Art dealer Pilar Corrias on biodynamic wine, classic Italian bollito and the best sushi outside Japan

My personal style signifiers are six little diamond hoop earrings that I never take off. I bought them in New York at this tiny piercing place called Venus by Maria Tash. I love the way they ping in the light when I turn my head. $420 each; 653 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 (+1212-253 0921; www.venusbymariatash.com).

The last thing I bought and loved was a pair of tasselled brown suede ankle boots by Chloé. I found them in Milan on my way to a gallery opening and bought them immediately. They are really cool because they don’t have a zip; you tie them with straps at the side. £630; www.chloe.com.

And the thing I’m eyeing next is a cast-bronze water fountain by a young Kiwi artist called Luke Willis Thompson. It’s a replica of the public drinking fountains created for black people during the racial segregation in the US. Galerie Nagel Draxler, Weydingerstrasse 2/4, 10178 Berlin (+4930-4004 2641; www.nagel-draxler.de).

An unforgettable place I’ve travelled to in the past year is a tiny clifftop medieval town called Calcata, 50 miles north of Rome. It was abandoned in the 1930s as it was deemed unsafe, but then in the 1960s it was reinhabited by a community of artists. It’s a tiny, beautiful treasure.

And the best souvenirs I’ve brought home were some antique postcards from the 1950s that I found in a really old bookshop in Porto. I sent one to each of my sons at boarding school and they really liked them, so I’m going to try to do the same everywhere I visit.

The last meal that truly impressed me was at the Giacomo, my favourite restaurant in Milan. It’s super-old and established and I had tartare of sea bass and langoustine and then pasta with white truffles. I actually bought some white truffles there and gave them to Philippe Parreno, one of my artists, who had an opening that night. Via Pasquale Sottocorno 6, 20129 Milan (+3902-7602 3313; www.giacomoristorante.com).

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a red sweater from Balenciaga. My son Giacomo persuaded me to get it from the flagship store when we were in Paris together. It’s very bright and warm and wearing it with red lipstick makes me happy. £625; 336 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris (+331-7677 3700; www.balenciaga.com).

A recent “find” is Vittorio Mango’s design gallery in Rome called Under the Influence. It’s a great off-the-beaten-track place to find classic modernist furniture by midcentury Italian, American and French designers such as Adrian Pearsall, Vladimir Kagan, Ico Parisi, Giò Ponti and Guglielmo Ulrich. Vicolo Del Polverone 3, 00186 Rome (+39329-561 6131; www.undertheinfluence.it).

An object I would never part with is a portrait of my mother and grandmother [pictured] by Diego Rivera. I think Rivera was in love with my grandmother – he painted her clothes see-through, while my mother looks very severe even though she’s only 12. It’s really important to me because it’s of the women in my family. And it’s huge.

The last music I downloaded was an album called Makes a King by The Very Best, a global band that includes a musician from Malawi and French and Swedish DJs. I have broad taste, from disco and country to reggae and classical. I was introduced to African music when I was a teenager in Angola during the civil war in the 1980s.

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Marcel Duchamp because he was about creativity and repetition, the way an artist can keep doing the same thing over and over.

My favourite websites and apps are Flight001.com, which sells everything for flying – it does the softest eye masks – and ActiveInStyle.co.uk for great exercise clothes. The 1Password app makes forgetting different passwords a thing of the past. (www.agilebits.com/onepassword).

My style icon is my mother. She was really stylish and when she died seven years ago I inherited 50 Gucci handbags and about 100 pairs of gloves.

The best gift I’ve given recently was a pair of noise-cancelling Bose QuietComfort in-ear headphones, to a girlfriend. They are amazing because you can fall asleep wearing them on the plane. £260; www.bose.co.uk.

And the best one I’ve received recently was a long, flowing, white cotton summer dress with blue and black paisley patterns. My brother bought it at La Galeria Elefante when we were in Ibiza; I wore it, danced all night and felt on top of the world. Carretera San Miguel, Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera, 07814 Ibiza (+34971-197 017; www.lagaleriaelefante.com).

An indulgence I would never forgo is massages at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London. I have the 80-minute Oriental Essence Body Massage, which is quite hardcore, but I drift off. They have the greatest masseurs and I have never been let down. Afterwards I meditate in the relaxation room and leave calm but revived. £155; 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1 (020-7235 2000; www.mandarinoriental.com).

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d choose Via Frattina in Rome. I’d go to Gente, a clothing store with lots of chic brands, and Luisa Venier, an amazing handkerchief store; I think handkerchiefs are really stylish. Saddlers Union has wonderful leather goods, especially for men. And I love Hotel de Russie, which has a really nice gym and glamorous spa; plus there’s a restaurant nearby called Dal Bolognese, a super-classic place for homemade pasta and bollito. Dal Bolognese, Piazza del Popolo (+3906-361 1473; www.dalbolognese.it). Gente, Via del Babuino 185 (+3906-322 5954; www.genteroma.com). Hotel de Russie, Via del Babuino 9 (+3906-328 881; www.roccofortehotels.com). Luisa Venier, Via Frattina 80 (+3906-6979 7741; www.luisaviaroma.com). Saddlers Union, Via Margutta 11 (+3906-3212 0237; www.saddlersunion.com).

The people I rely on for personal grooming and wellbeing include my trainer, Laura Madge, who used to be a gymnast and has made me super fit. I only get my hair cut twice a year, but I do have blow drys at George Northwood’s salon before art gallery openings and work dinners. I also have eyelash extensions at a place in Shepherd’s Bush; it’s a hole in the wall, but the best I’ve found. I don’t dare give the address or I’ll never be able to get an appointment. George Northwood, 24 Wells Street, London W1 (020-7580 8195; www.georgenorthwood.com). Laura Madge, www.gymbox.com/very-personal-trainers/laura-madge.

The sight that inspires me is the beautiful and constantly changing view from my house in Porto Ercole on the south coast of Tuscany. I recently flew from New York and back to spend just two days there. I fall asleep listening to the sea; it’s my little piece of heaven and I escape there with my two kids whenever I can.  

My favourite room in my house is my kitchen. I like to cook and entertain and people always have a nicer time than in a restaurant. I can seat 30 people at once, though I call in caterers for parties that large.  

In my fridge you’ll always find salmon, eggs, lemon, spinach, kale, tomatoes, Volvic water and biodynamic wine. The wine comes from a biodynamic shop called Zelas Wines & Deli in Highgate; the owner Plamen Gueorguiev chooses a bunch of different ones for me to try. Recent discoveries include a light red called Un Litro and a white called Guazza Vermentino. They all come from small suppliers and you feel much better the morning after. 216 Archway Road, London N6 (020-8347 9006; www.zelas.co.uk).

The books on my bedside table are The Passion According to GH by Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian novelist I have always wanted to read; Black Transparency: The Right to Know in the Age of Mass Surveillance by Metahaven that discusses the propaganda, manipulation and secrecy in a world where governments are apparently “transparent”; and Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty, a lively and acclaimed critique of capitalism.

If I didn’t live in London, the city I would live in is New York, essentially for the art. I love the new Whitney Museum and the Guggenheim. Then Barneys is great for shopping and Kyo Ya and Sasabune restaurants serve some of the best sushi I’ve had outside Japan; I could write a guidebook to Japanese restaurants around the world. Barneys, 660 Madison Avenue (+1212-826 8900; www.barneys.com). Kyo Ya, 94 East 7th Street (+1212-982 4140). Sasabune, 401 East 73rd Street (+1212-249 8583; www.sasabunenyc.com). Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue (+1212-423 3575; www.guggenheim.org). Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street (+1212-570 3600; www.whitney.org).

The beauty staple I’m never without is John-Marie Farina fragrance by Roger & Gallet. My mother and grandmother used it and I’ve worn it since I was five; it makes me feel at home. £31 for 100ml EDC; www.feelunique.com.

If I weren’t doing what I do I would be a lecturer in philosophy because I believe that in life, one should try to make a difference to others.