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Leonardo Da Vinci

 

Welcome fellow Italophiles. If you have a passion for visiting and learning about ITALY, a county rich in history, culture, natural splendor and gastronomic delights, In Love With Italy™ is for you! It’s an additional service we hope our friends and visitors will enjoy. List of all In Love With Italy™ editions and credits appear at the bottom of this page.

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Did you know?
FIAT, founded on 11 July 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. It is the 6th largest family-run company in the world with revenues of $61 billion and 186,000 employees. Most people don’t know that the company brands now include Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. FIAT began 4 years before Ford Motor Company was started in 1903. Oldsmobile was founded in 1897. A fully armed FIAT Panda SUV will be driven by Daniel Craig in the latest 007 movie “Casino Royale”. An extraordinary coup d'etat for FIAT to replace the British Aston Martin which 007 drove in 19 James Bond films starting in 1964 with “Goldfinger”. (FIAT “Favolosa Zero” produced in 1911 pictured in the center image below)

 

 

Famous Italian
Leonardo Da Vinci was born on 15 April 1452 in Vinci, near Firenze. He had 17 half brothers and sisters. Master artist, sculptor, painter, inventor, architect, designer, engineer, brilliant scholar in science, philosophy and medicine--he is most deserving of the title “Renaissance Man”. Best known for his breathtaking masterpieces such as “Mona Lisa” or “La Gioconda”, “The Last Supper”, “Adoration of the Magi” and self-portraits (top of page). His magnificent and realistic sketches of anatomy, drawings of things to come such as airplanes, helicopters, modern tanks and parachutes are reminders that his genius is unmatched centuries later. Da Vinci died on 2 May 1519 in Amboise, near the French palace and King Francis I, who hired Leonard to create some of his last masterpieces, talked with him almost daily. After Leonardo died, Francis I was in possession of the Mona Lisa and it remains in the Louvre in Paris to this day.

 

 

New word
Precipitevolissimevolmente which means as fast as possible, was created in 1677. With 26 letters it is considered the longest word in modern Italian. There are longer words describing medical or obscure terms.

 

Place to visit
Cortona, the city made more famous by Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun”, is the quintessential Tuscan hill town where the author revels in the delights of buying and renovating her villa “Bramasole ” (in Italian: “to yearn for the sun”). Mayes makes the people, food, wine, olive and cypress trees-- in fact all that is beloved about Italy--come alive with passion. With towering views of Lago Tresimeno and beautiful sections of Tuscany and Umbria, this picturesque town of Cortona is unique. Don’t miss visiting the popular Enoteca Antica Drogheria, Via Nazionale 3 Tel. 0575.631076 http://www.anticadrogheria.net/intro.htm Owners Benito and Marsilia Rossi serve a refreshing complimentary aperitif to guests and offer an excellent selection of Italian wines along with some dried pastas, balsamic vinegars, herbs and spices. Stop by Tabaccheria del Corso also on the main passegiata located at Via Nazionale 12 Tel. 0575.603730 tabaccheriadelcorso@inwind.it Run by Ivan and son Tomaso Botanici, they provide a fine selection of Cuban and Italian cigars, Florentine stationery and Venetian pens on the lower level where it’s interesting to view an underground cistern.

 

Restaurant
Trattoria La Grotta, Piazza Baldelli 3 (In historic town center near main clocktower off Via Nazionale), Cortona, AR Arezzo, Italy 52044 Tel./FAX 0575.630271. Mario and Rosa Maria Billi and their children’s families truly take gastronomy to a new level. It’s a touch of heaven when you eat the most divine gnocchi ever— delicate pillows of ricotta, spinach and potato are their long-time specialty either with pomodoro sauce or black truffles and olive oil. Be sure to try the pici which is also homemade. Pici is a long and thick Tuscan pasta prepared more al dente than most and with a zesty tomato sauce. Also mouth watering tagliata (filet) served with green peppercorns, olive oil and grilled rosemary. Epicurean desserts. Seven tables on patio and inside it’s cosy and warm. A favorite in Cortona for over 20 years. Excellent, friendly service and good local wine list. Michelin two forks. Closed Tuesdays.

 

Hotel
Hotel San Luca ****. Modern hotel located in the town center of Cortona with spectacular views. Reasonable prices for a four star hotel. Open all year. Piazza Garibaldi 1, Centro Storico di Cortona, AR Arezzo, Italy 52044. tel. 0575630460. info@sanlucacortona.com | http://www.sanlucacortona.com/english/

 

Winery
Tenimenti Luigi d'Alessandro. Founded by Luigi d’Allesandro who bought the estate in 1967, his two sons Massimo and Francesco run the winery today. They have become the leading vintners to advance Syrah during the past decade and are one of the world’s best Syrah producers.

 

Wine
Cortona Il Bosco 2001. Tre bichiere or three glasses—the highest rating which equates to a 90-100 score) This Syrah is “ absolutely enthralling” and takes the three glasses with “regal ease”, says Gambero Rosso, the world’s leading guide of Italian wines for over 18 years.

Italian Wines 2005”, Gambero Rosso and Slow Food Editore, page 517

 

Basic tools for making your adventures in Italy pleasurable:

Michelin Italia for the premier restaurant and hotel recommendations as well as “must see” places. A free “My ViaMichelin” account gives you exclusive access to the Michelin guides section in English to review a treasure-trove of information for the best restaurants, hotels, driving directions, maps, weather, traffic and more:

Visit Michelin Italian online >>

Simplified Michelin restaurant and hotel rating system:

  • Being mentioned in Michelin equates to an establishment worth visiting.

  • One to five forks, five being the most exceptional

  • Stars are added to indicate a good restaurant in it’s category (one star); excellent cooking worth a detour (two stars) and exceptional cuisine worth a special journey (three stars).

  • Bib gourmand designation means good food at moderate prices.

 

 

Italian Wines by Gambero Rosso and Slow Food Editore – the Bible of Italian wines! Italy produces, exports and consumes more wine than any other nation in the world which is an amazing accomplishment given the country is smaller than the size of California. Italy has produced wine for 4,000 years and it’s current production, including more than 5,000 varieties, totals 8 billion bottles with some of the most popular and highest rated wines anywhere. Italy exported 17 million cases of wine to the United States in 2001. Gambero Rosso reviews 2,057 wineries and 14,691 wines with a team of 110 tasters that is unmatched in Italian wine media. For the 2005 guide, a Herculean effort included the collection of 70,000 bottles, conserving and masking each before tasting. No advertising appears in the guide. The rating system is from none to three glasses:
  • Three: Excellent wine in its category = 90-99 of 100
  • Two: Very good to excellent wine in its category =80-89 of 100
  • One: Above average to good in its category = 70-79 of 100
  • Listing without a glass symbol: A well-made wine of average quality

All wines recommended by In Love With Italy™ include reviews of Gambero Rosso’s “Italian Wines 2005”. Editors Daniele Cernilli & Gigi Piumatti.

One star is added to descriptions for cellars that have won ten Three Glass awards. There is only one cellar in Italy with three stars, five that have two stars and only 54 with one star. In “Italian Wines 2005”, among the 14,691 wines judged, only 264 coveted Three Glass awards were given so when you see this designation it’s a wine worth savoring with much joy to the palate! A waiter can always recommend an excellent local wine but if a special occasion calls for a wine worthy of two thumbs way up, consult “Italian Wines”.

Visit Gambero Rosso online

 

 

ITALY Eyewitness Travel Guide by DK Publishing provides excellent, succinct overviews of historical and cultural highlights for each region.

 

 

“Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes for pure enjoyment and to make discovering Tuscany and Italy even more meaningful. “This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house, and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it's so delicious, read it first yourself.” USA Today.

 

 

 

© 2004-2007 Sette Angeli “Seven Angels”, LLC.  All rights reserved.  Sette Angeli and the Sette Angeli-Seven Angels logo are trademarks of Sette Angeli “Seven Angels”, LLC. “In Love With Italy” is a trademark of Sette Angeli “Seven Angels”, LLC.     © 2004-2006 Sette Angeli “Seven Angels”, LLC.  Tutti i diritti sono riservati.  Le parole “Sette Angeli-Seven Angels” ed il disegno associato sono marchi di Sette Angeli "Seven Angels”, LLC. Le parole “In Love With Italy” ed il disegno associato sono marchi di Sette Angeli "Seven Angels”, LLC.

 

In Love With Italy™ - List of All Editions:

In Love With Italy™ Index >>

In Love With Italy™ Directory >>

 

Vol. VII № 1 Source Notes and Credits

  1. FIAT
  2. Leonardo DaVinci
  3. Precipitevolissimevolmente
  4. Cortona
  5. Hotel San Luca
  6. Trattoria La Grotta
  7. Cortona Syrah – Tenementi Luigi D’Alessandro

FIAT

Leonardo DaVinci

Precipitevolissimevolmente

Cortona

  • “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes. Publisher: Broadway Books, New York, 1997 paperback edition ISBN 0767900383. 1996 hardcover edition published by Chronicle Books..
  • “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes. Review provided by “ USA Today”.

Hotel San Luca

Trattoria La Grotta

Cortona Syrah – Tenementi Luigi D’Alessandro

 

The songs, “Ave Maria”, “Con Te Partirò”, “Gloria” and “Vorrei Che Fosse Amore” on the Sette Angeli web site are provided for your listening pleasure by the spectacular Maria Grazia Quaranta, the singing sensation of Italy! Maria Grazia was catapulted to fame when Luciano Pavarotti asked her to sing at his wedding which was broadcast on national television from Modena, Italy on 13 December 2003. Maria Grazia delighted the crowd of 1,200 with other luminaries such as Andrea Bocelli, Bono, Sting, Jose Carreras, Gina Lollobrigida and Donatella Versace. With “una voce angelica” – the voice of an angel, she speaks and sings in 15 languages and is now cheered by audiences around the world on Costa Cruises and other international venues. Visit Maria Grazia’s exceptional web site to learn more and to hear her other marvelous songs: http://www.mariagraziaquaranta.com/

 

 

 

 

© 2004-2006 Sette Angeli "Seven Angels", LLC.  All rights reserved
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