The agenda for the weekend starts with an Italian BBQ

As I went for my early morning run, this morning promised a splendid sunny – maybe even warm (almost hot?) – kind of day.  I spent most of the run planning out my activities for the weekend – BBQ Friday night after work with a glass of Chianti enjoying the sunset over the vineyard, Saturday was to be leisurely including town hopping (Greve and Panzano are bound to have a farm market going on), B-day shopping, gardening and an evening visit to Florence then Sunday (with the promise of really lousy weather) my intention is to cuddled up on the couch and enjoy one of my new e-books.  So my plans to BBQ with DH this evening were almost confirmed and written in stone.

But as I look out my office window and desperately search for the sun, I realize that I had better come up with an alternative plan – at least as far as the grilled chicken with fresh Tuscan Herbs and jacket potatoes are concerned.  Pizza anyone?

Saturday has received rave reviews from the local weatherman – sun sun sun and then more sun.  So town hopping is still on the agenda.  DH and I like to get out the vespa, don our helmets and wind around the country roads looking for a food festival or farmer market where we can have fun picking and choosing all kinds of yummy goodies.  We then pile it all into the basket attached to the back of the bike and anything that doesn’t fit goes into my handbag.  We drive home as fast as possible in order to set up outside in our garden under the umbrella and eat it all in one go!

I have to do some B-Day shopping because my little brother is going to be celebrating at the end of the month, and I don’t want him to wait 4 months (like my little sister did) to get his gift.  I have to calculate normal postal delays between Tuscany and California – AND I have to calculate my perpetual procrastination in taking the box to the post office to actually send it.  He (ever so) casually dropped a hint that our three section Toscanella briefcase was on his wish list  but . . . let’s just say if he wants a briefcase for his B-day he’d better come and visit me first.  I was actually thinking more along the line of a document holder or an iPad case.

I will be planting my zucchini plants this weekend so that they will be ready to sprout flowers real soon – and that of course means fried zucchini flowers.  YUM! And since zucchini plants seem to be constantly in the production mode, two plants should keep us eating zucs until … I don’t know October?  Which is just fine by me because I have at least 50 different ways to make them – the first of which is a Primavera sauce for the Pasta:

2 baby zucchini, 1 baby onion (or sweet onion), 2 ripe tomatoes, 150-200 gr. Ricotta cheese, a bunch of fresh parsley (or basil), 200 grs pasta and as much grated parmesan cheese as you like. (basics for any Italian recipe include Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper)

Chop the onion and begin to sautee in extra virgin olive oil.

Chop the Zucchini and add to the onion.

Chop the tomato and as soon as the onion and zucchini are soft and golden add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook until they are soft and you can smell the flavours mixing and remove from heat.  Mix in the ricotta cheese and parsely.

Make your favorite type of short pasta. Drain (put leave just a little bit of the water).

Mix with the sauce and add some of the cooking water if it needs to be thinned out.

Sprinkle the cheese and serve . . . with lots of bread because the left over sauce will need to be scooped up, its just too good to leave behind.

Well, as the Italians are often apt to say – let’s hope for the best.  Hopefully I will get home in time to at least have a little happy hour before the rain falls.

Wishing you all a great weekend – leave a comment with your plans!

Everything is coming up roses in Tuscany

It is springtime in Tuscany and all you need is a drop of sun and the roses are in bloom everywhere!  It almost seems that roses are as proficuo as weeds in some areas.  It is in my nature to be generally super curious and I will find myself asking tons of questions when I find a reliable source and then I tuck these pieces of info into my brain.  I found most of my American friends and family, when they come to visit,  indulge me and listen to these stories and facts – many of them are probably wondering how it is I can remember all of these curiousities but I had the hardest time remembering how to do algerbra or spell anything with more than two vowels in it. And I am about to share with you one of these interesting little facts.

As it turns out both Tuscan vineyards and I share a common like :  Roses.   Anyone who has visited Tuscany might have noticed that at the beginning of each row in the vineyards there can occassionally be found a rose bush.  This is especially true for the older vineyards – like those located around my house.  Some might have thought that is was a gesture of beauty, but I can assure you that the Tuscan farmer has no time for adding a bit of beauty when it comes to something as serious as his veggie garden or vineyard.

When I first started gardening in Tuscany, planted flowers all a long my fence.  I was continuously under the scrutiny of my neighbors – the older they were the more curious as to what the American girl was up too.  Bruno,  as old as they get and with a face that never cracked a smile, shook his head and gave me a look bordering on disgust he said:  ”boh, fiori?”  Of course, don’t they look good?.  ”boh (a Tuscan way of saying I don’t know) non si può mangiare fiori” –  you can’t eat those flowers so, I was just wasting my time.

But not all flower are a waste of time, for example fried fiori di zucca (fried zucchini flowers – need I say more?) and roses.  Yes, back on the topic at hand.  Apparently roses were traditionally planted at the end of the rows in vineyards because they are delicate – more so than the vines.  In this way, if the flowers or the bushes started to show signs of bugs or diease the farmer would be alerted before the problem could attach the vineyards.  The rose bush above is one of my favorites, nestled underneath a olive tree pushes out blooms from May to November non stop – and not scrawny blossoms but long stem red roses!

Not all roses are found in or around the vineyards, like this silver plated Nomination bracelet with a rose motif, this one can be found on line at Pierotucci.com  And let’s just say that the younger generation of Italians are just as fond of planting flowers and roses as they are of planting tomatoes and zucchini plants.

This bush with is spectacular yellow and pink blossoms stands taller than me!  I love the idea of it protecting all of these vineyards.  Of course today – it is more for show than utility because there are lots of other ways to keep an eye on the health of a vineyard.  However, I love it that some farmers still go out of their way to protect these reminants of cultural history.

This pole actually has two different kinds of roses – one is what I would call a wild rose – that the white one crawling up high.  Then there is the romantic white and pink rose – similar to this pink gold rose and silver bracelet from the ROSES collection from Nomination.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures I took of the vineyard and roses surrounding my home in Tuscany.

Make the transition from Spring to Summer with a Leather Jacket

March comes in like a lamb but goes out like a lion, April brings on cold showers and May is straddling winter temps and summer sunshine all the while puffing pollen and other sneeze causing things in the air.  There is no rule of thumb on how to dress in mid season except maybe …. make it flexible.  Last week in Tuscany everyone was working on a “cambia di armadio” which may sound rather intimidating but it actually just means switching their winter wardrobe for their summer attire.  And for some people this can be quite a daunting task (my colleague at work takes a week off just to get it right – but then she uses her spare bedroom as a walk-in closet.) For others this could mean just making sure the wool sweaters get some lavender perfumed slips to keep the moths away.

The trick to the transition is always leave something warm to cover those unexpected temp drops from tropical to Siberia.  Last week I was cutting the lawn in shorts and a halter top and this week its been so chilly I have had to sleep in my pile PJs to keep warm!  One just wants to scream where is the logic here!!  So the obvious choice here is the leather jacket addition which works well in all temps and provides a distinctive fashion statement.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Sometimes its the color or texture of the leather that makes a statement, like this distressed leather Jacket from Michael Kors. Reminds me of the Campomaggi look: rustic and sophisticated all at the same time.I am always a little bit nervous about wearing a suede leather jacket – however you can not deny that when it is smooth and soft, its a pure delight to run your hand over a suede leather jacket.

Probably the easiest look to get away with is a cropped leather jacket – like the collarless version above in beige nappa leather with contrasting tobacco trim or the classic all black designer leather jacket for women with a dual collar.

Florence excursion includes wine and Italian leather jackets

This blog piece is a special treat from one of our recent guests, who sent it to us from her recent trip to Florence Italy.  We were quite pleased to be considered one of the highlights of her trip. Thanks to Michelle for the story – I did a little research and pulled up the photos on the vineyard – and of course added one of our factory.

APRIL 2012 :  I was really excited when my colleague suggested an authentic wine tasting at a Medici Villa high in the hills of Chiantigiana.  The weather was perfect, and the villa was bathed in late evening sun as we approached.

Dialetta, the owner, was outside to greet us and gave us a very warm welcome. She took us up to the enormous terrace overlooking the hillside where the panoramic view was amazing. After we went into the front landscaped garden where she told us a little of the history of the villa. I could just picture my daughter Natalie having a grand wedding party there! From there she took us down to the cellar and talked about the different wines that they produce. It was all very interesting, and I was definitely eager to start tasting.

From the cellars it was back upstairs to the kitchen. She already had some wonderful Tuscan bread warming in the oven and the table was laid with hams, cheeses and olive oils, and of course the wines were breathing.  We tried three different wines, all of which were absolutely delicious. I did my swirling and sniffing to get the best of the bouquet and it really does work! I can honestly say I don’t know where those 2 hours went. We enjoyed the whole tour immensely and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who visits Florence.

As well as wine, I am also definitely into leather. Quite conveniently, we had been told about a leather factory quite close to the Villa. We had called before hand to make sure we could have a look around the factory (before going for our wine tasting tour) and they were more than happy to accommodate our little group. It is one of the only Florentine factories who make their own collection of handbags. It seems a lot of the factories in this region make for the high end labels such as Gucci, Prada, Jimmy Choo etc.  It was a real treat to see bags that are made entirely by hand. From the cutting, stitching, putting each piece together, even painting the edges. We were shown how each bag has to have a pattern that can contain 30 or even 40 pieces. Their label is called Toscanella and they use beautiful earthy hues inspired from the Tuscan countryside. The bags are a rustic classic style that never date. I have to admit I had my eye on a Tobacco one which is definitely on my wish list. How handy that my 25th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. DH only raised his eyes as if to say “oh no, not another handbag. How many do you  need”? Err, who said anything about need! The person who showed us around was very amusing. He was called Enrico and a typical jovial Florentine. He explained how the different leathers are used and what happens at the tanneries. The leather comes only from animals in Tuscany and the South of France so it was all pretty much homegrown.

We had a wander around the beautiful showroom too, very dangerous and I was getting tugged quite strongly by my DH. He was itching to get to the wine tasting and I couldn’t blame him, we’d had a long day, lunching, shopping, sightseeing – and my brother was loving every minute of it. This was all a real treat for him as it was his first time visiting Florence, and its always that bit special when you get off the beaten track to see behind the scenes instead of always staying with the crowds.

Deadly combination: Chocolate, Fashion and Designer Handbags

This morning while breezing through my tweets I hit upon an image that mixed two of my favorite things – chocolate and fashion! I just had to save it and devour it privately- even if it was only virtually!  Then I thought, I really shouldn’t be so greedy and pinned it on my Pinterest account (with much deserving results!) and now I am going to share with all my fellow bloggers.

I am putting both these sites out there for credit because honestly I can’t find the exact source to link BUT both of these sites are worth the visit!

Chocolate Madness, handmade chocolate delights

Eat Love and Savor, the name kind of says it all

And of course, I am going to add a touch of our own with this new limited edition (only 14 designer bags available)  FORTUNATA in black patent leather with chocolate colored leather accents:

Tipping at restaurants in Paris and Italy ?

This is the type of question that everyone always has and since one of my favorite bloggers thought well to reblog a piece about tipping in Paris – I am going to pass it on as well.

Tipping in Paris.

Tipping in Italy – well, normally we just round off the tab.  However I have found that when you are outside of the “touristy” zone it’s not really even expected.  I remember once I went to leave a tip, and everyone at the table (all Italians) just laughed and said that it was the owner serving and they told me “you don’t tip the owner.”  opps.

However, when you get into the bigger cities  you will find that they have  already started “expecting” tips and sometimes they will automatically add a service charge – you need to check the bill before paying.  Cover charge ?  That’s not a tip, that’s just a way of covering the basics  . . . like a table, chair, silverware and a menu

What has been your experience with tipping in Italy?

 

Sometimes a designer handbag is the proverbial cherry on the cake

When you are dressing and spending so much time agonizing over just the right color top, matching heels – picking out the perfect jacket and lipstick – its impossible to ignore the effect that just the right handbag can have on your outfit.   When our designer sits down to start matching up leather handbag bases with contrasting top handles, accents and canvas straps he takes this into consideration.  He knows that some just want a loud statement with color, texture and design and some just want a handbag that is simple elegant and timeless.

With this in mind, we are announcing the addition of  more FORTUNTA designer Tote handabags in some great colors and mix and matches..

The theme in this batch is playing on the contrast between handbag base and the leather accents, just check out the mix and match of colors.  For example the classic black bag with colorful accents such as green, tangerine, brown and cherry red. This new selection of Fortunta concentrate on mixing basic colors with splashes of contrasting colors – yet keeping the interiors of these handbags simple and clean with solid colors.

Since these designer hand bags are a limited edition and they are all part of a numbered series, therefore our designer felt he could play with some of the more trendy colors out this year like the tangerine orange color or the gold metallics.

We made a promise at the beginning of 2012 and that was to always have something new on line every week. And thus far, we have managed to keep this promise! We have been adding new leather jackets, fashion jewelry from Italian designers, 18k gold designs in filigree and that’s not all we have a restyling of the Toscanella brand coming up soon.

Unisex Italian Fashion Jewelry from Nomination

One of my favorite pieces of clothing, a constant companion right after I graduated college, was a vintage tailored tux jacket that I found in a thrift shop!  Black silk with a shiny satin lapel – I adore how some men’s outfits look so sharp and elegant on a woman!

How I loved to wear this with a crisp white button up, a pair of dark blue jeans and but of course, black heels.  I remember thinking, the only thing missing were an elegant pair of cuff links! Sure there are (and were) lots of beautiful vintage cuff links – but in my mind they were distinctly masculine – not a lot of room for the imagination to kick in.

Now 20 years later, I have found a pair that could easily work into a feminine outfit without taking anything away from the fact that they are a mans attire.  A mix of polished and brushed stainless steel accented with a Swarovski Crystal from Nomination, a renowned Italian fashion Jewelry designer.  If I only still had my jacket !

It’s not only the jacket that is missing . . . I think someone purposely hid it in the “trash” pile while I was sorting my closet . . . I even had the perfect shirt with the holes for bling.  Again, I believe some sneaky sister pilfered this during my many trips abroad.  Not that I didn’t get my fair share of  “goods” out of their closet when they left them unattended.

Now that there are oceans dividing us . . . and at least 20 cm and 20 kg. . . its a lot harder to “acquire” something new.  But jewelry is always a safe bet when we can, never need to worry about bust size, pant length or who is going to get the last slice of chocolate B-day cake with the butter cream icing because earrings, bracelets and necklaces don’t care about those things.

His and Hers in Leather and Lace

We are seeing it all over the fashion scene, the use of leather to accent clothes, handbags,  and leather jackets and what’s more its the creative use of leather that is so much fun.  Several designers have been showing a wide selection of  bags and jackets and throwing in variations on the theme with elaborate corsets, harnesses and masks, a little beyond my comfort zone, but if you are looking at fashion it is hard to ignore.

Italian designers in particular have been playing with using leather and lace – well actually its more like lace made out of leather.  Caterina Lucchi and Pierotucci have spiced up their collection with some lacy accents.  In particular, a designer leather jacket created for the Spring / Summer 2012 collection which uses a leather lace trim reminiscent  of the eyelet fabric with a 1950′s vintage inspired daisy design.  

Usually the Italian cut in a jacket can be a bit demoralizing since they usually nip and tuck where an American, Brit or Aussie would rather insert a pleat or dart, however this particular jacket is cut true to size.  You could even say it has a tendency to lean a bit more towards the ego stroking.  A model at 5’7″ 160lb can easily fit into a size 46 leaving plenty of room for a cashmere sweater or tee underneath.  What’s fun about this jacket is the simple cut is softened by a feminine touch of frill around the edges.

Also very noteworthy are the unique Caterina Lucchi handbags created by a designer straight out of the central part of Italy.  One of her newest trends is leather totes and clutches with a mix and match of washed leather and varying leather lace designs.  Her bags are normally large, bulky and ornate while always maintaining a feminine flair to them with pastel colors, tassels or in this case, a patchwork of lacy leather designs.

And as for the his, we are seeing lots of leather accents on the runways.  Though we haven’t quite reached leather lace on the jackets, designers like YSL are showing wool and tweed jackets with contrasting leather sleeves, collars, edging and shoulder or yoke patterns.  Especially noticable are the two tone jackets, where the sleeve is black or dark brown leather and the body of the jacket is in a softer, paler shade of woven material.  However if we want to find the lace, there is a new look with Campomaggi where they are offering a  stark contrast by adding some frills.  They are using laser cut leather lattice (say that 10 times fast!) on their men’s totes.  The rugged washed-leather body of the bag and the over sized metal accessories (all or which are traditional characteristics of Camomaggi)  are offset with the two exterior pockets covered in leather lattice lace.  I find it rather surprising that they have managed to add this touch without detracting from the distinctly masculine feel that distinguishes the Campomaggi style.  Though perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised, Campomaggi has had an enormous success with their bags and this is just another example of offering the public not only a style that is out of the ordinary but also catering to those addicted to the trendy market and who require something new to ohhh and ahhh about.

The Pierotucci Italian Leather Factory proudly carries on the Florentine tradition of designing, assembling and selling handmade genuine Italian leather bags, jackets and accessories such as wallets, gloves and belts. They are based in Florence and surrounded by the beauty of the Chianti vineyards, the perfume of delicious food and a culture rich in art and craftsmanship.

Whatever you call it: holiday, vacation, free day, it all equates to one more day of Liberty!

April 25 in Italy is celebrated as the Festa della Liberazione – or rather the anniversary of the day Italy was “liberated” of the nazi-fascist occupation. This event was courageously fought for by persons of every age, creed and economic possibility uniting provinces and regions in the name and honor of their country.
When I first came to Italy, I must admit WWII was only a long list of dates and a series of cliff notes but upon my arrival 20 years ago the events of this traumatic moment in history were still very much present and on certain occasions I felt as if I was breathing history.  My arrival in Italy was not to some large city like Milan, Rome or Florence – I was dumped in the countryside.  The poetic, romantic and green countryside where by chance the partisans where particularly strong and where the foreign liberators were seen almost as saviors.  Ignorant of the part the partisans played along with the United States and Great Britain  in this liberation, it took just a few years of learning the language, meeting the people and being my naturally inquisitive self to discover the hardships, the reality, the togetherness and the drive which pulled an entire country through tragedy, massacres, political and religious  persecution and horrors.  Somehow things just came alive to me when I asked – why is that building riddled with holes  and received the answer oh that was machine gun fire from the Nazis … yikes, you realize how not so far off things were.

So even though I am not an Italian citizen and though I am not one to dwell on the disasters of the past, I find that I celebrate this holiday all the same, not because it means a day off of work but because it means honoring people – of all nations – who believed in freedom and achieved it.  I see it as a sign of respect for all of those persons who gave of themselves for something that they felt to be right and true.

Thank you!  Thank you for your actions then, 67 years ago, and thank you for your actions today, to all those who still strive to uphold freedom.