Valerina Lucca

Ever fill a crystal wine glass and rub the rim?  Depending on the size and width of the glass, you’ll hear a sound (or a note).  Line up several glasses of various sizes, widths and amounts of liquid, and you’ve got the Glass Harp.  Also known as musical glasses, the glass harp is an instrument made of wine glasses that is played with chalked fingers by simply touching the rim of the glasses.   The following is a piece played by Robert Tiso that we thought would be fitting for the Christmas... Read Full Story

[Rome, Italy] A beautiful but tongue-tied model has been detained and arrested in Rome’s Fiumicino airport after it was discovered that she had been attempting to smuggle cocaine into Italy. The cocaine was hidden in her fake breast and buttock implants. The 5.5 pounds of cocaine have a street value of 300,000 euros. (Enter your best Busted joke here…) Read Full Story

This month we spoke with Dan Amatuzzi, Wine Director for Eataly in New York City. Dan tells us about his experience and tips for selling Soave wine. Tell us about Soave month at Eataly (May 2011). In May, 2011, Eataly and Soave teamed up for a memorable month of Soave-related events. More than 12 different Soave wines were featured throughout the restaurants and the Eataly wine shop. Included in the promotion were consumer tastings and classes, special food and wine pairings, and wine... Read Full Story

Photo Credit: Vivek Sekar This beautiful photograph was taken in 2008 by Vivek Sekar (an engineer at Nokia in the Bay Area), during his trip to Rome. It is an inspirational work that has put us in the proper frame of mind for the work week ahead. Read Full Story

Image Courtesy: Caldwell Banker If walls could talk, these would probably croon about the many nights of celebrity madness that were had on the premises. Perched high atop a hill located in Chatsworth, California, the airy and contemporary Farralone features four bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 16-foot ceilings and approximately 10,000 square feet. If it looks familiar, fear not, you have not been re-incarnated; the house is used often as a backdrop for movie and TV productions. So if you’re an avid fan... Read Full Story

Pier Narciso Masi together with Alessandra Giovannotti are ToraDuo - Italy’s multiform piano duo. Derived from the Japanese word for “Tiger” ToraDuo playfully, artfully, gracefully and passionately perform the music of Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, and Rossini with an unsurpassed level of  perfection and skill throughout Italy.  Their message is Music. Their philosophy: “When words become poor, music can be a possible pack to follow.”   Born of a student/teacher relationship and a shared vision... Read Full Story

Embarrassing personal scandals, a huge drop in popularity and mounting pressures amid increasingly complex national economic issues have all contributed to this highly anticipated moment. The throng of onlookers outside of the presidential palace openly celebrated as as the news broke that Il Duce was finally closing this tumultuous chapter of Italian political history. During his 17-year tenure, Berlusconi was found guilty of lying in court about his active participation in Masonic lodge... Read Full Story

Photo Credit: Team Abbondanza! at 2011 NYC Veterans Day Parade Did you know that many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America honors the American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat? The fact is that Memorial Day is a day for honoring America’s casualties of war. Veterans Day, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. It is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their dedication and service to our... Read Full Story

Nothing proves that the well heeled must indeed be doing well like this bit of news from Neiman Marcus… The highly anticipated 2012 Ferrari FF Neiman Marcus Edition, a bespoke masterpiece, sold out just 50 minutes after it was made available to the “general public” (and yes, we use that term lightly). At $395,000 (a mere 95k over the sticker price) the elegantly appointed vehicle was customized inside and out - from a Grigio Caldo paint job to interior perks that should please the most... Read Full Story

To paraphrase something I once heard Bill Gates say, “If your not making money at the thing you are most passionate about, it’s not a business - it’s merely a hobby; especially when its costing you time and money”. On October 18th I had the pleasure of attending TEDxPennQuarter 2011 in the Washington, D.C. area. (By the way, for those of you unfamiliar with TED… “TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three... Read Full Story