RICK STEVES: Montepulciano, Italy: Tuscan Dolce Vita

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Happy New Year- Buon Anno A Tutti.

Happy New Year everyone! Buon Anno! Much love, health and happiness to everyone. Thank you to everyone for your support over this past year and here's to moving onto to bigger and better for this year! The success of Italian American Girl is greatly owed to you the readers, grazie!!!!! Happy New Year!

-Margaret Tweet

Italian Americans and MTV's "Jersey Shore."

OK, so let's talk about it..I've been receiving tons of emails, comments, and Tweets about the infamous MTV show, "Jersey Shore." This is a hard topic to address and not just a run of the mill let's scream stereotype and go home. There have been tons of celebrities, law makers and national Italian American organizations on the brink of taking down MTV and their decision to air "Jersey Shore."

I happen to be Italian American and do live at the Jersey Shore. As you know I grew up in North Jersey and am no stranger to the term "GUIDO." Its a term used to describe a type of person who happens to be of a city suburb, wears scandalous or tight clothing, big hair, tanned skin, long nails..the whole nine. OK, so what's important to realize here is that people really do dress like this and really do act or maybe not act, this is who they are. The Italian American context has been distorted, YES, I agree. But, unfortunately this is real. Those kids are identifying themselves with a distorted idea of being Italian American. The word, "GUIDO" at this point in time does not mean someone who is Italian, Italian American, this word is now used to describe a type of person.

I watched the show, I've heard those kids say more than once, "We're Italian, I'm Italian." Its possible that in the areas or city in which these kids come from, they do associate themselves to being Italian American and maybe in the areas they come from that's how their community culturally identify themselves. I am in no way condoning the behavior, actions of those who claim themselves to be Italian American and then portray themselves in a negative light. I am a Jersey girl, I live at the shore...and am an Italian American...there is nothing Italian about the show, "Jersey Shore."

If you remember back in the 80s everyone would travel down to Seaside Heights and play the part of the "GUIDO" driving in their Cadillacs, all tanned out and some even juiced up...they would culturally identify themselves as Italian Americans. This is real, those people are real. The choice of the network to air and not edit certain parts of the show are distasteful, but again these people "the cast" have no clue or true cultural upbringing to identify with and so they go with the closest thing they know. We have to be more concerned with the realness of where these kids are coming from and why they don't know any better and who failed them...?

Here is my concern with all this new found media and press surrounding the show, again..the band wagoners will get on and ride it all the way to the top. Where the hell are all the celebrities and law makers as we're trying to get an Italian American Network, education and programming in schools and on TV? Why is it when the Sopranos was airing, I didn't see the same amount of energy going into ending that show, like this one? Come on, this is hypocrisy at its best. Sopranos exemplified a glorification of murder, deceit and everything negative you can imagine all wrapped up in a nice gift called, being Italian. That show was on the air for a looooong time, and awarded. We got to look at the big picture here.

Now, that this show is pissing everyone off, it seems to me that everyone is on the press band wagon. That might be a cause for concern too. I would love for the lawmakers to be concerned with getting Italian cultural programs back into the schools, more recently they were cut out. I don't recall seeing much about the lawmakers except for a few national Italian American organizations trying to help. Italian American actors, or heavy hitters of any kind should use their power and influence to get the Italian American positive culture awareness out in the mainstream. We need our own network, our own shows and our own control of producing the correct information, history and traditions of being Italian American. Every other nationality has their own network, why don't we..? Currently, the Italian American Network is in the planning stages and hopeful to be up and running in the near future. There should be no opportunity for any other network to capitalize or distort our image. ITS TIME TO TAKE CONTROL!!!

Again, I don't agree with any negative portrayal of Italian Americans, but we have to look at the ROOT of the problem. Of course money is always a driving factor for mainstream media, so we must act to do the right thing instead of just complaining. I welcome your thoughts.... Let's do something good.

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Italian Fashion---Dressing like an Italian-American Girl (or Guy)

When I was 16, I spent the summer trying to dress like an “Italian girl.” It was August and I was in my dad’s small southern Italian town and this look, in my mind, and at the time, consisted of slightly flared, hip-hugging black pants, a baby-t, and a clear, plastic handbag. (Unfortunately, I’m not lying about this last part, either– I actually looked back at pictures for proof.)

To achieve this much-coveted aesthetic, I’d regularly raid my cousin Rossella’s closet and my friends and I would spend afternoons shopping at GAS, Phard and a host of other stores. Before this, Italian fashion was about what I saw on television: Gucci, Prada, Versace. But, I soon realized there was a whole other sector of Italian shopping.

Over the years, my desire to look like an “Italian girl” and my love of clothes in general, has given me the opportunity to get to know lots of great shops and brands. And thankfully, it’s gotten easier to find many of them in the U.S. Here are a few, culled from various experiences and some quick emails to friends in Italy.

Sisley: I’ve always felt that Italian girls had this ability to take a simple pair of jeans, match it with a well-made top and somehow look incredibly fashion-forward. Sisley, which is owned by Benetton, is a testament to that. Many of the designs are simple pieces with thoughtful details like a ruffle on a sleeve, a strategic button on a sweater or a cut in a skirt that give the clothes both dimension and versatility. And with collections for women, men and children, as well as an accessories line, there’s definitely something for everyone.

Energie / Miss Sixty: These represent two of the trendiest brands in Italy, for men and women, respectively. Headquartered in Chieti, Italy, I remember visiting one of their outposts in Calabria extremely regularly. When it comes to Energie, the company’s now 20-year-old brand, think fitted sweaters, distressed denim, and for fall/winter at least, lots of plaid, pink and purple. Miss Sixty, arguably the most popular of the company’s holdings, is where you’ll find the season’s patterned dresses, short skirts, and lots of unique, colorful tops.

Fornarina: Although it started back in 1947, this company recently made headlines in the U.S. when Lindsay Lohan became the face of their ad campaign. Feminine and flirty, with a slight edge, the fall/winter line features lots of leggings, slouchy boots and tight skirts. “I like Fornarina, and wore it throughout my early 20’s,” says Miriam Milazzo, my cousin who’s visiting from Calabria for the holidays, “The clothes are very trendy and colorful, but they also fit extremely well, and you can find a few more ‘serious’ pieces each season.”

Geox: Currently the number one footwear company in Italy, Geox shoes have a special rubber-sole technology that allows the feet to breathe, keeping them dry and comfortable. Miriam describes this line as perfect for a working professional and it turns out that while “rubber-sole” might not sound stylish, the shoes actually are. For women, there are suede pumps and tall boots and for men there are casual sneakers and dress shoes. There is a children’s line as well, where you’ll find high top and Velcro offerings.

GAS: This brand falls into the sporty and casual category and many of the pieces, to me, have a slightly laid-back, going-shopping-on-a-Saturday feel to them. Heavy on denim, from relaxed fit to skinny, there are also short leather jackets for women and round-neck sweaters for men this season. I love the story of the brand’s logo: Owner Claudio Grotto was inspired to create it when he saw two criss-crossed rainbows while on vacation in Cape Town, South Africa.

Marisa Iallonardo is a writer and editor based in New York, whose work has appeared in First for Women, Westchester Magazine and www.i-italy.org, among other publications. She is a first-generation Italian-American who has spent many summers shopping her way through southern Italy. Find her on her blog:

http://www.sparkleandreflect.blogspot.com/


Photo Credits:
SisleyFall: From the Sisley Fall/Winter 2009-10 collection. Photo: F. Morandin
SisleyMan: From the Sisley Fall/Winter 2009-10 collection: Photo: F. Morandin Tweet

Watch The Pope Conduct Midnight Mass Live From The Vatican Christmas Eve.

Watch the Pope Conduct Live Mass from The Vatican 12/24/09 at 10:00 pm.

http://tinyurl.com/yffuakf Tweet

Buon Natale....Merry Christmas To All the Italian American Girl Readers.

Dear Amici,

Another year has gone by and we're celebrating Christmas eve and day in the next two days. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every single one of you for your love and support over this past year. Christmas is an enormously important and spiritual holiday for the Italian family, and in celebrating this joyous time, we come together and share love, food, traditions, religion and compassion for one another. We get caught up sometimes in the hard weighing dictating and sometimes negative parts of daily life, but we have to always remember to do better, love, help and count our blessings. Again, I wish you all the best this Christmas season and a Happy Healthy New Year. Buon Natale! Baci!

-Margaret Tweet

"Be Italian" Performed By Fergie For "Cinema Italiano" A Fellini Remake.

http://www.weinsteinco.com/#/home


Looks to be a fabulous movie, I wish the movie studios would release a trailer for use in promotions in social media. Enjoy! Tweet