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August 2009 |
The Tuscany Effect
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Issue #15 |
Welcome to the Toscana Mia
Ezine "The Tuscany Effect"
Brought to you by Serenella
Leoni, Tuscan Lifestyle Expert
Email Serenella
(serenella@toscanamia.biz)
NOTE: Use
the email address directly above if you wish to contact me. If you hit
"Reply" your email will go directly to an automated e-zine server
and I will NOT receive your message.
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who loves Tuscany, Italy or
all things Italian from food, wine, travel, villas and tours, to
traditions, language, fashion, art, music, books, movies and more. |
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In This Issue:
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Special
August Offers for Toscana Mia Clients
Summer Villa Specials:
From
as low as €36 (euros) per person, per night. Try finding
any hotel at this price! Please see our villa rentals
page at
www.Toscanamia.biz.
If you have any chance to fly to Italy this year, NOW is
the time to take advantage of villa rental prices that
are lower than they have ever been. Rent your own dream
home in Italy for a week. It will do wonders for you!
Contact Serenella for more
information |
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Special Announcement:
Please
visit the new Toscana Mia page on Facebook for great
Italy photos, articles, discussions, announcements and
much more. We would love to hear your feedback. |
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Italians abandon
Their Cities in August |
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Italians abandon Their Cities in August
 Good
luck to you if you need anything delivered or finished in
Italy in August. Italians are extremely serious about their
ferie (vacations from work)! The only Italians you find in
their own cities or homes on August 15 (Ferrragosto) are
those who work with tourists (at least one family member
stays behind to keep the business going). The rest of Italy
is at the coast, in the mountains, traveling abroad or stuck
on the autostrada attempting to get to or back from their
vacation destination.
If you have a construction project underway, are having some
repairs done, need any alterations or just like to shop at
your favorite grocery store, forget it. You will have to
wait until September! I know of no other country -
especially one so dependent on tourism - that shuts down
completely in August like Italy does.
Oh, and the few businesses that are open are not
available between 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. so on an August
afternoon, you are completely out of luck!
This year was particularly brutal because Italians had to
deal with stifling heat all summer with no relief from the
usual rain storms so they left the cities in droves.
One can only imagine what the poor visitors to Italy had to
deal with - closed stores, solleone (dog days of summer),
and throngs of tourists. Sometime La Vita isn’t so Dolce!
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Italy among the Top 5 Countries for Americans'
Retirement |
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Italy among the Top 5 Countries for
Americans' Retirement
 Great food,
delicious wines, beautiful scenery, welcoming people
and free health care? According to
International Living, despite all of Italy’s quirks, the
'country of sun, sea and romance' is a great place for your
retirement. For the last 30 years, International Living has
been considered the authority for living abroad. In
their article
"Live
Better for Less: The Top Places to Retire in the World"
the top 5 countries for American retirement were (in order):
Mexico, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay and Italy. Italy also
ranked seventh under International Living's Quality of Life
index (France was number 1). So, if you prefer Europe to
Latin America, Italy is the top choice.
Why Italy? Have you been reading this newsletter? Seriously,
believe it or not (despite the high Euro to Dollar exchange
rate), there are still many places in Italy where life is
good, the cost of living is relatively low and real estate
is easily affordable. Another very important consideration
is that Italy ranks No. 2 on the World Health Organization's
list of top countries for quality health care services (by
contrast, the U.S. only holds 37th place despite being the
highest spender).
What does that mean for you if you are considering Italy as
a retirement option? How do you know whether you would be
comfortable living there? Which parts of Italy are best
suited to you?
All those questions and much, much more will be answered in
my latest ebook on retiring to Italy. Christine Cantera and
I are in the final phases of writing this book and our goal
is to make it the best, most complete guide for anyone
considering retirement (or long-term living) in Italy. We
will discuss everything, the good bad and ugly aspects of
retiring abroad with the goal of helping people make the
most informed decision possible.
So if you or anyone you know might consider moving to Italy,
be on the lookout for our announcement within the next month
or two. As always, Toscana Mia readers will receive a
special discount offer on this book.
Meanwhile, if you have any specific questions, you are
always welcome to contact me!
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Great Italian Wines
(Red, White, Pricey or Great Buy, Special Wines of Note) |
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Great Italian Wines (Red, White, Pricey or
Great Buy, Special
Wines of Note)
 When
the Greeks landed in what are now the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, they found ancient Etruscans making wine from wild
grapes. The Greeks thus named Italy "Enotria" (land of
wine). From its ancient birth to the present day, wine is an
essential component of Italian life. In ancient Rome, wine
was associated with authority and the highest ranking was linked
to the ownership of a vineyard. The Roman emperor Julian
bestowed what he considered the supreme gift - vineyards
personally pruned by him - as a special favor.
Sassicaia
The term "Super Tuscans" is a popular name for a group
of wines that were first made in the 1970s and had nothing
to do with the traditional Chianti or Brunello wines. Today,
they are considered among Italy's superstars.
One of the truly great Tuscan wines (for a very special
occasion) is the Bolgheri Sassicaia 2005 from Tenuta San
Guido in Bolgheri. Sassicaia wines originated in the 1940s
and gave birth to the Super Tuscan movement.
This wine comes from the province of Livorno on the west
coast of central Tuscany. Who knew that this rocky,
exceptionally hot area could yield such great wines?
Sassicaia is made from cabernet sauvignon grapes and aged in
small, French oak barriques. The 2005 Tenuta San Guido
Sassicaia received three glasses (the highest award) from
the Gambero Rosso (the Italian equivalent of
the Michelin guide). Gambero Rosso states:
"It shows
refined elegant and spacious, with tannins that are
fine-grained and indeed velvety. The nervy vein of acidity
is such as to make this wine well nigh immortal... we
believe that in 20 years or so the '05, utterly unscathed by
time, will still be at its stellar peak."
This is lofty praise indeed and comes at a 'stellar' price of
around $140.00 per bottle.
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Benefit Concert in Viareggio for Victims of
Railway explosion |
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Sting, Jeff Beck and Zucchero Stage Benefit Concert in
Viareggio for Victims of Railway explosion
Last month I wrote about the devastating railway explosion
that killed 30 people, left hundreds homeless and tore apart
my home town of Viareggio.
On August 19, a benefit concert for Viareggio
was organized by Italy's top pop star Zucchero. The lineup included Sting,
Andrea Bocelli, Jeff Beck, Pino Daniele, Solomon Burke and
an array of Italian stars.
The video below is from that concert and is a stirring
rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot as
interpreted by the great guitarist Jeff Beck.
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Serenella's Column in the Examiner.com |
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Serenella's Column in the
Examiner.com
Thanks to all of you who have been reading my column in
the examiner.com. I hope you will keep dropping in to
read the articles. Below are some recent additions.
Grazie!
Enjoy your
reading!
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Original Ebook
Specials |
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Original Ebook Specials:
Readers are
enjoying our ebooks that were inspired by our great
passion for sharing the real Italy with you. Toscana Mia
clients receive 50% off our ebook prices:
-
The Ultimate Tuscany Villa Rental Guide - The 21
Most Important Things You Need to Know Before You
Sign That Villa Rental Agreement. (With bonus
sections)
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Your Guide to Buying Real Estate in Italy -
Are you Ready to Move to the Land of Sun, Sea and
Romance?
An Explanation of the Italian Property
Purchasing Process plus a Humorous and Honest Look
at What It's Really Like to Live in Italy (With
bonus sections)
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Your Dream Wedding in Tuscany - A
step-by-step guide: Discover Italy's unique wedding
traditions; learn how to navigate the Byzantine
bureaucracy and create your own unforgettable
occasion on any budget. (With bonus sections)
Purchase these
ebooks now and get 50% off the regular prices: special
coupon code: Tuscany.
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Questions and Topic
Suggestions |
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Questions and Topic Suggestions
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Have Any Questions?
To help ensure that you receive all email
messages consistently in your inbox with images
displayed, please add this address to your
address book, buddy book, or contacts list:
serenella@toscanamia.biz. |
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Have A Topic Idea for
The Tuscany Effect?
I'd love to hear it!
Just
email me any time here and let me know what
topics you'd like to know more about. |
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Website and Blog |
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Please visit our website for the
latest news on how to
rent a storybook
villa, embark on a
custom-designed Tuscany tour, plan a
one-of-a-kind Italian wedding, or purchase your own piece of
property in Tuscany.
We can guide you through the process - with expert assistance from our established network of
top Tuscan travel professionals, event and wedding planners
and property management companies. We can even assist you with
your dream wedding in Tuscany, a true once-in-a-lifetime
experience.
Our unique E-books teach you how to rent villas in Italy like
an expert, plan your dream wedding in Tuscany, or purchase
real estate in Italy as you learn to behave, misbehave and fit
in with living the Tuscan lifestyle.
Please visit our
Toscana Mia Blog for the latest news on
Italian food, wine, trends and all the things Tuscans love
with a passion!
Until next time, ciao a tutti!
Serenella
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