November 25, 2008

The Tuscany Effect

Issue #5

In This Issue:

• Message from Serenella

• Celebrating Thanksgiving, Italian-style

• Tuscany and Italy at the movies - Bond, James Bond!

• New Recipes from Authentic Italian Women

• Responses to Reader Requests

• Did You Know (Experiences in Italy)?

• Website and Blog

• Contact Us

Happy Thanksgiving...

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. My family and I love Thanksgiving because it is the one holiday centered solely on getting together with friends and family, being thankful for what we have and sharing a traditional meal.

People in other countries, including Italians, are curious about this quintessentially American holiday seen only in movies or on television. In fact, some people in Italy have started cooking turkeys at the end of November for La Festa del Ringraziamento or Il Giorno del Ringraziamento (day of giving thanks) which coincides with ancient harvest festivals.

Wherever you are and during these challenging times, it is important to pause and reflect on all of life's true gifts. I am grateful for my family and friends near and far, for my freedom, my health and for all of you who support me in my efforts to spread some Tuscan love.

May you all have a wonderful holiday!
Serenella

Celebrating an Italian Thanksgiving

Last time we spoke about the importance of family traditions. This reminded me of how Italian immigrants approach Thanksgiving.

As far back as I can remember, my family's door was always open to those who were alone and needed a place to celebrate Thanksgiving. That tradition remains with us to this day. Upon arriving in California, my parents and grandparents immediately embraced the idea of celebrating a holiday about gratitude and sharing food with family and friends, old and new. After all, this is second nature to Italians.

Our family enjoyed the drawings and stories about the first Thanksgiving that my little sister and I brought home from school. They patiently listened to us chatter on and on about the pilgrims, the native Americans, the Mayflower and the turkeys.

Most Italian-American families we knew added lasagne, ravioli and other Italian dishes to the traditional Thanksgiving fare, which made for a very bountiful meal indeed. It seems all immigrant families celebrate Thanksgiving with their own special flavors and influences.

My own family decided that this particular holiday should be observed in a traditionally American way, even in our very Italian home. On this day every year, we would cook American food!

We tried very hard to make our Thanksgiving meal truly American, with turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, cornbread and torta di zucca (a tart made with pumpkin filling). However, as you might guess, something Tuscan was bound to creep into the meal.

In our case, it was the stuffing for the turkey. Our stuffing does not contain cornmeal or oysters; it includes whole wheat bread, sautéed turkey livers, dried porcini mushrooms, spinach, onions, celery, eggs and lots of parmesan cheese - all wetted down with home-made broth. It is a recipe we have carried on for all these many years.

I was telling this story to my friend Debbie who is of Sicilian origin. She has had a similar experience with her family tradition: their stuffing includes rice, sausage, mushrooms pine nuts and raisins (typical ingredients of Sicilian cuisine). We laughed and concluded that our families can never really escape our own familiar culinary "comfort" zones!

Given that we are a country of immigrants, this presents an interesting question: what are all the different Thanksgiving customs in our melting pot? What are your family influences? Thanksgiving celebrations across the country probably include everything from borscht to blintzes or chow mein to cannoli!

Whatever your traditions, enjoy them in merriment, good health and good company!

Tuscany and Italy in the Movies

It seems every time I am in Tuscany my relatives are excited about an American movie being filmed there. The time before last, everyone was talking about Spike Lee filming "Miracle in Sant’Anna" in the area around and above Camaiore near my home town of Viareggio. This last time, everyone was watching the news clips of the new James Bond movie being filmed in various parts of Tuscany.

Bond - James Bond. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard different actors use that phrase. Whether in California or in Italy, it has always been a great escape for me - almost a tradition - to see a 007 movie. Starting with "Dr. No" and "From Russia, With Love" (remember those great scenes in Venice?), I have been a fan.

My all-time favorite James Bond is Sean Connery but I did enjoy Daniel Craig's more edgy Bond in "Casino Royale." So, I was looking forward to "Quantum of Solace."

Although the movie itself was not the traditional Bond fare (it featured an angry and vengeful Bond), I had a great time watching all the Italian scenes in the movie. The action opens with a car chase along the edge of Lago di Garda (Lake Garda) in northern Italy. The chase continues in the marble quarries of Carrara in the Apuan Alps in Tuscany where Michelangelo obtained his marble (and where I have taken many groups on my tours). From there, we pick up the action in Siena in the midst of the Palio, the famous bareback horse-race that has been held there twice per year since 1650. Ten racers and horses chosen from among the 17 Sienese Contrade (districts) compete fiercely to win the palio (banner).

There is a great chase scene over the red tile rooftops of Siena although I actually cringed as they knocked down those beautiful hand-made tiles, broke through glass ceilings, and fought in a museum full of precious artwork.

Later in the movie, Bond approaches breathtaking Talamone on the Southern coast of Tuscany (Maremma area) by sea and visits Giancarlo Giannini in a villa (originally a tower used for defense against the Saracen invaders).

The final Tuscan influence in this movie is the opera La Tosca by composer Giacomo Puccini. A performance which took place last year in Bregenz, Austria, is carried out in front of the backdrop of a huge winking eye on the open air stage. I can't imagine what Maestro Puccini would think of this rendition!

There are many movies featuring locations in Tuscany or Italy. The most obvious is "Under the Tuscan Sun" and the list goes on. For example, the interior Florence scenes in "Tea and Mussolini" were filmed inside the Pensione Sorelle Bandini in Florence which was owned by my first cousin Marisa and her husband. "Life is Beautiful" (with Roberto Benigni) was filmed mostly in Arezzo.

For a list of movies featuring scenes from Italy, please see my list on the Toscana Mia Website here.

What are your favorite Italian movies?

Recipes from Authentic Italian Women:

Here are some new recipes from Italian women on the Toscana Mia Blog:

• Tiramisu

• Coffee Liqueur

Responses to Reader Requests

Thanks to all of you who have written to us and made much-appreciated comments and suggestions. In response, we have implemented some changes:

Sopranos Wine information and purchase: Many of you asked about purchasing the new HBO Sopranos wines. Since they are in limited markets for now, the easiest way to purchase them for the holidays is online. We have added a direct link from the home page of the Toscana Mia website for the convenience of our clients. The link is to Mondo Liquor, where you will find tasting notes, cost and ordering information for these very good, reasonably-priced wines (most from Tuscany).

Printable Recipes: We are in the process of adding printer versions of our recipes on the Toscana Mia blog for your ease of use. The recipes will be categorized by course.

Recipe Weights and Measures: We have gone back and added American measurements/weights wherever possible to make our recipes easier to use.

Please continue to send in your suggestions. We count on you to make our services better and more useful. Grazie!

Did You Know (Experiences in Italy)?

Everyone loves Roberto Benigni from movies like "Life is Beautiful" or Johnny Stecchino. Did you know that in Italy Benigni is famous for his passionate recitations of Dante's Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy) - by heart?

On Italian television and in Italian magazines, you will find famous celebrities doing commercials and ads (for top Euros, of course) that you will not see back home:

• Salma Hayek for Campari

• George Clooney for Martini and Rossi

• Dustin Hoffman for Caffe Vergnano

• Hugh Laurie and Uma Thurman for Mediaset (Italian cable channel)

• Hugh Laurie for House - this is a very funny commercial combining lines from the show plus other original lines to promote the "House" TV show on the Joy Channel.

• Leonardo di Caprio - Telecom Italia (Italian phone company)

While Italian TV leaves a lot to be desired, Italian commercials are clever, funny and sexy. It's almost worth a trip to Italy just to see these commercials...

Need more information about traveling to Tuscany?

Please contact Serenella Leoni, your Tuscany Lifestyle Expert, to reserve your place and to answer your questions.

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