This not-so-regular appointment with all-things-Tuscany that you can find online unwillingly happens on the day the Costa Crociere Concordia cruise ship wrecked on the shore of Giglio island. An almost absurd accident. Was there a sea storm going on? Nope. Was the ship hijacked? Nope. Was there a technical problem. Maybe. Was there a human error. Maybe. The humongous 4-deck ship simply mulled adrift to meet the coast of Giglio island, when in fact it should have been 5 nautical miles offshore. The rocky coast did what an iceberg did to Titanic a hundred years ago, but fortunately the bottom of the ship was already resting on the sea bottom. Six people (as of now this is the dead count) died, but were the waters any deeper, what would have been the toll? The first link on the list is the BBC news about the tragedy.
Italy cruise ship Costa Concordia aground near Giglio
La Bandita, Pienza, Tuscany: hotel review
This is a review of one of the most interesting hotels in Pienza by The Telegraph. The opening paragraph describes the property, owned by a NYC couple, as one of the most interesting addition to the boutique hotel landscape. Do you think boutique hotels take away some of the Tuscan charm? In many cases I think so. You need a really sapient chef to mix salt and sugar in a delicious way that does not cloy.
Cala Barbiere Punta Ala: Maremma Tuscany Beaches
Some of the nicest Italian beaches can be found in Tuscany. Maremma has splendid locations that you need to know in order to enjoy them. This is a little secret I spotted out, and will see to meet you there the coming summer!
Debbie Travis in Tuscany
Love for renovating the Tuscan way has brought this home-improvement celebrity to buying a Tuscan house to bring back to life, a-la Under The Tuscan Sun. Debbie Travis wants to share her renovation adventure with all of you blogging each step of the process. Now you know where to follow her.
Tuscany in A Bottle
After Netflix you could call this Nethics…Six bottles of wine from six Tuscany wine regions every six months. Six six six seems quite a Biblical number, but nothing devilish about all this. The offer includes delivery at your doorstep, with detailed info on the wine and the right food pairing. Cheers!
A (lack of) Taste of Tuscany
Call me picky, or even worse, upright pretentious, but I feel the duty of telling you what is truly Tuscan and what not. And this Amazon product is not! The med size basket includes (the large size is not detailed): “Malto Bella chocolate cappuccino toffee malt balls” Why is this Tuscan? Its barely a clash of Italian stereotypes. “Focaccia Crisps Vineyard Collection” No idea what this really is, but crisped focaccia in Tuscany has no history; “imported Grissini-style sesame breadsticks” literally grissini are from Tourin, a light year from Tuscany, culinary speaking; “sun-dried tomato pasta fancy cut” hard to interpret: is it pasta or sauce? Sun dried tomatoes are traditional of Southern Italy; “imported balsamic vinegar” which is typical of Modena, in Emilia Romagna. Tuscans discovered balsamic vinegar twenty or so years ago. This basket is a bunch of baloney!
Tuscan Windows
Pretty obviously, the title describes what you are going to see..or does it? These are windows during Summer time, full of flowers some one lovingly planted and tended to. They are closed, so maybe nobody is at home, but the sun-baked stucco of the facade tells the story of many lives that in time have lived these city center apartment. When is summer coming?
Tuscan Stuffed Tomatoes
If you have little time to surprise someone with a delicious dinner, this recipe is a life saver. Heck, it will be a great eating even for a night alone with your cat watching a good movie! Plus, it makes vegetarians happy too.
An Espresso Maker, A Tuscan Restaurant And Daylight Savings Time
I love to read tells of first person life experiences in Tuscany written by others. A good “tazzina” of espresso and I am set to read this witty, sequence of funny Tuscan misadventures. I took a good lesson from it: never take a new place for granted, even if so close to your culture!
Olive Oil, Tuscany, Italy, 1996
Last, a fifteen years old picture from one of the websites I love the most. I still remember the first time I saw olive oil pouring out of the machine that separates it from water, the last stage of olive oil production. The fresh scent reminded me of olive wood and chewed olive leaves. I thought that vivid green was so beautiful, dense yet transparent at the same time, giving me the impression of liquid jade. Watching this picture I relieve that moment, and each time the new oil is produced I am thankful for it.
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