Manuela Maccia
After graduating from Bocconi University with a degree in political economics in 1998, she obtained CFA certification in 2008. She joined the BNP Paribas Group in 1998, where she held various international positions. In January 2020, following the creation of the new private & wealth management division, she returned to Italy, to Milan, as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Banca BNL BNP Paribas. She has spent the last 25 years of her personal and professional life between Italy and France. Those who know her often describe her as “the most French of Italians” and “the most Italian of French women.” Paris remains her spiritual home, but she loves living in Milan, her adopted city (she is originally from Piedmont).
A business breakfast – La Coupole
When it reopened in mid-June last year, after the first lockdown, it was a celebration for true Parisians, those who love the city and would never betray it by moving to Brittany. La Coupole is perhaps the most iconic Parisian restaurant. A breakfast or a dejeneur may bring to mind that song by Renaud, a singer-songwriter popular among French people of a certain age, with the memory of the slight dizziness that comes over you when you drink a glass: “Un verre d’alcool à la Coupole/pour faire du gringue à toutes ces dingues.”
An hour alone in a beautiful place – Musée Rodin
On beautiful spring days, you can stroll along the paths of the Sculpture Garden, three hectares surrounding the Hôtel Biron, a beautiful 18th-century palace that the French state transformed into the Musée Rodin in 1919, two years after his death. An extraordinary museum tribute to Auguste Rodin, the father of modern sculpture. If, on the other hand, it is winter and perhaps raining, spend your free time strolling along the museum’s two new paths, the Jardin d’Orphée and the Jardin des Sources.
A formal lunch with a client – Café de l’Homme
Even if you’re not an American like the young advertising executive in Netflix’s Emily in Paris series, who can’t resist its charm in the fourth episode, Café de l’Homme is perhaps one of the most famous restaurants in the capital. Excellent cuisine with a range of refined products “avec passion et rigueur,” from Brittany oysters to meat and game from the Landes. There’s a surprise for us Italians: for some time now, the “plat-phare” has been a “stracciatella des pouilles,” with fresh burrata from Puglia.
A relaxing lunch – Huguette – le Bistro de la Mer
Designed and furnished by star interior designer Richard Lafond, it is a “petit port d’ancrage” for those who want to find “une parenthèse de vacances iodées” in the historic heart of Paris. In short, the “taste of the sea” that reminds us Italians of Gino Paoli and the happy holidays of the 1960s and Parisians of their beloved seaside vacations. The menu, based entirely on raw fish and oysters, lives up to its promise, ideal for a dejeneur or an aperitif with a young client in a “decontracté et délicieux” atmosphere.
A trendy aperitif – Hotel des arts et métiers
If the hotel, housed in one of the old buildings of the Sentier district, is an example of cool hotelerie (it was designed by French-Israeli star architect Raphaël Navot), its restaurant is a showcase for Italian gastronomy. The menu promises the conviviality and gourmandise of Italian cuisine in an atmosphere reminiscent of a chic trattoria (written just like that, in Italian). So, artichokes alla romana for an appetizer and tonnarelli cacio e pepe for the entrée. On the top floor, you can enjoy cocktails at the Herbarium bar.
An ideal place for informal meetings – Green River Cruises
A trip on the Seine is the ideal solution. But not on those giant bateaux mouches that look like holiday ferries, but on medium-sized motorboats where the only stranger is the discreet and professional pilot. This is what Green River Cruises, a small river cruise company founded in 2012, offers. A trip (from one to six hours) on the great river in complete tranquility and intimacy. With aperitifs and glasses of Champagne, of course. For families, couples, or business meetings away from prying eyes.
A dinner to intrigue – Maison Baccarat
Years ago, when I lived in Paris, I dined in the Cristal Room with my family and enjoyed a mirabelle plum soufflé while sipping sparkling wine from the famous Diamant glass, a favorite of American pianist Chloe Flower and now part of a box set with five other iconic glasses from the collection that Baccarat sells in its stores (and also online) under the label Wine Therapy Set. A small luxury that wine lovers cannot miss.
A gourmet dinner – L’Astrance
The ideal place to enjoy what a refined gastronomy blog like Luxeat defines as “des instants sublimes”: a dish of asparagus “caressed by steam” with avocado cream, a fried combava leaf with a side of spinach, or a dish of celery ravioli with smoked eel and black garlic. Pascal Barbot’s ultra-chic restaurant. With three Michelin stars for a decade (it lost one in 2019, for reasons unknown), San Pellegrino ranked it 18th among the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2012.
The latest trendy spot – Le Brach
On the seventh floor of a Haussmann-style building, a stone’s throw from rue de la Pompe, there is a terrace where you can taste the only Iranian saffron arancini in Paris, enjoy an aperitif with a view of the city and the Eiffel Tower in the background, and – brand new – have a picnic on sunny spring and summer afternoons. It feels like being in the countryside, relaxing on the penthouse of the Hotel Brach, with deckchairs, wooden floors, a potager, a hanging vegetable garden, and even a chicken coop. A mix, or rather a mélange, of luxury and Parisian style.
The place to be and be seen – Shabour
An unusual and unexpected place, loved by those who are allergic to Michelin-starred and overly chic restaurants. It resembles its neighborhood: exposed stone, concrete, and steel, candlelight, a casual atmosphere, and low lighting. A festive restaurant with cool music, trendy cocktails, and “Shabbat” cuisine: challah bread, olives, and small appetizers served by waiters on Limoges porcelain and silverware. It’s hard to choose because the menu is overflowing with Mediterranean flavors, so it’s best to do as everyone else does: order and share!
