Southern Home (SH): Alessandra, how did growing up in Rome and being immersed in its history and culture inform your eye?
It gave me confidence. When you walk streets that have been around for 2000 years, you take tremendous comfort in something old and established, not unlike walking the streets of Charleston, New Orleans, and the older communities in this country. There’s also a deep-rooted respect for classicism, which is impossible to avoid. It’s in your blood. It’s not just an education—it’s who you are, how you live, and how you see. You’re constantly faced with proportions that are very specific, and they eventually become a part of your core. You don’t even realize it after a while. It’s like cobblestones. I walk very fast all the time, and in Rome, I’ve become at ease with cobblestones, which require a constant adjustment that feels very natural to me. The same is true with the
