TRAVELTRAVEL ++ LEISURE / JANUARY 2017LEISURE / JANUARY 2017 8583
She admits to being an Airbnb addict and
believes it is the only way to travel, and to
host. Paltrow herself, recently launched her
travel app G. Spotting, an extension of her
fashion line.THE CONCERT
I reached the Airbnb Open Spotlight
venue by six in the evening, there was
still time for Maroon 5’s performance,
so I stood, probably 30th in line, of a Thai
Food Truck. Over the next hour, I saw a
mélange of people and conversations—
there were couples in love, young groups
of friends uncontrollably excited about
the concert, musicians at every corner,
and crowds breaking into fl ash mobs.
Alongside, there was an open market
of small businesses, a jamboree of
interactive stalls and kiosks, a maze of
white panels glowing with UV lights, and
photobooths with people falling over each
other. By the time it was announced that
Maroon 5 was in the house, we were all
kind of dizzy. The concert kickstarted
with Move Like Jagger, followed by Sugar,
Misery, She Will Be Loved and more.
But what I didn’t know was that Lady
Gaga was the closing act, she sang Million
Reasons as part of her short gig. This was
epic on a whole new level.the sun, seven of us, downed tequila shots,
conversation ranging from the holocaust to
the female orgasm, it was the best pottery
lesson of my life. Eventually, we took
turns on the wheel to create our individual
masterpieces, mine looked like a tornado
had destroyed it. Alexandra thought it was
charming and placed it on the wall of fame.DAY 5 LIVING WITH THE STARS
I tried my best not to let out
a scream but all restraint went out the
window when Ashton Kutcher entered the
stage in a gorgeous pink sweater. I barely
heard the contents of his speech on Creative
Strategies for Entrepreneurs, which when
I youtubed later was genius—I, on the other
hand, was on the sets of A Lot Like Love.
What I do recall, is that he talked about how
his perspective on life and understanding of
people and relationships developed through
the one year he spent travelling across
Europe and staying solely at Airbnbs.
He shared instances of small, kind acts
by hosts that helped him get over a diffi cult
time in his personal life.
Next, actress Gwyneth Paltrow shared her
insights on Cultivating the Art of Taste and
Style, giving us a sneak peek into her seven-
bedroom Airbnb villa on the French Riviera.WHAT I TASTED
HIGHLIGHTS AT TERRONI, A LOCAL FAVOURITE
Starters
Pane, Olive e Taralli Bread,
olives and handmade taralli
Frittura di Calamari
Deep fried calamari
served with lemon
Prosciutto d’Anatra e
Burrata Duck prosciutto,
burrata, fresh spinach
and extra-virgin olive oilMains
Maccheroncini Geppetto
Little homemade rigatoni
with dandelions homemade
spicy Italian sausage, fontina,
parmigiano garlic and
extra-virgin olive oilPizza
Pizza di Sofi a Tomato,
mozzarella and sweet
genoa salami
(terroni.com)JOHN SCIULLI/GETTYIMAGES; COURTESY OF AIRBNB(2). OPPOSITE: COURTESY OF AIRBNB(3), FROM TOP: STEFANIE KEENAN; NEIL MOCKFORD; JOE SCARNICI, ALL GETTYIMAGES