Living with passion – lessons from Tuscany: olives and olive oil
November is olive harvest in Tuscany!
My cousin Massimo from Viareggio called this week because he was so excited to have his very own e.v.o.o. for the very first time. Anyone who has even a few olive trees on a small piece of land in Italy carefully picks and gathers their bounty and takes the lot to a local frantoio (olive oil press).
His call reminded me that this is a wonderful time of year to be in Tuscany.
For thousands of years, late October/early November has been the right time in Italy to pick and gather those full, ripe fruits produced from the ancient, gnarly olive trees. In Tuscany, the varied-colored nets that have been spread under the trees are filled with fallen olives and you can catch glimpses of olive pickers in the trees among the silvery leaves. Olives are still picked by hand.
Everyone’s “Bucket List” should include “I want to taste extra virgin olive oil immediately after it comes out of the press!” At no other time will the olive oil taste this wonderful as it immediately starts to lose some of its amazing organoleptic properties after pressing. This is why olive oil must be quickly bottled and stored in a dark, dry place.
If you are like me, you’ll want to savor the new oil directly from a spoon. Or, pour a bit over a slice of great bread and you will have an incredible treat.
Freshly-pressed olive oil is used in recipes that highlight its fresh taste and penetrating fragrances such as simple fish or vegetable recipes and carpaccio,
Emperor Vespasian’s abode – Archeologist discover ancient villa near Rome
According to Italian news sources ASCA-AFP, ruins of a villa in all probability belonging to Emperor Vespasian (Roman emperor from 69 – 79 AD) were discovered about 70 kilometers (circa 44 miles) northeast of Rome on August 6. Coincidentally, Italy is commemorating the two thousandth year of Vespasian’s birth this year.
The villa is situated in the little village of Falacrine in the province of Rieti in what used to be the Sabine territory in antiquity.
Leading the group of international archeologists on this dig is Filippo Coarelli, a professor from the University of Perugia. Coarelli stated:
“The villas of this period generally don’t bear any inscriptions which makes it difficult to attribute ownership. But there are many indications, including the location, that lead us to believe that this is the villa where the Emperor Vespasian was born.”
Now is the best time to rent your bargain villa in Tuscany
Are you holding back on your travel and vacation dreams because of the economy? You may want to reconsider your position. The current price offerings of villas in Italy are at an historic low. If you have ever had a dream of taking a vacation with a loved one, your family, business colleagues or a group of friends, now is the time to book your Italian fantasy vacation.
Remember the Seinfeld episode where there were no villas in Tuscany available for renting? That is no longer the case as the world’s purse strings have tightened. This year, we have seen villas from as low as €36 (about $52.00) per person, per night for beautiful properties in idyllic surroundings. Try finding any luxury hotel room in Italy (or anywhere else) at this price! Heck, this may even cost less than the currently popular ‘staycations!’
Italy emulates U.S. – Italians getting fatter
Native Italian and fitness expert Paul Frediani recently returned from his annual trip to Italy. Paul is passionate about Italy and the Italian lifestyle. While he always loves the precious time spent in his native village of Bozzano in Tuscany, Paul is bothered by a disturbing trend. Are the Italians emulating some of America’s negative habits?
Here are Paul’s thoughts:
“Tutto il mondo é un paese” – an old Italian saying meaning “the world is a village” – is certainly true when it comes to the alarming increase in the rate of obesity in western society today. The Italians are no exception. The obesity levels in Italy are up 25% since 1994. Italian obesity is at 9%, while America’s is at 30% but the Italians are gaining fast. It’s no wonder Fiat bought Chrysler. It was a strategic move: At the rate of their fast expanding waistline Italians will no longer be able to fit into their Cinquecentos. I was shocked and baffled by what I saw in Italy this past year. Young teenage girls with big bellies hanging over their waistline, men so fat their Armani’s are busting at the seams. Although I have seen the slow but gradual weight gain of the Italian population over the years, this last trip simply “blew my mind”.
Forbes Reports: Lucca, Tuscany is one of Europe’s most Idyllic Places To Live
A historic city within a city, it’s difficult to find a house within the old, Renaissance walls of Lucca, but apartments are more plentiful. Its handsome centro storico (or historical center) is little changed since local son Giaccomo Puccini served as church choir master, according to Schultz. The shaded three-mile path atop the city walls is a favorite bike ride or passaggiata for the lucchesi, she adds, and Lucca is the epicenter for Tuscany’s world-class olive oil, so you know food and wine are revered here. Living outside the city, in the surrounding hillsides, is just as idyllic. “To live in the city in the winter and come into the hills in thesummer, that is heaven on earth,” says local Realtor Sarita Vincent.
Click here to read the full article.
76 year-old Italian man obtains his tenth university degree
At their best Italians are tenacious, resilient and infinitely curious. These traits are perfectly personified in 76-year-old Leonardo Altobelli who just obtained his tenth university degree in biotechnology.
Leonardo (from Ansa in the Foggia area), is a retired physician, married with children and the ex mayor of his native town Troia.
“There is nothing extraordinary about this,” says Leonardo. “I only study before each test.”
His first degree was in medicine followed by degrees in law, political science, the arts, philosophy, agriculture, science of tourism, history of science, social history and this last one in Biotechnology.
One wonders what he might do next!
10 Italian movies for your summer viewing pleasure
As the summer months create a warm and lazy atmosphere, why not curl up on your couch during the sultry evenings with a cooling drink and enjoy some great movie viewing? If you can deal with subtitles and love cinema history, there are some wonderful Italian offerings for your viewing pleasure.
Readers have been asking for a list of movies that are representative of the Italian lifestyle through various decades. The following list is from movies I have viewed (many for the second time) this year.
After you watch these movies, please share your reviews or comments with us.
Films from the list below are available for rental or purchase. The information on these movies is from The Internet Movie Database (IMDb):
Tuscan Wall-E robot handles trash in Pisa
In the streets of Pontedera (province of Pisa), Italy, passers-by are doing double-takes at the sight of the new DustBot. These Wall-E-like robots (also reminiscent of R2D2) can be summoned by the inhabitants of Pontedera to dispose of different kinds of waste and recyclables.
A project and creation of the students of the Scuola Superiore di Sant’Anna of Pisa, a scientific research institute of the University of Pisa, the DustBots are part of a 3-year project aimed at finding new ways to dispose of urban trash. The project is gathering world-wide interest.
Baseball in Italy?
I love the signs of spring; blossoms, longer days, beautiful weather and baseball!
Following the recent World Baseball Classic made me think about what a true “World Series” looks like. It is wonderful to see so many countries participating in the great American pastime!
Did you know that baseball in Italy started at the end of WW2? Nettuno is an Italian town one hour south of Rome along the Tyrrhenian Sea (west coast and is close to the American cemetery in Anzio (site of the famous World War II battle). American troops went to Italy during WWII to push out the invading Nazis. They accomplished this valiantly plus also left behind the legacy of Italian baseball. They taught Italian kids to play the game, started to play in front of spectators and planted the seed.
The first Italian League tournament in Bologna took place in 1948 and Bologna won the contest. Italian cities with a past and current baseball tradition include: Nettuno, Bologna, Parma, Milan, Rimini and Grosseto.
There is a sign entering Nettuno saying “Benvenuti a Nettuno – Città del Baseball.” (welcome to Nettuno, city of baseball).
Italian baseball trivia:
- Joe Di Maggio visited here when he was retired and smashed a ball out of the park.
- The first Italian-born player to play Major League Baseball in the U.S. was Julio Bonetti: Genoa, Italy (St. Louis Browns, 1937)
Photo: Examiner.com
The American love affair with Tuscany
Tuscany has always been a very popular tourist destination for people from all over the world. For Americans, since the publication of Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” (and the eponymous movie plus her other subsequent books on Tuscany), the fascination with this region of Italy has reached amazing heights.(1).jpg)
I am not knocking this trend - the desire to share the Tuscan lifestyle is the reason I began writing this column. I am from Tuscany and passionate about all it has to offer :Art, architecture, food, wine, history, vineyards, sunflowers and natural beauty. Tuscans are very proud of their heritage and live a great life. But who knew that all the traditional foods I grew up with (such as bruschette, crostini, rustic bread soups, home-made salumi and sautéed beans) would end up being featured in the trendiest of U.S. restaurants?
It seems I cannot drive more than a few minutes from home without seeing a “Tuscan” or “Tuscany” restaurant, hotel, condominium building, cooking school or billboard. Even the Olive Garden Restaurants have joined this trend with their Culinary Institute of Tuscany and their latest television commercials featuring Tuscan menu specials.
