travel secrets from brooklyn's chicest shopkeepers
Francesca del Balzo & Alice Russotti
Francesca del Balzo and Alice Russotti are the co-founders and creative directors of PORTA, a treasure trove of expertly curated tableware and hand-crafted home furnishings.
Before opening the shop, Francesca worked in fashion (including a long stint Moda Operandi) and Alice worked at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, where she launched public art projects (including the inaugural exhibition at The Arts Center at Governors Island).
You can find Francesca and Alice at their store on Atlantic Avenue, online at porta-nyc.com, and on Instagram at @porta_nyc.
Though they’re both settled in Brooklyn, the pair grew up in London and now travel the world together, visiting a new country every six months to source products for their shop. With a shoe-string budget and a jam-packed itinerary, they always try to make time for a delicious meal or a chance to unwind: Enjoying a crisp glass of white wine and a vegetable risotto at Locanda Cipriani after visiting the Basilica de di Santa Maria Assunta in Venice or browsing handmade textiles in a 13th-century monastery at Abbatte in Madrid.
Do you have a suitcase you love?
We are both big fans of Away, but Francesca also loves to tote around her Paravel Weekender bag for shorter trips
What’s the one thing that’s always in your carry-on?
AR: A hoard of magazines from the airport shop (highbrow: The Economist, lowbrow: US Weekly)
FDB: A book I never end up reading
What’s the best thing you read on the plane recently?
FDB: I howled with laughter on the plane on our trip to Italy reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron (the one time I *did* read my book!). I gave it to Alice, who read it on the way home.
What’s your go-to travel uniform?
BOTH: Jeans, tailored shirt, oversized sweater.
What beauty products do you never leave home without?
AR: Gucci Westman everything.
FDB: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, Elta MD tinted sun cream, and bucketloads of Living Libations seabuckthorn cleansing oil.
Do you have any travel superstitions or pre-travel rituals?
BOTH: checking my bag for my passport 10,000 times.
Favorite airline?
FDB: Delta because “it pays to be loyal” (sitting in upgraded seat)
AR: I’m much more fickle and opportunistic (sitting in 49J)
Favorite airport?
FDB: I don’t have one, I hate them all
AR: Changi Airport in Singapore (where I used to live). You are in and out in 10 minutes!
Most luxurious in-flight experience?
FDB: I’m a sucker for a hot towel
AR: They have me at roasted nuts
What’s your weirdest airplane story?
FDB: British Airways once collaborated with The Points Guy (or somebody?) And created a scavenger hunt in the airport where the first 5 people to find him got upgraded to first class seats. I love a challenge, and you bet your bottom dollar I got that hot towel and champagne!
What’s the best bar you’ve ever been to on your travels?
Celso y Manolo is a tapas bar in Madrid–we loved it so much we went back twice (which is saying a lot when you are only in a city for bookend nights!)
What’s the most surprisingly delicious food you’ve had while traveling?
A sandwich on the side of the highway in the middle of the Portuguese countryside when we’ve skipped two meals to pack in some meetings with ceramicists is about as good as any Michelin-starred meal!
What’s the most incredible meal you’ve ever had?
Tapisco in Lisbon. Incredible for the food and the vibe and the fact that it was our first meal on our first PORTA sourcing trip.
What’s your favorite kind of souvenir to bring home?
Unsurprisingly, ceramics, linens, and glassware (from stores like Cocol in Madrid). But since opening Porta, we have actually curbed our enthusiasm somewhat as we now just get them for the shop!
Do you have any art you bought while traveling?
AR: I lived in Singapore for a few years and traveled all over to meet artists and galleries from Indonesia to Myanmar and often picked up things from artists in their studios on those trips. I love that they have made their way back to NYC with us.
Is there anything you’ve bought on a trip that you now bring on all your travels?
FDB: My mother-in-law bought me the most incredible jumpsuit from the little boutique shop at Hotel Raya on Panarea. I don’t go anywhere warm without it–it’s the perfect outfit to throw on and immediately feel amazing.
Where’s the best hotel pool in the world?
AR: Alila in Ubud, Bali
If you could live in any hotel, which one would you choose?
FDB: Cap Rocat in Mallorca–a castle on the sea to myself, what’s not to love?
Where was your most luxurious hotel experience?
AR: The Park Hyatt Tokyo
What destinations or travel experiences are at the top of your bucket list?
FDB: Backcountry skiing in Jackson Hole
AR: Back to Morocco! I have been a few times but would love to get to Tangier, Fez, and up to the mountains as well.
Are there any places that you’re eager to return to?
AR: Indonesia. It is so vast and so varied and so magical. I have loved and been amazed by it each time I have been and would love to wander around there more with my family.
Is there anywhere you definitely won’t return to?
FDB: Pisa–nothing to see there (apart from a leaning tower of course)
AR: I second
What’s the most surprising thing that’s ever happened on a trip?
AR: Francesca bumps into someone she knows literally everywhere we are. It doesn’t matter if we are in the forests of Portugal, someone will come out from behind a tree and know Francesca. I used to be blown away by it, now I just wait for it!
What’s your craziest solo travel experience?
AR: When my son was 1.5 I took him on a yoga retreat with me to Bali. I thought it would be a beautiful, chill, boho experience together, but I forgot that I am not a beautiful, chill, boho person and neither is my son. It became very clear when I got there and the yoga studio was in a treehouse that things were not going to go as planned. Should have been a solo trip after all….but while no yoga was done, we did have a cute time.
Any wild destination wedding stories?
FDB: Well, we asked everyone to take a plane, train and automobile to get to my wedding, and they did! Better yet, everyone got naked at the brunch on Sunday1 so I think that counts as confirmation of a good time?
This interview previously appeared in an earlier Alibi newsletter. If you know somebody (perhaps it’s you?!) who should be featured in an upcoming issue, please let me know.
Editor’s note: I can confirm that everyone got naked at brunch, even the pregnant and sober people, and it was a very good time.