 AMOAKO BOAFO / LICENSED BY BILDRECHT, VIENNA, PHOTO: ROBERTS PROJECTS; © FLORA YUKHNOVICH,

COURTESY THE ARTIST, HAUSER & WIRTH AND VICTORIA MIRO, PHOTO: KASIA BOBULA; PREVIOUS PAGE: NOLIS ANDERSON, COURTESY MARIANE IBRAHIM

Right: Wit of the Staircase (2020), an oil-oncanvas

work by Canadian artist Anna Weyant


© ANNA WEYANT

Weyant’s story highlights how social

media has drastically changed the

dynamic between patron and maker. Since

Instagram’s arrival in 2010, it has given

collectors, gallerists, dealers, curators and

advisers direct, instant access to artists

across the globe, all from a device that fits

neatly in their pockets. It’s also afforded

artists a unique platform to market their

work to more than two billion active monthly

users. As a result, Weyant’s path has become

a blueprint.

For example, a year after completing her

MA at London’s City & Guilds Art School

in 2017, Flora Yukhnovich secured a deal

with Parafin gallery, which at the time

specialised in emerging artists (it has since

closed), after its owner spotted her work

on Instagram. Fast forward to 2022, and

one of her paintings was offered at auction

with a high estimate of £200,000. It went

for £2.7 million.

Similarly, in 2018, Amoako Boafo, the

Ghanaian portraitist best known for using

his fingertips to render the skin of his sitters

onto canvas, got his big break when fellow

painter Kehinde Wiley – who had just been

commissioned to paint an official portrait of

Barack Obama – saw his work on Instagram.

In 2021, three of Boafo’s works were blasted

into space by Jeff Bezos.

But the most audacious tale of an artist

utilising Instagram comes from the graphic

designer Mike Winkelmann, aka “Beeple”.

Each day, for 13 years, he created a digital

artwork, and began uploading them to

his account, gaining millions of followers

in the process. In 2021, he capitalised

47


48

on the momentum, auctioning the first

5,000 images stitched together as an NFT.

Bidding climbed from $100 to a staggering

$69.3 million.

“For visual artists, Instagram has played

the same role that YouTube did a decade

ago for musicians,” the Swiss auctioneer

Simon de Pury told GQ in 2023. “Today, the

majority of emerging artists who are being

taken on by the leading contemporary art

galleries have been ‘discovered’ by them on

the platform.”

“Instagram gives you the chance to

control your own path,” says Florian Markus,

an artist and architect from the Netherlands

who uses computers to create his paintings,

which are available to buy through his

website. “I love running my own online

gallery. I’ve had quite a few dealers reach

out, but I’m happy selling my work directly

because this way I keep control over the

entire experience. The amazing thing about

social media is that it allows you to grow

quickly and connect with your audience on

a global scale.”

“All of my initial sales were through

someone finding me on Instagram,” agrees

Lucienne O’Mara, who finished her MA at

City & Guilds in 2019 and started off selling

her bold, abstract paintings directly from

her studio. “My strategy was to make my

page a place where someone could go and

see what I think are the most important

pieces I’ve made, along with my everyday

studio life, which gives a fuller picture

of who I am as an artist and is helpful for

someone thinking of investing in me.”

Yet despite this, many artists who have

reached the upper echelons of the market

are reluctant – or even prohibited by their

galleries – from talking about the initial

boost they got from social media. And the

status quo means that most emerging artists

would rather sign with a gallery, which can

network with established collectors, mount

exhibitions, publish scholarship, provide

Rising figurative painter

Lindsey Jean McLean in

her London studio

Who to Follow, What to Know

Leading voices in art in the social-media era


For insider tips on emerging artists to discover on Instagram, listen to Russell Tovey

(@russelltovey) and Robert Diament’s Talk Art podcast (@talkart), or follow Jennifer Higgie

(@jennifer_higgie), a London-based Australian arts writer whose own Bow Down podcast,

about women in art history, is worth a listen. More names to know include art collectors

Christian Levett (@christian_levett) and Karen Robinovitz (@karenrobinovitz); curator Eva

Respini (@curator_on_the_run); critic Roberta Smith (@robertasmithnyc); the magazines

Artforum (@artforum) and Frieze (@friezeofficial); and art schools, including London’s Royal

College of Art (@royalcollegeofart) and New York’s Parsons School of Design

(@parsonsschoolofdesign).

FROM LEFT: COURTESY LINDSEY JEAN MCLEAN, COURTESY FLORIAN MARKUS (2)

Above: Haarlem-based Florian Markus experiments with digital-fabrication techniques in his colourful works

49


“ Instagram became the place where people

approach artists. It’s easy to stay connected.”

access to museums and handle PR, sales and logistics – albeit for exclusivity and a cut of

sales of around 50 per cent.

Galleries can also offer important protection from “flippers” – speculators who rapidly

buy, then sell young artists’ work when demand outstrips supply in a bid to make quick

profits, often causing a bubble. O’Mara also points out that social media can’t replace the

importance of taking part in shows. “It just makes what you’re doing far more accessible and

easy to share, like LinkedIn for the arts,” she says. Last year, O’Mara signed with Nino Mier in

New York and Brussels, freeing up her time to concentrate on painting. “Most artists would

rather be in the studio than organising sales, so to be able to separate yourself from that

gives you more space and time to work.”

50

Lucienne O’Mara found early visibility on Instagram with her signature grid-based abstract paintings

COURTESY LUCIENNE O’MARA

A COLLECTION OF PRIME LONDON RIVERSIDE RESIDENCES.

LAUNCHING 30 OCTOBER. VIEWINGS BY APPOINTMENT.

PRICES FROM £750,000 TO £7,000,000

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Echoing the idea that Instagram is a great tool for making initial sales, but also a means

to securing representation, is the figurative painter Lindsey Jean McLean, who finished

her MFA in painting at London’s Slade School of Fine Art in 2021. “Instagram became the

place where people approach artists. It’s easy to stay connected,” she says, adding that

her one rule is to “keep prices consistent”.

Is McLean ultimately hoping to sign with a gallery? “It’s always exciting being

approached by a gallery to build a show. I prefer to sell through them because logistics

is hard work, and it’s great to work together,” she responds. And what’s been the most

exciting notification she has ever received on the app? “When Jerry Saltz befriended me.

Fingers crossed, he will post my work.”

Lucienne O’Mara poses

alongside her expressive

oil works

52

COURTESY LUCIENNE O’MARA

ARTISTRY IN OAK

GORDON & MACPHAIL 85 YEARS OLD

FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

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TURN,

TURN, TURN

Copper-tinged vistas from Kyhv Peak Road in Provo Canyon, Utah

Autumn in the American West reveals a more untamed elegance than its

eastern counterpart. The aspens ignite in molten gold, the canyons deepen

into bronze and the peaks catch silver light at dusk. Our photographer

journeyed across ridges and valleys to frame this fleeting,

transcendent spectacle of the season

54

Photography by Dustin LeFevre


55

The aspens of the 43ha Pando Forest in Fishlake, Utah, are all genetic clones of one another


56

A clutch of cottonwoods at the scenic base of South Caineville Mesa, just off Utah State Route 24


57

A lone cottonwood rises from the floor of Utah’s Spring Creek Canyon


“The aspens of autumn,

Like yellow hair of a tigress

brindled with pines”

—DH Lawrence, “Autumn at Taos”

58


In Utah’s American Fork Canyon, Forest Lake mirrors an eye-popping stand of aspen trees

59

60


61

Autumn sunlight filters through a Japanese maple at Portland Japanese Garden, Oregon


“The thinnest yellow light of

November is more warming and exhilarating

than any wine they tell of”

– Henry David Thoreau, “Autumn”

Wending its way across East Canyon, Utah, a lonely road cuts through a vast swathe of Rocky Mountain maples in every colour

62


63

Maples and scrub oaks cascade down Bridal Veil Falls, Utah


64

FLIGHT CHECK


GOING

THE

DISTANCE

With radical innovations,

including fly-by-wire

technology, a spacious

interior with five-star

flourishes and a range

that connects US cities

on either coast, NetJets’

new Embraer Praetor

500 offers comfort and

capability in equal measure.

By Michael Verdon

GREG BRAVE/SHUTTERSTOCK

L

ooking at the numbers, it’s easy to see why the

Praetor 500 has positioned itself as the disruptor

of the midsize category. When Embraer announced

the aircraft in 2019, it was clearly more than an

upgrade from the Legacy 450 it was replacing. The

Honeywell HTF7500E turbofan engines delivered

impressive performance across the board, including

a 3,340-nautical-mile range that gives it nonstop

potential from major cities, say from New York or

Washington, DC to San Jose, California. The other jets

in NetJets’ midsize category, the Citation Latitude,

Sovereign or XLS, would require fuel stops for coastto-coast

trips, or if fractional Owners of those jets

wanted to fly nonstop, they’d have to request an

upgrade to a super-midsize like the Citation Longitude.

The Praetor 500’s seven-hour-and-forty-five-minute

maximum endurance and some 870kph top cruise also

gave it a performance edge.

The numbers explain why NetJets contracted to buy

up to 250 Praetor 500s, and why, with five currently

in the fleet, more than a dozen new deliveries are

expected by the end of the year. Performance is only

part of the Praetor 500 story. Speed and range are

its obvious selling points, but other statistics are

65


equally important, such as the cabin’s dimensions. Its

flat floor and ceiling deliver 1.8 metres of stand-up

headroom. With 10 large windows, a 6.2m length and

best-in-class 2m width, the interior feels unusually

spacious for a midsize jet.

Using this footprint, NetJets worked with Embraer

to enhance both the functionality and aesthetics. The

grey and burgundy livery stripes reflect the NetJets

fleet’s standard colours, but the Praetor 500 excels

with the hand-stitched custom leather seating – four

club seats, two forward-facing seats and a sidefacing

seat. (A separate seat is available with the aft

lavatory.) The other materials include hand-selected

natural Moabi-wood veneer, custom carpeting and

stone flooring in the lavatory. To differentiate its

500s from Embraer’s standard configuration, NetJets’

design team mandated a second cabinet that provides

additional storage.

The custom-designed refreshment centre, with its

Nespresso coffee maker and storage for speciality

beverages from the NetJets Reserve Collection,

enhances the dining experience. The HEPA filtration

refreshes cabin air every 30 seconds, while the

pressurisation system, equivalent to 1,463 metres

when cruising at some 12,500 metres, is the lowest

in the NetJets midsize fleet – about 800 metres

below Aspen. The cabin was also designed to minimise

external sounds to facilitate normal conversations.

All these features, representing more than the sum

of their parts, create an experience that is more like

flying in a super midsize aircraft.

The Praetor 500’s greatest differentiators

may be the tech that passengers never see. The

Honeywell HTF7500E turbofan engines, along with

the aerodynamic shape of the fuselage and winglets,

deliver the extended range, but also allow the 500 to

take off and land in remote airports with runways as

short as 1,220 metres, bringing Owners even closer to

their ultimate destination.

Below: the Praetor 500’s spacious

stand-up cabin; facing page: a closer

look at the aircraft’s sleek Moabi

veneer and crisp leather seating

66

THE DETAILS

7:45 HOURS

MAXIMUM ENDURANCE

6.2 METRES

CABIN LENGTH

2.1 METRES

CABIN WIDTH

4.1 CUBIC METRES

BAGGAGE CAPACITY, INCLUDING A 1-CUBIC METRE INTERNAL CLOSET

1.8 METRES

CABIN HEIGHT

7PASSENGERS 10

LARGE WINDOWS


© NETJETS

The Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite

offers the pilots superior situational awareness with

its synthetic vision in what Embraer calls a “dark and

quiet” cockpit designed to limit visual and auditory

distractions. But its secret weapon is fly-by-wire

technology. The only midsize in NetJets’ fleet with

this advanced feature, the Praetor 500 has replaced

traditional mechanical controls handled by the pilot

with electronic controls. It not only lightens pilot

workload by automatically compensating for wind,

weather and lateral stability, monitoring systems and

conditions hundreds of times per second, but offers a

protective envelope that will not let the aircraft or pilot

enter a dangerous situation. The sidestick controls

work in tandem with the fly-by-wire, making flight more

intuitive, and far less fatiguing, for the pilot.

With its unmatched range, cabin innovation,

and advanced avionics, the Praetor 500 is reshaping

the midsize segment. It’s a disruptor in every sense

of the word.

67

True

Colours


Rubies, diamonds and sapphires

come alive in the season’s

kaleidoscopic jewelry creations

68

Photography by Xavier Young ·· Styling by Elisa Vallata


Chopard titanium earrings set with sapphires,

tourmalines and diamonds David Morris

white-gold Mosaica necklace set with blue

sapphires and diamonds

Facing page: Glenn Spiro platinum earrings

set with yellow sapphires and diamonds

Taffin yellow-gold and diamond ring set with

one yellow sapphire and rubies on the reverse

side – both seen at Barron London, barronlondon.com

69


Jessica McCormack

blackened-white and

yellow-gold Tapestry

Wide Chevron bracelet

set with emeralds,

diamonds and sapphires

Moussaieff white-gold

high jewellery earrings

set with emeralds,

Burmese sapphires

and diamonds

70


Mouawad white-gold Pure Glamour diamond and

rubellite necklace Graff white-gold high-jewellery

earrings set with Mozambique rubies and diamonds

71


Moussaieff white-gold

high-jewellery necklace

with a detachable pendant,

set with diamonds and

pink, blue and purple

sapphires Cindy Chao

The Art Jewel titanium

and gold Castle ring

set with diamonds, purple

sapphires and

purple garnets

72


Andrew Grima vintage

yellow-gold necklace,

circa 1995, set with

multicoloured gemstones,

seen at Barron London,

barron-london.com

Production Notes This story’s model and muse did not have to shoulder the multikarat weight of these precious stones and metals. Instead,

each piece of jewellery was photographed separately, then digitally superimposed atop candid shots of the chameleon doing what he does

best: striking an elegant pose.

73


CROWNING

ACHIEVEMENTS

74

Behind the gleaming dial of every fine watch is a story

of extreme engineering – calculating the cosmos, refining

tolerances and miniaturising complexity – proving that

true luxury is sometimes measured not just in beauty,

but in technological achievement. By Chris Hall


IF YOU WANT to know how much craft goes into the world’s

most exceptional watches, you might start by picturing a

Swiss master, bent to the task of polishing a timepiece’s

metal surfaces to mirror-like perfection with a splinter of

gentian stalks and a daub of diamond paste.

Today’s groundbreaking watches are all impeccably

finished because the alternative would be unthinkable but,

truth be told, horology’s finest achievements take place

far from the workbench. Really, these are masterpieces of

science and engineering; the meticulous hand-application

comes later. Take Vacheron Constantin’s Solaria Ultra

Grand Complication: a double-sided 45mm wristwatch

incorporating 41 complications (the name for any watch

feature that goes beyond telling the time) and 13 pioneering

inventions. It took eight years to develop and create. The

achievements that went into its making are many, but

beyond perfecting each one of its individual functions (just

one group of which includes tracking sunrise and sunset,

the angle of the sun above the horizon at its highest point,

Clockwise from far left: the intricate heart of Vacheron

Constantin’s Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, vacheronconstantin.com;

the Excalibur Grande Complication, Roger

Dubuis’s 45mm masterpiece, rogerdubuis.com; Rolex’s

groundbreaking new Land-Dweller in Everose gold with a

diamond-set bezel, rolex.com

75


Above, from left: the 41mm Royal Oak Perpetual

Calendar by Audemars Piguet, audemarspiguet.

com; the rear dial of Vacheron Constantin’s

41-complication Solaria Ultra Grand Complication,

vacheron-constantin.com

76

the exact time at which the sun will reach this point and

the sun’s journey between solstices and equinoxes), the

most incredible thing has been getting them all to fit

into one watch, work together, and for the final product

to be operable by mere mortals. It’s a triumph of microengineering

– and problem-solving above all.

You could say similar things of the latest grand

complication from Roger Dubuis, the Excalibur Grande

Complication, which combines a minute repeater, perpetual

calendar and tourbillon with a typically exuberant dial

display, or Audemars Piguet’s new perpetual calendar,

which launched earlier this year as part of the brand’s

150th anniversary celebrations. Its singular achievement is

to sweep away the fussy, complicated adjustment buttons

that most perpetual calendars require – to cope with

mechanically understanding the lengths of months through

leap years, this most prestigious complication usually

comes with the trade-off of being extremely fiddly to set.

By contrast, Audemars Piguet’s latest can be operated by

even the laziest collector, with everything controlled by the

crown. That kind of user-friendliness is the result of huge

complexity within.

ALL IMAGES COURTESY THE WATCHMAKERS

Indeed, simple outcomes often belie complex processes.

The appeal of an ultra-thin watch is apparent at a glance;

rather than impressing with the sheer weight of watchmaking

prowess on show, its maker dazzles with how much they have

been able to take away. Bulgari has rather dominated the

pursuit of slimline horology over the past decade – albeit

not without strong competition from Piaget and Richard

Mille – and its latest, the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon,

adds another world record to its already groaning trophy

cabinet. It is the thinnest tourbillon watch ever made, at

1.85 millimetres from top to bottom, a technical showcase

crafted from titanium and tungsten carbide – the latter

chosen for its extreme stiffness, a necessary quality in a

delicate movement that’s thinner than a coin.

Sometimes, however, peerless watchmaking can come in

a very normal-looking package. So it is with Grand Seiko’s

Spring Drive UFA SLGB001: it leaves arcane mechanics and

obscure celestial calculations aside to focus on simply

keeping time as well as a mechanical watch can. The result

is a movement that will only lose or gain 20 seconds a year:

for comparison, a standard mechanical chronometer –

something many brands are perfectly proud of making – is

allowed to lose four or gain six seconds per day.

At Rolex, the Land-Dweller is its answer to these kinds

of questions of everyday excellence: the first all-new

model for the brand to launch in over a decade came with

a multitude of patents and a total focus on establishing a

new baseline for performance and reliability. It may not set

records – indeed, being Rolex, some of its vital statistics

are still a secret – but with its innovative Dynapulse silicon

escapement, it forged ahead in one of the most challenging

areas of watchmaking. Word on the street at its launch

was that there were fewer than five people in the industry

capable of wrapping their brains around the mathematics

necessary to construct such a system. It may yet prove to

be one of the most significant watches of its generation –

and all it does is tell the time.


Far left and below: a Bulgari

horologist crafts the intricate

case of the Octo Finissimo Ultra

Tourbillon, bulgari.com; left:

Grand Seiko’s limited-edition

Spring Drive UFA SLGB001,

grand-seiko.com

77


78

Illustrations by Jörn Kaspuhl

100

Reasons


Diagnosed with life-threatening lymphoma and heart failure

in her twenties, transplant recipient Dr Dawn Mussallem

faced extraordinary obstacles when aiming to achieve her

childhood dream of reaching triple digits. Decades later,

the marathon-running Mayo Clinic breast-cancer specialist

stands testament to the power of science, empathy and

human connection

As a child, Dr Dawn Mussallem took great

interest in something she saw on a popular

segment of the Today show: seeing people

who had reached the age of 100 featured

on a Smucker’s jam jar. She decided she, too, wanted to

have her face on a Smucker’s jar one day but, unlike many

youthful objectives, Dr Mussallem put plans in place

and stuck to her goal. As early as elementary school,

she adopted healthy habits to achieve her objective, like

exercising and eating well. Once she entered college, she

studied nutrition and exercise physiology, and continued

her focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

During medical school, Dr Mussallem began

experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath. Initially

misdiagnosed with asthma (as well as having even been

told it was psychological), she collapsed one day after

class. Doctors discovered a 15cm tumour wrapped

around her heart, collapsing her left lung. The diagnosis:

stage 4 diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Without immediate treatment, she was given three

months to live. She was just 26 years old.

Dr Mussallem underwent surgery, joined a clinical

trial providing aggressive treatment, and received a bone

marrow transplant. Throughout it all, she maintained

a healthy lifestyle – hiking, eating a plant-based diet

and staying active, even riding a stationary bike in the

hospital at 4 am.

Against the odds, she survived, completed medical

school and began her career as a physician. She also

became a mother. But just three weeks after giving 79


birth, she began experiencing heart failure – the aggressive

treatments that saved her life had weakened her heart.

Dr Mussallem lived with heart failure for 18 years, all while

raising a family and caring for patients at Mayo Clinic in

Florida as a lifestyle medicine and integrative breast cancer

specialist, equipping patients with scientific evidence of

how healthy habits can manage and even prevent breast

cancer. During that time, Dr Mussallem was treated with

medications and devices to keep her heart functioning, but

she continued to experience complications of heart failure,

including cardiac arrest. In late 2019, it became clear that

the only option left was a heart transplant, and so she was

placed on the transplant list.

She waited 14 months for a new heart before her

transplant surgery in February 2021.

“I named my heart,” says Dr Mussallem. “I named her

Grace. Sometimes, I’ll just put my hand over my heart. And

I will just thank her and thank the donor family because it’s

just amazing what they gave to me.”

The transplant was just the beginning of Dr Mussallem’s

path to renewed health. Recovery and rehabilitation were next.

Just two weeks later, she walked out of the hospital

unaided. Three months after surgery, she ran a 5K race. A

month later, she climbed Camelback Mountain in Arizona.

One year and one day post-transplant, she completed

the Donna Marathon, an annual breast-cancer research

fundraising event in Jacksonville, Florida.

Today, she continues to care for patients at Mayo Clinic

in Florida, and her unique background helps her connect

with patients in a special way.

“Going through what you go through, it really gives you

the ability to connect with people,” she says. “It’s such a

gift, that ability to connect and to be able to have a good

sense or intuition, if you may, of where they are at in their

cancer journey, and just to be able to be there with them

in that time of vulnerability. And so, it has given me the

“I named my heart Grace.

Sometimes, I’ll just put my

hand over my heart. And I will

just thank her and thank the

donor family because it’s just

amazing what they gave to me”

ability to have a good pulse on exactly where I need to be

with a patient.”

Dr Mussallem’s story is a testament to resilience, the

healing power of lifestyle medicine and the deep human

connection that defines compassionate care. She says

her story is not meant to push people to run marathons,

but rather to show that taking an active role in health and

healing through lifestyle choices does make a difference.

As for her childhood dream of living to 100 – sparked

by watching TV weatherman Willard Scott celebrate

centenarians on a jam jar on the Today show – she

is hovering around the halfway point with no signs of

slowing down.

Mayo Clinic & NetJets

80

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Mayo Clinic Executive Health liaison for NetJets Owners will be happy to answer your questions.

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Beyond Piedmont’s forests and Provence’s fields,

autumn unveils truffle secrets in Europe’s

overlooked corners. From Greek peaks to England’s

chalky slopes, rural traditions return – and rare

delicacies follow. By Lucy Kehoe

82

WHAT LIES

BENEATH


83


AUTUMN’S CHILL SETTLES INTO

THE FOREST, DAMP LEAVES CRACKLING

UNDERFOOT. THE SHARP SCENT OF

COOL EARTH FILLS THE AIR.

84

A

dog scrabbles through rustling leaves, and its

handler kneels, teasing back wet soil with a trowel

in search of one of nature’s most elusive treasures.

The air shifts as a musky, primal aroma breaches the soil,

and a knobbly orb emerges, dusted in earth. Most imagine

such moments in Piedmont or Périgord, Europe’s famed

truffle heartlands. But across the continent, a quiet – not

to say pungent – revolution is underway, with new truffle

territories being reclaimed and rediscovered as hunters

thread forgotten paths and forge fresh ones. In Transylvania’s

ancient woodlands, long-lost foraging trails wind beneath

towering beech and oak trees, and in England’s southern

chalk hills, a new cadre of hunters is reawakening the

country’s tradition of dog-led hunts, reading soil and scent

alike to unearth native riches. Croatia’s Istrian peninsula

has, meanwhile, recovered its truffle legacy, with the onceoverlooked

white truffle now commanding reverence equal

to Piedmont’s Alba finds.

Truffles, the subterranean fruiting bodies of fungi, thrive

only in symbiosis with tree roots. The black Périgord truffle

(Tuber melanosporum), white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico)

and more common summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) are the

most well-known fragrant fungi, but each terroir imprints

its own signature, from earthy depth to ethereal perfume.

And as the truffle-hunting range widens, stretching from

Australia to the US, so the definitions of truffle prestige

are shifting, with summer truffles challenging their autumn

siblings, self-taught hunters switching traditional rivalries

for friendships and native varieties trumping imported

truffles in the kitchens of young chefs seeking hyper-local

ingredients that celebrate the landscapes they live in.

In northern Greece’s craggy Pindus mountains, the truffle

story stretches beyond the autumn. Here, the once-mystical

allure of the truffle that had Greek philosopher Plutarch

marvelling at its strange occurrence and frequent Hellenic

traveller Lord Byron keeping a fragrant, warty fungus on

his desk, has returned. Tucked between flat-topped rock

formations, the mountain town of Metsovo is distinctly

Balkan, with Greek woven into Vlach, a local language, and

hunters borrowing techniques from their Balkan neighbours

in a recent quest to rediscover the region’s truffle treasures.

The surrounding black-pine forests harbour four native

truffle varieties, but the highlight of the foraging season

comes – unusually – between mid-May and August, when the

nutty, somewhat sweet black summer truffle that thrives in

the area’s generous climate, arrives.

Twenty years ago, locals banded together as the Troufa

Club, determined to reclaim the silent surrounding woodlands

and rediscover its hidden culinary delights. Nowadays, even

traditional grilled meats at tavernas like Galaxias (hotelgalaxias-metsovo.gr),

one of the oldest in town, arrive scented

with a delicate, distinctive hint of truffle – a silent nod to the

fungi’s newfound place in the region’s culinary tapestry.

Dusk brings a different rhythm to the Motovun forest in

Croatia, where truffle hunting takes a more rivalrous path.

Come nightfall on the Istrian peninsula, hunters prowl

beneath pine and oak trees, making the most of the moist

night air, which carries the heady truffle scents more vividly,

and the darkness, which helps them avoid being followed to

tried-and-tested truffle grounds.

The creamy, pearl-white Tuber magnatum Pico – identical

to Piedmont’s Alba truffles – are prized here. For decades,

fungi dug on the peninsula were sold as Italian; today, local

hunters and chefs are reclaiming their culinary heritage with

pride, their family foraging traditions revived.

The region’s truffle lore is as rich as the fungi themselves:

in 1999, Giancarlo Zigante and his pointer dog, Diana,

unearthed a 1.3kg white truffle – at the time, the largest

ever discovered. Rather than sell it, Zigante threw a truffleinfused

feast that placed Croatia’s off-the-radar bounty

Truffle-sniffing dogs lead

an excursion with Grand

Forest Metsovo resort

among the dense forests

of Epirus, Greece


CHRISTOS DRAZOS; PREVIOUS SPREAD: ULRIKE SCHMID / IMAGE PROFESSIONALS

85


86

firmly on the gastronomic map. Today, Croatian kitchens

keep it simple: truffle shavings dress scrambled eggs,

dust buttery fuži pasta and elevate a steak with subtle

extravagance. Chef Jeffrey Vella, of the one-Michelin-star

Cap Aureo Signature Restaurant (maistra.com), infuses

béarnaise with local truffles, ready to cloak a butterroasted

beef tenderloin, while local farm-to-table pioneer

Pavo Klarić at Luciano (san-canzian.com) reimagines

Croatian classics with the fungi’s unmistakable funk.

Across Europe, in England’s pastoral southern counties,

truffle hunting whispers a quieter tale. Where other

countries have a history of using pigs to root out truffles,

the English have always preferred dogs. In the counties of

Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset, truffle-crazed

woodmen, gamekeepers and labourers rivalled France’s

truffières right up until the early 20th century. The practice

faded after World War I, when a generation’s foraging

knowledge withered in the trenches, but the last-known prerevival

hunter, Alfred Collins of Wiltshire, was inseparable

from Major, his truffle-sniffing terrier-poodle companion.

Now a resurgence is underway, sparked by renewed

culinary curiosity and a surprising side effect of newfangled

woodland stewardship. Mixed-species forests and

restored hedgerows nurture native summer truffles and

richer, headier Burgundy truffles from August through

to December. Smaller and subtler than their continental

cousins, English truffles also have an unusual habit of

growing close to the surface, sometimes breaking the soil,

allowing for rare, spontaneous finds without canine help.

Unlike in England, where truffle traditions quietly

persisted, Transylvania’s truffle hunting was all but

extinguished until its recent renaissance. Globalisation’s

march had left truffle hunting in the dust after the collapse

of the USSR, when imported food flooded the country and

hard-learned foraging lessons were shelved. Now, inspired

by the hyper-local New Nordic movement and the rise of

seasonal, identity-driven cooking, Romania is rekindling

its truffle heritage. Chefs – many of them returning from

kitchens in London, Paris and New York – are reviving old

Romanian recipes while embracing native ingredients.

These days, Transylvanian truffles appear alongside

Saxon plums, nettles and ramson (wild garlic) on nostalgiatinged

menus across the country. In Braşov, the region’s

capital, chef Oana Coantă serves delicately fragrant truffle

pasta at her old-school Bistro de l’Arte (bistrodelarte.ro),

while in Bucharest, the stylised “new Romanian” cuisine of

Kané restaurant (kanerestaurant.ro) has featured unique

dishes like tender celeriac slivers dressed with a seductive

truffle reduction in a sparkling wine sauce.

And so, deep in the sun-dappled beech woodlands of

Transylvania, hunters once again move quietly through the

trees – waiting, patiently, for their dogs to catch the elusive

scent that signals the landscape’s hidden, treasured bounty.

From top: inside the hyper-locavore Cap Aureo, chef Jeffrey

Vella’s panoramic eatery in coastal Rovinj; white truffle

shaved tableside over a steaming plate of risotto

FROM TOP: © MAISTRA, LUCRECIA QUESADA/STILLS.COM

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HUNTING GROUNDS

Some of Europe’s

finest country

hotels also

offer visitors the

chance to forage

for and feast on

truffles. Here

are a few of the

best root-to-table

adventures.

1

2

3

4

88

1

THE PIG-IN THE SOUTH

DOWNS, ENGLAND

Set amid rolling chalk

hills, this kitchen-garden

hotel offers guided

autumn truffle foraging

in the surrounding woods,

rounded off with a threecourse

lunch inspired

by fresh forest pickings.

thepighotel.com

2

MENEGHETTI WINE HOTEL

& WINERY, CROATIA

Encircled by vineyards

and olive groves, this

elegant estate offers

curated truffle hunting

with experienced hunters

and dogs, alongside

a world-class wine

and culinary offering.

meneghetti.hr

3

BETHLEN ESTATES,

ROMANIA

At this meticulously

restored estate, guests

staying in one of three

300-year-old Transylvanian

residences can take

advantage of private

autumn truffle hunts

with expert foragers,

exploring the wild beauty

of the surrounding forests.

bethlenestates.com

4

GRAND FOREST

METSOVO, GREECE

Here, year-round truffle

hunts in secret locations

end with an alfresco

tasting beside a river at

this luxurious mountain

retreat in northern Greece.

grand-forest.gr

FROM LEFT: JAKE EASTHAM, MATEJ PALUH, PHILIP VILE, CHRISTOS DRAZOS; MAP: GETTY IMAGES

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ART OF THE SEASON

Narokan, 1965,

by Tom Lloyd

TOM LLOYD, NAROKAN, 1965. ALUMINUM, LIGHT BULBS AND PLASTIC LAMINATE, 11 1/2 × 18 1/2 × 5 IN. STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM;

GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. DARWIN K. DAVIDSON 1988.3. PHOTO: JOHN BERENS

90

“Light is part of our everyday lives. We communicate by light. We can’t help but notice TV, lighting in general – Broadway,

traffic lights, car headlights,” said late sculptor and community activist Tom Lloyd, whose fascination with the everpresent

flashing lights of his native New York City formed the basis of his exhibition Electronic Refractions II. Hailed as

both an artistic and technological triumph, the 1968 show inaugurated the Studio Museum in Harlem, which aimed then,

as it does now, to showcase works by African American artists and Black culture. Shuttered for renovations in 2018, the

original structure has now been replaced by an evocative glass and concrete building at its original location on Harlem’s

144 West 125th Street. The November 2025 ribbon-cutting will celebrate the vaunted institution’s evolution with –

fittingly – a sweeping retrospective of Lloyd’s works, including Narokan. studiomuseum.org

A WORLD AWAY,

WITHIN REACH.

New cultures. New cuisine. New ways of life.

When you move to a different corner of the

globe, your home becomes part of a new

existence. Take the next step in expanding your

world when you contact your Forever Agent SM .

Find your agent at BHHSLuxuryCollection.com

©2025 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated. Berkshire

Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

NetJets EU Autumn 2025

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