It’s time to farewell peaches, tees without jumpers and Game of Thrones – three of life’s great pleasures. That’s okay – we’re welcoming some others. Roaring fireplaces. Soups and stews and steaming hot pies. Hot chocolate. (Is it back in fashion, or is that just the Broadsheet office? Or is it just me?) Yes it’s chillier, but this time of year is also filled with many cosy delights.

This issue is full of stories that will up that cosiness – and pleasure – in June and July.

One of those is Tasmania’s 145-year-old Waverley Mills – the last wool mill of its kind in Australia. It’s moving into the future with fashion-forward colourways and patterns, and it’s pitching to the customer who cares deeply about design, longevity and provenance.

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Those are three words that restaurateur and arts patron Rinaldo Di Stasio understands. His new, unprecedented eatery in the CBD, Di Stasio Città, is an instant Melbourne classic and is the subject of this issue’s cover story. The brutalist, gallery-like restaurant embodies Di Stasio’s uncompromising approach to hospitality, design, art and food – all of which contributes to his ultimate purpose: to provide a space that fosters sublime experiences. Città is a physical manifestation of “Italianity”, Di Stasio’s philosophy on blending the best of Italian and Australian culture, and inside its walls you’re transported to another world.

We head to Sunda – Punch Lane’s excellent Southeast Asian diner – for Staff Meal. On the menu? Fried chicken with blue cheese and coconut-yoghurt dipping sauce. And we got you the recipe so you can cook it at home.

On that note, have you ever wondered why your dinner-party-for-four is a constant screw-up but restaurants manage what’s basically tens of dinner parties in a a night, every night, and don’t miss a beat? How do they do it? How do kitchens actually work? We visit the Flower Drum, Cumulus and more to find out.

If you’re looking to get into some seasonal drops, Mike Bennie shares his five drinks to warm up with during the cooler months. And Max Veenhuyzen drops into Fancy Free for this issue’s "A Closer Look" and finds a bar that captures the energy, fun and blue-sky thinking of Melbourne drinking dens circa 2019.

The NGV is a good place to hide out when the temperature drops, and several of China’s iconic terracotta warriors – they’re more than 2000 years old – will move into the gallery in May. A concurrent exhibition shows the work of China-born, New York-based Cai Guo-Qiang, who has a penchant for gunpowder. It will be an intriguing and immersive dual show.

And if you’re looking for a winter getaway, we recommend Australia’s newest designer hotel. The Calile is a stunner, and most importantly, it’s closer to the equator.

This story originally appeared in Melbourne print issue 26.