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Tuscany – Books for a good cause

Annually on december 8 the AILO ( International no-profit association holds) a Christmas bazaar in Florence, donating the earnings to support various charities in the Florence region. Each year many English language second hand books from this bazaar, and also from St. James Church in Florence, are left unsold.
Two years ago Democrats Abroad delivered these book sto Lucca and they were donated to the Melograno Library, which now has a huge collection.
To reach out to a wider geographic area, this year more than 600 books have been given to the Jaqueline’s second hand bookstore and internet point in Bagni di Lucca ( Ponte a Serraglio) 165 additional books have been earmarked for two local projects.
The aim i sto finance, with the help of Grapevine, a scholarship to pay a year’s tuition ( approximatly 600,00 euros) for a student at Lucca’s Boccherini Music school.
The other charity we wish to supporti s Silvana Sciortino, an association of Lucca women dedicated to helping in the fight against breast cancer. Lucca’s Campo di Marte Hospital is in the farfront of breast cancer research and has been chosen by the European Parliament for a special breast cancer unit.

Tuscany – Lerici and Golfo dei Poeti

One of my favorite days out Lucca, and sure fire hit with visitors is a trip up the Versilian coast to Lerici.
There can be few more spectacularly beautiful places even in a country with so many. Lerici and its neighbour San Terenzo nestle in two sheltered little bays within the grander Gulf of La Spezia. Across the water lies Portovenere, and the islands of Palmaria and Tino, guarding the entrance to the Cinque Terre.
Although reached by an easy hal-hour drive up the autostrada (freeway) from Lucca, Lerici actually lies over the border from Tuscany in Liguria. The area was the ancient Etruscan region of Lunigiana, and there have been settlements here since three centuries BC. In the best tradition of these parts, Lunigiana was fought over for centuries by Lucca, Genvoa and even Parma. When the Boundaries of modern Italy were drawn, mosto f Lunigiana was included in Tuscany, but Sarzana and Lerici fell within Liguria.
So what is so special about Lerici? The view and setting i have already mentioned. A hint of its dramatic history is supplied by the castle sitting on the promontori, presumably in the past look out for unfriendly arrivals by sea, but nowdays gazing benignly over the fish market and the well- filled yacht marina below.
A large modern car park ( free on week-days) lies on the hillside between Lerici and San Terenzo, in other words perfectly placed for both pre and post lunch walks along the elegant “lungomare” walkway. Both town have narrow sea front buildings painted in beguiling pastel colours, and you’ll even see the “trompe l’oeil” fake windows and cornices painted on the building sto let you know you’re in Liguria.

Tuscany – Help for Abruzzo earthquake

Following the terrible events around l’Aquila at Eastertime, there is still an enormous need for funds to support the ongoing work of re-housing famiglie and returning the community to some kind of normality.
In Italy donations can be safely made to Red Cross Italy (CRI) either.
1. By credit card on line through the CRI web site: www.cri.it/donazioni.html ( or any Red Cross site)
2. By bank account Donation s to Conto Corrente Banacario n° 218020 at the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro filiale di Roma Bissolati, Tesoreria via San Nicola da Tolentino 67, Roma. Payments should be made out to Croce Rossa italiana, Via Toscana 12 – 00187 Roma. IBAN: IT66 C010 0503 3820 0000 0218 020. Indicate that payment is Pro Terremoto Abruzzo.
3. Through the Post Office Donations to Conto Corrente Postale n. 300004 made out to Croce Rossa Italiana, Via Toscana 12 – 00187 Roma. IBAN: IT24 X076 0103 2000 0000 0300 004. Indicate that payment is Pro Terremoto Abruzzo.

Tuscany – Bruschetta or “fettunta”

Ingredients for 4 people:
8 slices of thinly sliced day old tuscan bread, 1 garlic clove, extra virgin oil, salt and pepper, 2 chopped ripe tomatoes (optional).
Lightly toast the bread under the grill (or on the BBQ), rub each slice with garlic and arrange on a service plate, sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and coat with extra virgin oil, oil add the tometoes.
Serve warm.

Tuscany – Elba island

isola-elba-tuscany — Elba Island - Padulella beach

Piombino town (Livorno) is from where set out the ferryboats to the Island of Elba.
With a distance of 10 km from the continent and a size of 224 qkm Elba is the biggest island of the Tuscan Archipelago and actually the third-biggest of Italy. For many years now big parts of the Elba Island and of the other islands of the Tuscan Archipelago (Pianosa, Capraia, Montecristo, Giglio and Giannutri) are protected in the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago
The climate is always mild with a middle annual temperature of ca. 16°; the medium in the winter is about 10° degrees, 14° in spring, 23° degrees in summer and 17° degree in autumn. The medium water-temperature of April is always about 19° degrees, 20° in May, June about 24°, 26,8° degrees in July, in August 27,3°, September 25,5° degrees and October 23,1° degrees.
The variety of the cost – altogether we have here a costlenght of 147 km – will satisfy every taste You can find wonderful sand- stone- or gravelbeaches, some are also hidden and can be developed only by boat. But even in the high season you will always find places, which are far away from the usual tourism.
There are more than 70 beaches on the coastlines of the island, some very peaceful, others more crowded, but all of them will, without doubt, offer you a splendid sun tan and a refreshing plunge into the blue waters of the ocean.
We have listed some of them, but it will certainly be a lot of fun to discover all the others by yourself.
The Island of Elba is the ideal location for sports enthusiasts and those seeking an active holiday. It offers the perfect combination: nature, sea and sport.