Total Tuscany

Episode 25: Art For Everyone

Art for everyone?  Not possible you say!  We thought that, but after talking with Alexandra Korey our entire perspective on art has changed. Let's just say we have better appreciation now.

Alexandra is the creator and publisher of the blog, ArtTrav.com where she focuses on learning about art thought experiencing places, while enjoying everything a city or area has to offer, including food, luxury, wellness and landscape. Alexandra has been online since 2004 so she's been blogging before blogging was even cool.

Florence is the perfect place to utilize her education. Seriously, is there a better place to put a PhD in Renaissance Italian art history to use? She has even taken the time to develop here own application, Uffizi Art History Guide which you can download from the iStore or the Kindle edition. Having been to the Uffizi a couple of times, let me speak from experience, download this app! You will find out why in this podcast. 

Alexandra goes out of her way to make sure art is not boring! Our conversation takes on a journey from growing up in Canada to living in Florence. What you find out about art from Alexandra is, there is more to it than museums. Art really is everyday Italian, everyday Tuscan! 

If your are planning your first trip or your next trip to Tuscany, some form of art viewing is somewhere on the itinerary.  Let Alexandra be your personal tour guide on a journey that will leave you fulfilled by appreciating everything around your and knowing that art really is for everyone!  

Episode 24: The Tuscan Wedding Planner

Just hearing the word Tuscany and you start to imagine romance, beauty, art, culture or as we like to say at Total Tuscany, perfection.  Tuscany is so much more than the books you read and the movies you watch. If you have never been there, you have to experience it to really understand all it has to offer. If you have been there, you know exactly what we are talking about.

When most American's plan a beach weeding, the first place they head to are white sands of Mexico.  In this episode of the Total Tuscany podcast, we want  you to broaden your horizons. If you want to have a non-traditional wedding, think about getting hitched in Tuscany! You can have your pick of scenery, beach, mountains, vineyard and more.

Where to start?  Well we recommend Serena Giovannoni! Serena is a wedding planner, travel consultant and personal concierge in Tuscany. Her passion is to make sure your dreams come true and that your wedding day will be one that brings peace, joy and happiness.  And with Serena right by your side making all the necessary plans, stress free!

Just hearing this fiery red head talk will inspire you to get in touch with her to start planning your big day or just to renew your vows!  So close your eyes and make a wish! Or in this case, www.WishVersillia.it

Episode 23: Visit Tuscany

Are you planning your first trip to Tuscany? How about a return trip? The planning usually starts when you sit down and do a simple google search for Tuscany. That is more than likely how how you found us! We are glad you are hear and listening to this podcast, but after you listen today we are going to point you in a different direction.  Make sure to COME BACK however! 

We have interviewed a number of bloggers, tour guides and companies and personalities, all have great services they provide and we recommend them all.  But when you are starting out, make sure to visit http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/en/, this is the "official" tourism website of Tuscany. It's a great place to start your search for things to do and see all over Tuscany! From the mountains, to the hill towns to scenic city exploration, Visit Tuscany has it all!

Once you are dialed into the website you will find, four blogs and twenty-four social media channels with content that is updated every day to promote Tuscany, giving tourists what they need and 

helping them to plan their trip. We can all use great advice when it comes to traveling and for great advice about Tuscan, this is the place to find it!

On this edition of the Total Tuscany podcast you will meet Costanza Giovannini, she's a project leader for the website and offers some great insight and offers up some of her favorite things to do in the region.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this podcast, or any of our other recordings as well.  Free feel free to leave your comments below.

Episode 22: Harvest Time In Tuscany

It's harvest time in Italy! Workers will take the the vineyards pruning the grapes from the vine in hopes of what will be a perfect vintage of wine in the years to come. In this weeks Total Tuscany podcast, Travis and Pat talk to Laura Gray from the estate Il Palazzone in Montalcino. Laura has been at Il Palazzone since 2003 and is the Estate Manager. 

Il Palazzone is a small estate owned by American businessman Richard Parsons. The estate features three separate vineyards in different areas of Montalcino. The microclimate and extraordinary variety of environmental conditions means the estate is able to have three complementary aspects of Montalcino in their Brunello when blending the three vineyards harvests.

John Fodera, a previous guest on the Total Tuscany Podcast has this review of Il Palazzone in his latest post on Tuscan Vines.

In this podcast you will hear Laura talk about the harvest season and what goes into making the perfect Brunello! You will also hear here extrodinary story of how a girl from Scottland, educated at Oxford ends up living in a postcard. 

Enjoy! We welcome your comments, ideas and please share this podcast with friends and family.

Episode 21: Elizabeth Evans-Surviving In Italy

One day thumbing through Twitter looking for new people to follow in Tuscany, we stumble upon one of the most unique handles for an expat or a travel blogger. @dirtyfilthyME!  We are thinking she is an expert all right but not on traveling in Tuscany, rather the back alley's of Florence. 

Elizabeth Evans may shock you a little bit.  Her blog, Surviving In Italy is written from a completely different perspective and approach from most of the bloggers and expats that you read.  Her style sets her apart in a very crowded room looking to tell stories about the sights and sounds of Florence and life under the Tuscan sun.  In fact, I think the romantic side of Tuscany makes here want to puke or even worse do bodily harm to herself. (Please take note of the satire here.)

Elizabeth is an American and she moved to Florence for something new, something different. What she got was a real eye opener! I don't want to give too much away because I want you to listen to the podcast. But picture a good looking girl in the park and creepy looking dude in a trench coat! Elizabeth will pick up the story about half way in to the broadcast.  She married an Italian, yoou will find out it was not her goal to do so and she soon found out that life at the dinner table was anything but a religious experience. 

You will hear some swear words in this podcast so be warned.  But you will also here a very bright and gifted writer who has a knack for making it real!  Elizabeth is currently working on book about her life in Italy and she has some stories to tell! We are lucky to have her share some on this Total Tuscany podcast.

Episode 20: A Fresh Start In Tuscany

Have you ever had the urge to quit everything you are doing and start fresh somewhere else?  We started started this podcast because of the urge to live in Tuscany.  Our weekly chats have tempered the urge but have not satisfied it.  

Stuart and Helen Smith first visited Tuscany 10 years ago.  Like so many others they were inspired by the scenery, the pace of life and the mere thought of living Italian.  Being from the United Kingdom, the decided to invite family and friends to Siena for their wedding. A wedding and regular holiday's to Tuscany became less satisfying, they wanted, needed to live in Tuscany.

Then something happened, (you will hear about it in the podcast) and they both realized that life was to short not follow your heart and dreams.  After much planning, research and guidance, numero182 was born!  What is numero182? You have to listen to find out.  Before push play, know that Stuart and Helen are at the beginning stages of their journey to being free, relaxed, happy and self sufficient. 

Episode 19: Taking The Kids To Tuscany

Pat and I get asked all the time about taking kids to Tuscany.  Is it worth the hassle?  Were they well behaved? Is it a lot more money to bring them?  Did they get tired easily? Did they slow you down? 

The answer to all of those questions, YES!  But as you find out in this weeks Total Tuscany Podcast, taking the kids to Tuscany can be and should be a rewarding experience.  Not just for the kids but parents as well. 

On our first trip to Tuscany, I took all four of my kids, Pat took all three of his.  Ages ranged from 13 all the way down to two.  There were challenges over the 17 days we stayed in Villa Salvucci just outside of San Gimignano, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.

In this edition of the Total Tuscany Podcast, Pat and I give you five tips to traveling to Tuscany with your kids.  Will it prepare you for every situation? No, but it will point you in the right direction to make sure you family Tuscan Adventure is rewarding not just for you, but the little ones as well.

Need some help planning your trip to Tuscany?  Contact us today and let us point you in the right direction.

Episode 18: Travel Tuscany For Free

If you could travel to Tuscany for free, or partially free, would you do it?  Of course you would and now it's possible because of a wonderful new social network for travelers called Freeppie!

I signed up through Facebook and right away I started collecting points, enough points to get a free bottle of wine or a free pizza the next time I'm in Florence.

Free food, free wine, free hotels, free tours it's all possible when you start sharing your stories and reviews with the rest of the world!  Freeppie makes it possible to get rewarded for our travels and you can start today, not matter where you are at!  In this weeks Total Tuscany podcast, Freeppie co-founder Urbano Brini tells how Freeppie started and where is going!  Enjoy and then start traveling for free!

Episode 17: Cool Tours of The Tuscan Countryside

We have said it once and we will keep repeating ourselves, there is so much to see in Tuscany that spending even two weeks there will not satisfy your craving.

A Couple of weeks ago we talked to Rick Zullo as he was taking his blog tour through Italy.  During his top in Tuscany he called on the services of Anna Madaffari who runs Cool Tours By Anna.   Rick couldn't have been more impressed with Anna as his Tour guide and after you hear her talk you will understand why.

Anna is not originally from Tuscany but when she visited Florence as a student she fell in love like most tourists do. Her first job was in the Chianti region where she perfected her knowledge of wine.  The more she learned, not just about wine but about Tuscany the more she wanted to share.

Six years ago, Anna started Cool Tours and the rest as they say his history.  In this podcast, find out Anna's favorite areas of Tuscany.  When it comes to exploring the countryside, how much time do you really need?  And where to eat? There so many choices...Anna makes it easy to decide.  Her personality really shines in this interview, you will want to hire her on your next trip!

Episode 16: Tuscan Vines

Since our very first trip to to Tuscany, we have been fixated on the wines from the region. It doesn't take long to find out that when you start scratching the surface, vino in Tuscany is very complex.

The one common denominator to great great wine in Tuscany, Sangiovese. The grape is often refereed to as the blood of love and for good reason!

So how do we make sense of all the wines of Tuscany? Well, we call a wine expert of course!  John Fodera publishes the Tuscan Vines blog and in our mind is the authority on the subject. John has over 25 years of tasting and reviewing experience.  He is dedicated to enhancing the wonderful culture of wine, food and the Italian lifestyle.

In this Total Tuscany Podcast you will hear John talk about the many different varieties of Tuscan wines.  What are his favorites? What are his not so favorites? What is the once bottle of wine from Tuscany you should buy? Is it worth taking wine home from our trip? And why don't we get a headache the morning after drinking a couple of bottles in Italy?

John is getting ready to leave for Tuscany to taste more wine and immerse himself in the Italian culture. Get to know him by listening to fascinating insight.