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.

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.

Hey Bro! Cortona, Under the Tuscan Sun and Leather Handbags

So, my dear brother and his wife are coming to Florence from London for the weekend. They came the same time last year and the weather was perfect, so hopefully we will get lucky again. We hated each other as kids but now, as we get older, we thankfully get on like a house on fire. This year I have set my sights on Cortona – a beautiful hilltop town and yes, the fabulous setting for “Under the Tuscan Sun.

It’s a real treat to see places with him that I don’t get the time to do otherwise. A wander around, him taking bucket loads of pictures ….yawn and then a well earned rest at a typical Tuscan restaurant. This is one of the most exclusive areas in Tuscany for the big wines, such as Super Tuscan, Brunello and Montepulciano. I think one or two ….. or three glasses would be in order, or not, depending on who will be driving home. I think I will nominate my DH! Fortunately, he won’t be reading this.

Another treat on the agenda is a wine tasting at a medieval villa on the outskirts of Florence.  Chianti country is again, the perfect climate for superb wines and this is going to be another tricky number as there is a half hour’s drive home afterwards. Maybe a night at the villa could be an option?

Keeping my brother and his wife entertained is really not difficult. They are easy to please and as long as they are eating and drinking and seeing the wonderful sights of Tuscany, and enjoying my company of course, there really isn’t anything else to worry about.

Oh, maybe one last thing – a quick visit to the Pierotucci leather factory to show him how they make hand made leather bags -  a fast becoming almost obsolete trade. He is a bit of a shopaholic and may not be able to resist one of their superb hand made messenger bags.

What is filigree jewelry?

Florence and the surrounding area is particularly well known in Italy for its long tradition in working gold into beautiful pieces of art.  In fact,  this art was advanced to its highest perfection by the Greeks and Etruscans from the 6th to the 3rd centuries BC.  As a testament to this tradition , a number of earrings and other personal ornaments found in central Italy are well preserved in the Louvre and in the British Museum.  Almost all of them are made of filigree work.

The filifree or as many cultures know it “filograno” is used in the production of gold and silver pieces.  This particular technique consists of reducing the precious metal into fine wires to create a type of jewelry characterized by braiding and bending these  threads to create delicate swirling, curving motifs.  The patience and skill required to work these extremely thin threads is what contributes to the value of these unique designs.

Filigree (also less commonly spelt filagree, and formerly written filigrann or filigrene) often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century. It should not be confused with ajoure jewellery work; while both have many open areas, filigree involves threads being soldered together to form an object and ajoure involves holes being punched, drilled, or cut through an existing piece of metal.

It is interesting to note the origins of this technique was historically considered part of the ordinary work of a jeweler, even though filigree has become a special branch of jewellery in modern times.  A. Castellani states, in his “Memoir on the Jewellery of the Ancients” (1861), that except for items intended to follow the owners to the grave, the jewelry of the Etruscans (from central Italy) and Greeks was made by soldering together  gold rather than by chiseling or engraving the material.  Below is a gorgeous example of how the Etruscans solder together and decorated with fine gold threads.  Click on photo for more details on where you can see this set of ear rings.

Etruscan, Pair of bauletto earrings, 6th century B.C., gold, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark

These pieces are more are on sale at Pierotucci.com where you will find an interesting and ever changing collection of handmade Italian crafted 18K gold rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces and more.

Friends for lunch in Tuscany

The idea started off as a fun afternoon in our garden with some warm sun shining down on us, ribs on the grill and us with some friends enjoying the fresh cut lawn and the colorful array of flowers popping up everywhere.  But with a mini-cyclone in arrival this weekend, I don’t think that is going to happen.  However we are not going to let this unexpected weather situation change our plans, my Sweetie and I are a bit like the mailman – come rain, sleet and cyclones, the meal must go on.

So have I decided take this as a great opportunity to serve up those wonderful winter dishes typical to the Tuscan menu before we are forced to eat fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil for months on end   It will also give me a great opportunity to use my black leather pants one more time before the summer temps settle in.

We are going to start with an antipasto of polenta fritta and crostini with melted mozzarella, anchioves and capers.  Polenta is one of those truly under rated foods, made from yellow corn meal it is great served hot and creamy with chunks of pork and potatoes, or cut into hard blocks covered with meat sauce, or heated in the oven with cheese on top  – are you getting the idea, that it is delicious in any form.  Well we are going to cut it into bite size pieces and fry it till it is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and serve it with a spicy tomato sauce for dipping (now that would be my American touch to the meal – Italians just serve it straight up!)  I will also be cutting up a delicious hunk of mozzarella into tiny bits and placing it on bread with chopped anchovies and capers, toast it in the oven till the cheese becomes nice and gooey and serve it up with the fried polenta.  YUM!  We will be in 8 – one of which is under 6 – but these goodies will probably be gone before they reach the table.

Any Sunday lunch in Tuscany (Italy for that matter) must have a pasta and since I am catering to an all Italian crowd this weekend, I will have to abide by the rule.  We are going to take a classic (pasta in meat sauce) and dress it up into the Florentine Pasticcio – a pie crust base filled with pasta, meat sauce, besciamela, grated Parmesan and about a zillion calories  (but who cares about that!)  Now pasticcio normally means to make a mess out of something (a lot like the Italian government, in fact when I tried to find a good picture of this dish – that’s exactly what came up photos of Italian government officials!) When you put this dish together it kind of has a messy look to it but that has absolutely no influence on the taste, which ranks right up there with lasagna!

We will follow this up with another classic winter dish arista di miale al forno – roast pork with rosemary and garlic.   Normally this is served with roast potatoes but I had a wonderful opportunity at the local market to pick up fagioli di Cetica – a small white bean and I will be accompanying the main course with green veggies and beans.  One of the fun and interesting things that have come out of the European Community is that many local areas have been protecting recipes and foods that are particular to certain zones.  Cetica is a gorgeous little town about an hour southwest of Florence located in the mountains.  The mix of cold temps and rich soil have produced several delicacies (red potatoes from Cetica, chestnuts, mushrooms and of course these white beans.)  I will be doing a very simple recipe of beans cooked with garlic, sage and black peppercorn, to be served with extra virgin olive oil on top.  The simplicity of this recipe is exactly what makes it so delicious.

Needless to say all of this will be served with a healthy portion of classical Tuscan bread, olive oil and red wine.  I bet you were all wondering when I was going to mention the wine . . . but we could say that it is a tacit agreement that all Sunday lunches – well any lunch for that matter – in our house is served with a Chianti Classico.

We are being treated to homemade bread with walnuts – which should be nicely complimented with the Gorgonzala DOP that I picked up.  In addition to the bread there will be a surprise dessert that one of our friends is bringing over.

Tune in on Monday – and I will have photos of all these goodies . . . if they last long enough for me to take a few.

Pick your poison ladies

So when I asked the ladies to pick out their favorite leather jacket from our completely re-vamped 2012 Collection, only a few of them were eager to jump at modeling (everyone else was just a bit too shy).  But three lovely ladies had no problem picking out their favorite and enjoyed an impromptu photo shoot right here in our factory.

Our first model picked out a new number, a belted blazer / trench style jacket in a very unique textured leather. The cut alone would probably not call your attention but, the “washed” or “distressed” inspired leather called schevrette (a bit like corvette) is what really sets this jacket apart.  Available only in a deep dark brown, this jacket is a good fit for all sizes.  With a vintage inspired look, the antiqued brass colored buttons and belt buckle are a perfect match.

Now this young lady really got into the spirit, when I told her “take your pick” she must have understood take 4 picks – or maybe she really liked the idea of being online? Any way the first shot we have of her is in the ivory colored trench. Since everywhere you look this year it seams that trenches are just popping, we choose this one first (her other choices will be coming soon – and though she has a tendency to look good in whatever she tried on, I particularly liked the way she interprets the casual spy-look with the collar up – I bet she would look great in the cherry red color jacket but a lot less conspicuous !

Lastly, was my British colleague who went towards the more stylish cut, but of course she would.  Its a classic from last year which we tweaked a bit and brought it back due to its popularity, and you have to admit, it gives her a bit of an attitude! The model definitely accents an hour glass figure and is appropriate for all heights. You can button it to the top and leave it with a mandarin collar or open the top button for a pin down collar – either way is a great fit.  This jacket comes in a classic black or a what we call “vinaccia” in Italian – which literally means fermented grapes . . . translated = wine !!

We give thanks that we have something to give

In August 2011 we wrote about the Pierotucci Project called “Japanese Fortunata for Relief Aid,”  and as amazing as it may sound, exactly one year to the date of the tragic event,  we sold the last of these limited edition FORTUNATA bags.  This was an  initiative designed to help those who suffered during the March Tsunami in Japan and the purchase of each one of this bags resulted in a donation from Pierotucci to the Japanese Red Cross to assist the rebuilding of a land and people that saw devastation and lose beyond our imagination.  We are very thankful to those who purchased one of these FORTUNATA Bags for helping us to aid those in need.  We would like to recognize that this contribution is not only from Pierotucci and those craftsman and women who had handmade each and everyone of handbags but it is also from the heart of each person who purchased this symbol of solidarity.

We have purposely chosen to represent Japan in a moment of beauty and the cherry tree image seemed the best choice since Japan is known to use cherry trees as a gesture of goodwill.  We have constant contact with the Japanese population when they come to visit Tuscany and many of our co-works here at Pierotucci are Japanese.  Their pain was shared by all of us as they checked in on family members and friends during this tragic time.  There was no question of our eagerness to find a way to contribute individually, as well as a business community, to assist in their rebuilding.  In looking for a photo which could celebrate Japan,  my colleague told me that the moment of the cherry blossoms was extremely important to their culture, it is known as Hana-mi and would be an excellent symbol.  According to the Buddhist tradition, the breathtaking but brief beauty of the blossoms symbolizes the transient nature of life and the act of “flower watching” is considered to be a spiritually revitalizing activity.  We wish joy and strength to the Japanese in this period of revitalizing of their community.

We are eternally thankful that we were able to give.  Thank you for making this possible.

Matteo and Marco Tucci

Owners of Pierotucci srl

We are in LA today and its wonderful!

We have been invited to visit LA today – virtually that is – by  Lipstick and Leopard Print who has graciously offered to host us on her blog about food, fun and fashion.

Please click His and Hers in leather and lace and come follow us, the temps are warm (around 18-20°C) and we expect lots of sunshine and clear skies.  Its the perfect environment for talking fashion and sipping a cocktail!

Leather and Lace by Campomaggi and Caterina Lucchi

Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to seeing you in LA!

Spring Blooms in Italy, soft pinks and bright blues

Spring Blooms, in pink and blue by naturalitalianwoman featuring genuine leather handbags

Wildfox Couture gem top
$129 - superette.co.nz

SuperTrash skinny fit jeans
€80 - welikefashion.com

Costume National leather booties
$415 - costumenational.com

Genuine leather handbag
€350 - pierotucci.com

Michael kors jewelry
$250 - piperlime.gap.com

Plus size jewelry
£8.50 - evans.co.uk

Stila eyeliner
$22 - zappos.com

Lip makeup
$15 - topshop.com

Stila eyeshadow
stilacosmetics.com

Christian Dior lip treatment
$30 - lordandtaylor.com

Ladies Designer Fitted White Genuine Leather Jacket, bomber style
€365 - pierotucci.com