Ask me a simple question if I like travelling and I'll talk you ragged giving no definite yes or no. It's more of a love-hate relationship. I love meeting new people and learning local languages but I hate delays and endless lines. Still I think I'll survive and cope with all the troubles because next spring all my dreams are about to come true. I hope I'll visit Italy. So I'm looking for a bigger penny bank now to save up some money because I've included some really eye-feasting, delicious places to my trip menu .

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is my old flame. It's a branch of heaven on earth for the lovers of the Renaissance. I can see myself walking through the Uffizi's halls, the world's oldest gallery, gazing at genuine works of art, awe-struck but happy. I have this annoying habit to build up false expectations but I'm sure that a stay in Florence will be on of the best memories that will nourish mind and soul for the rest of my life. Giotto, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio ... They used to live and work in Florence. Imagine walking through the streets these great men once walked.

Florentine streets will never lose their charm. Renaissance palaces, churches, parks, ateliers and studios where you can find delicate glassware and ceramics, fancy and elegant jewellery. Check out my Italian: Firenze è una perla preziosa!* But the main attraction is the people. Have you visited the Sartorialist blog? That's one of my favourites. There you can see cool pictures of stylish people on the street from all over the world, from Italy as well. Modern-day Romeos and Casanovas, Lauras and Beatrices. By the way, the Sartorialist is on the "Vogue loves it" list. I got my September issue last week finally! It has some really nice jewellery recommendations but let's save it for the next post.

I'm listening to Ludovico Einaudi now, one of my favourite contemporary Italian composers. His Primavera is a masterpiece, I think. That's what I feel looking at the face of Venus (Sandro Botticelli's the Birth of Venus).

*Florence is a precious pearl!

Sun-kissed (but not too much, just a little smooch), without dark circles under the eyes, full of glow and health – I love my face after vacation. No makeup needed. This morning looking in the mirror as my altar I took a solemn oath: no more late night working, less coffee and more sleep. I've also lost four pounds but I'm not even going to promise myself that I'll keep it this way.

With four pounds more or less, I'm happy with my body. It took a long time to finally acknowledge it, believe it, live with it and enjoy it. It's always been two extremes with my diet. Either if it tastes good, spit it out or a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. Now I'm somewhere in the middle, though often it is like walking on a tightrope trying not to fall back into either of the extremes.

One of the people who inspired me and still motivates me to be myself is Christina Hendricks (as Joan Holloway/Harris in one of my favourite television series Mad Men). I'm talking about the way she looks mainly. I wouldn't want her character to work in my office as a colleague . You don't want to pick on Joan, she'll snap back at you in the twink of an eye. But I love her character's witty dialogues, especially between her and Peggy.

It's the 1960s era and I love it. I would wear any of Joan's outfits to the office now. They are elegant and feminine. I like the way she uses jewellery to make accents. She often wears pencil skirts with brooches and a pen necklace to outline her hourglass shapes. Even Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister, said, "Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous," praising her no-skinny model type image.

That would be another way of falling into extremes though. Skinny or curvy, you are to appreciate what you have. Another pinch of wisdom from Pamela Redmond Satran: every woman should know that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents... But I swear every time I look at Christina (Joan) I think if I were a man... What? I think I'll stop here .

Clear and understandable things – that's what I prefer in jewellery. You will hardly see me wear anything chunky, bold or loud. But when I'm watching one of my this summer's favourites - 4th of July (Fireworks) by Kelis – I get a little envious. It made me step out of my comfort zone a little and see what is going on behind the blinds and shutters in the world of bold jewellery.

My tunnel vision of acceptable and wearable has been shattered . An infinite palette of showy, sparkling, jumbo things to discover and improvise with. A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. The same with improvisation. It is only good when it is prepared.

I usually take a few pieces and improvise changing outfits to pick the best "background" for the jewellery since bold and chunky jewellery has to be the "major exhibit". I follow a simple rule borrowed from one of my favourite sculptors, Auguste Rodin. I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need. That's exactly what I do when choosing what jewellery to wear. Then I ask myself: "Are you ready people will be looking at you and some will be staring?" If the answer is yes, that is probably all I need to know.

Anyway, things happen. If I feel like I'm examined under the microscope or keep asking my friends every second if I look stupid, then my choice was completely wrong. That's a long road of bumps and bruises. But when I enjoy the attention, that's the best criteria to say this time I compiled a perfect match. After all, for me it's all about having a great time and feeling comfortable in whatever jewellery I choose.

I will still wear something classic and down-to-earth, with a softer edge but I keep on fighting my demons of doubt and fear of failure, pushing myself to go a little beyond and once in a while let go of the everyday and familiar with bold jewellery.

"Forget Venus and Mona Lisa. Perhaps the most precious Italy's work of art is the beautiful Sophia Loren. First of all, she has a gorgeous, sensuous body – looking at her you can study the anatomy of feminine perfection. Then, her face – expressive like espresso with an extraordinary blend of contradictions: Neapolitan eyes that sparkle with wit or flare up with indignation; a large mouth, a smile that conveys passion and humour."¹

"Though the Vatican is against cloning, in Sophia Loren's case perhaps we could make an exception."²

Would you buy a book with such reviews? I did. A couple weeks ago I was dragging along the street during my lunch break and to hide from this terrible heat I stopped by a bookstore. And there she was, looking at me from a black-and-white cover of the book written by Warren G. Harris. I wasn't planning to buy anything but as it usually happens - ka-ching-ka-ching - and here I am with a book.

Finally at home I was about to read one more story about a girl growing up as a princess, about her wonderful, happy life full of miracles. There were miracles. But of a different kind. Raised by her mother and her big family, abandoned by her father, Sophia lived in a house with two bedrooms and seven people sharing them. At school children pointed fingers at her laughing and whispering behind her back because she was a child of unwed parents. She was an awkward, tall and skinny child.

War, overwhelming fear, poverty, hunger ... doesn't look like a fairy-tale. But in September 1947 something might have happened in the heaven's office and one of the first miracles in Sophie's life began to unveil. As she mentions it took exactly 18 months for it to happen. She was 14 and a half, and now if someone pointed a finger at her, they would do that to say: "Bella!"

The ugly duckling was gone.

If you google Sophia Loren, the results will be a bit ... boring because they are all the same: sex symbol, unforgettable, style icon, glamorous. What's more boring - I'm not going to object. She is a style icon. Feminine and curvaceous, she knows about this and uses appealing clothes and jewellery to attract and allure.

Sophia Loren is an inspiration. She inspires directors to create cinematographic masterpieces and jewellery designers to devise collections devoted to her. A few years ago Damiani created a dazzling Sophia Loren collection: earrings, bracelets, and pendants of rose gold and diamonds. Sophia is like a rose that inspires by just being there. By the way, they do cultivate a variety of roses called Sophia Loren.

Here's a picture I took last year:

Now when I'm finishing the book, I realize this time I got lucky and the cover was worth the story inside. It made me re-discover Sophia Loren: a strong woman who had ups and downs in her life, an intelligent and talented actress, a loving wife and mother.

1. My interpretation (a rather free one) of the review extract by the New York Times.
2. These words belong to Archbishop of Genoa (again translated by me).