Since I was little, I’ve always loved to travel. This trip runs a little different for me. I’m pregnant, in my second trimester, and my husband and I are expecting our first son in late October. Having just launched my brand in New York, it’s my last trip to check on the factory in Milan before I can’t fly. Could there be a better time to getaway? I grew up summering in Sardinia, and the Mediterranean is everything I love: the endless sun, the crystal clear water, the slower pace of life.

The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a stunning Italian-style pink palazzo is a wonderful place to spend the day. Filled with one of a kind furniture and artwork, it’s the outdoors that move me. The nine different themed gardens compete for my attention. A lovely little grotto in the Jardin Espagnol is a favorite spot. It’s easy to see why this one of a kind property is one of the most coveted wedding venues in the Cote d’Azur.

A short drive from the hectic traffic on the coastline, the Maeght Foundation is one of my favorite museums in Europe. Presenting modern and contemporary art in all its forms, the quiet hilltop museum and gardens are a contemplative and inspiring place. My favorite are the fountains and  outdoor sculptures by Miro, Giacometti, Calder.

The delicate interplay between concept and artistry reminds of my heels.  How different materials inform creative possibilities. So many bridal shoes now are overdone and loaded with embellishments. Great design lends itself to simplicity.  It’s an incredibly inspiring place that I’ll draw from when I design my next collection.

On the way to lunch, we stop at Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire in nearby Vence. He designed every element and it shows: the stain glass windows, flooring, wall decoration, even the priests clothes. It was a late in life success for him and a good reminder to keep pushing the boundaries, creating, evolving.

We arrive hungry, (especially me as I’m eating for two!), and excited to see old friends from Boston. They’re traveling down from an architecture conference in Paris and we’re lucky to catch them. They fell in love with this little corner of the world years ago while on college semester’s abroad.

We eat at La Colombe d'Or Hotel, the open air restaurant bar that was a famous haunt of world renowned artists in the 1950’s. Their art covers the walls. We walk off lunch in the maze of cobbled streets and lose ourselves in the shady squares, artist’s workshops and provencal boutiques. The wraparound hilltop views from the ramparts are sublime.

It would be hard to find a more romantic restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary than La Chèvre d’Or perched high on a cliff’s edge. Located within the medieval village of Èze, it’s an easy drive from Nice. I walk up the famous winding path that connects the town and the top peak, sitting 1,400 feet above sea level.  One of my brides got engaged on the terrace, the views of the azure waters filled with superyachts is incredible.