A famous Aussie chef, real housewife, and an actress have all fallen in love with Greece, after spending some time on the Aegean over the summer months!
Whether it be for work, play or both, it’s not hard to succumb and surrender to the beauty of Greece and the euphoric state that instantly comes over you as soon as that first golden ray of the Greek sun hits your face. That’s exactly the kind of hypnotic affect the country and its people had on Australian celebrities, Curtis Stone, Pia Miller, and Lydia Schiavello.
Celebrity chef, TV host and Coles supermarket ambassador Curtis Stone, along with his American actress wife, Lindsay Price and their two sons, spent their summer holidays in Mykonos and Santorini. Stone is renowned for the hat he wears as a chef but he is also a doting husband and father. Taking a break away from his busy schedule, he enjoyed some relaxation and fun-in-the-sun activities with his sons on the Greek isles. The famous chef indulged in both traditional and fine dining Greek cuisine, sharing a photo on his Instagram of his fave Greek wine, Santorini PURE. He noted it was a winner with his wife. Lindsay described Santorini as ‘heaven on earth’ and he was completely mesmerised by the Caldera and iconic blue and white buildings of the island. During their Greek getaway, Lindsay nicknamed herself and her husband as Mr. and Mrs. Petrakis, giving themselves a Greek surname and referencing Curtis as Mr. Petrakis. 'Mrs. Petrakis' was blown away by the Cyclades she said she felt she was living a dream and included in her hashtags "I live here now," whilst in Santorini. The Stone’s family vacation included roaming the islands taking in all the sites, days out on the sea with boats and jet ski’s, dining at beachfront tavernas while watching magical Mykonian sunsets and expressing that "Mykonos nights are even better than the days." They bid farewell and "we love you" to Greece on their last day saying they were sad to leave and giving thanks for all the "perfect memories."
Former Home and Away actress and model Pia Miller (Loyola) documented her work/play getaway to Greece, which included a modelling job. The Chilean born Australian was signed as the face of Paspaley Pearls, which filmed their new campaign featuring the beauty, at the founder Nicholas Paspaley Snr’s birthplace of Kastellorizo. This was an experience that came full circle for Pia, when she first embarked on a modelling career, as she tells of her recollection of seeing a Paspaley ad and was completely in awe of the beauty and emotive campaign for the famous pearls. That dream came true for the model years later as she is now a part of the Paspaley family who left Greece 100 years ago for Australia. That milestone was celebrated and honoured by the most magical campaign on the island capturing the essence of the founder’s journey. The model resembles a Greek Goddess in the campaign draped in the brand’s pearls surrounded by the most picturesque location of a lifetime. She excitedly shared with her social media followers how much she loved everything about the shoot, from the people, locals, team, island, magic, and freedom. It wasn’t all work for the stunner who got to play tourist and see the wonders of not only Kastellorizo but other parts of Greece and dive into the postcard-perfect blue Mediterranean ocean waters. She also explored Athens and its ancient ruins including the Acropolis where she is seen standing statuesque in front of the Parthenon. The beauty told her followers she was living the dream in Greece and had completely fallen in love with the country and incredibly grateful.
Real Housewives of Melbourne star Lydia Schiavello who has an Italian background lived her European Summer holiday in Greece. The reality star had flown to King Island for cheese and this time she flew to Greece for Feta. Well not quite, but she did indulge in plenty of Greek salads during her holiday. The food connoisseur who holds private intimate cooking experiences (called Lydia’s Kitchen) for small groups at her Malvern home, teaches foodies how to cook and experience Italian cuisine. After her trip to Greece, cooking enthusiasts taking her classes will see Lydia incorporating some Greek flavours to her Italian recipes. A photo she shared with her social media followers shows the beauty in her kitchen making Greek salad captioned: “Greek infusion with an Italian twist”.
Spending the majority of her time on the island Leros where she loaded up on Vitamin D, Lydia said she could hide under the Grecian sun forever and loved the Aegean sea. The bubbly brunette completely embraced the Greek culture and its people where she met and mingled with locals, including two elderly women that gave her so much happiness and pleasure. Trying to communicate between English, Italian and Greek “was so divine” she said. As the saying goes – una faccia, una razza (in Greek mia fatsa, mia ratsa) one face, one race!
*Photos: Instagram accounts
