Stateside this June, there are festivals happening on both coasts. The Festival of Historic Houses in Providence, Rhode Island, will attract fans of historic architecture, while San Francisco Design Week will bring a contemporary edge to the Bay Area. Art Week in Basel, Switzerland, will offer art collectors and artists a chance to mingle and see what’s new in the art world. Meanwhile, Malta will host two major festivals in June, and Florence will celebrate the tenth anniversary of its design week and the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. Wherever you go, you’re bound to find plenty of art and design inspiration.
San Francisco
San Francisco Design Week returns June 20–28 with a weeklong series of exhibitions, talks, workshops, open studios, and other events that spans the entire Bay Area, including San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Oakland, and Marin. If you go, consider staying at one of the city’s hip new hotels, like the just-opened Hotel Emblem by Viceroy Hotels & Resorts or the Virgin Hotel San Francisco, which is slated to open in May. Then again, you can’t go wrong by checking into one of these five ultraluxurious suites.
Basel
The Swiss city of Basel will become a playground for art collectors, artists, and gallerists when Art Basel returns from June 13–16. This will mark the eighth and final year that Gianni Jetzer, curator at large for the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., will curate Unlimited, the fair’s section for large-scale projects. Visitors can expect to see 75 large-scale projects by Zoe Leonard, Kerry James Marshall, Franz West, and other leading contemporary artists. VOLTA Basel and Design Miami/ Basel will overlap, with the former happening June 10–15 and the latter taking place June 11–16. If you want to extend your trip after the fairs, we recommend taking the country’s efficient trains down to Lago Maggiore to spend a few days at the Hotel Eden Roc Ascona, a member of Leading Hotels of the World with a glorious midcentury design and a pool overlooking the lake that looks like a Slim Aarons photograph brought to life.
Valletta
Valletta’s designation as last year’s European Capital of Culture brought the capital of Malta to the world stage with a series of events and initiatives. The small island nation is keeping the momentum going with the return of the Valletta Film Festival (June 14–23) and the Malta International Arts Festival (June 29–July 13). The latter will be a crossdisciplinary festival featuring visual art, music, theater, and dance performances. The best place to stay in Valletta is the Phoenicia Malta, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, where Queen Elizabeth II has stayed. There are plenty of must-visit sites on the main island, but we recommend balancing sightseeing with a relaxing afternoon of swimming and sunbathing at the Blue Lagoon on the island of Comino.
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Florence
This is a big year for Florence, as the city will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Florence Design Week as well as the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. All over the city, you can enjoy a fascinating juxtaposition of contemporary design and a celebration of the Renaissance. Don’t miss the exhibit “Verocchio, Master of Leonardo” at Palazzo Strozzi, which will show some of Da Vinci’s work alongside pieces by his disciple Andrea del Verrocchio. To celebrate, the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is offering guests the exclusive opportunity to enjoy a private dinner in a family-owned 15th-century palazzo overlooking the Duomo that was once home to Da Vinci and is believed to be the place where he painted the Mona Lisa.
Providence, Rhode Island
Fans of historic homes should consider spending a weekend in Providence from June 15–16, when the Providence Preservation Society’s Festival of Historic Houses will open doors in the Paterson Park neighborhood. Rhode Island’s PrideFest will also be coming through town that Saturday, livening up the city’s streets with block parties, live music, and an illuminated night parade. As home to the Rhode Island School of Design, this small New England city is a hub for contemporary art and design and easy to get to from New York, Boston, and other cities in the Northeast. If you go, stay at the Dean Hotel, the first hotel by AD100 firm ASH NYC.
