Part of the my success in loosing weight at the spa is due to the executive chef Oliver Glowig at the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa.

I asked Caroline Courteau the guest manager relations to have a talk with him as I apart from wanting to take a few of the delicious recipes at home, I wished to understand how the philosophy of the Mediterranean cuisine could be so simple and yet one of the most balanced of all diets.

Caroline sends me immediately through her new blackberry a message with an appointment for tomorrow at the terrace after my lunch and before my treatments. Coincidentally, and to my surprise, my friend, photographer Umberto D’ Aniello is there and as usual I took advantage of his kindness and asked hm to shoot a few pictures while Oliver and I were talking.

To my surprise, Oliver is German. Blue eyes, and extremely serious. Not the typical Italian exuberant chef. It’s very hard to extract a smile from him but easier to get a Michelin star (on it’s way to the second ) for the hotel he chose to work for after having married a Neapolitan woman six years ago.

We sit while Umberto’s at work and Oliver Glowig tells me he has spent 15 years in the restaurant and hospitality business mainly focusing on Mediterranean influenced cuisine.

His first relevant experience was with German Master Chef Otto Koch at “Le Gourmet” restaurant in Munich, a two Michelin star restaurant, where he learned the different cooking techniques of pasta, fish and meat. In 1995 he joined the “Acquarello” restaurant in Munich, an Italian gourmet restaurant with high ambitions. Chef Oliver learned new techniques and started to focus on appetizers and desserts.

One year later, he had the chance to improve his knowledge of Italian cuisine with the world famous Italian Chef Gualtiero Marchesi. After the Italian experience, he returned to Germany to the  Acquarellonrestaurant with the leading role of Executive Chef. In only one year he was able to get his first Michelin star, being described by newspapers and magazines as the ambassador of the Mediterranean cuisine in Germany.

In 2001, the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa offered Chef Oliver the opportunity to come back to Capri and measure himself with international luxury leisure customers.

Chef Oliver now leads a team of 22 cooks and offers a wide selection of traditional Neapolitan dishes, personal interpretations emphasized with low calories and the use of organic ingredients. In the prestigious 2007 Conde Nast Traveller Gold List, the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa was voted one of the Best Hotels In The World For Food”.

Finally, after enumerating his long currriculum, he explains that the Mediterranean cuisine which represents the traditional way of eating for the populations living in the Mediterranean basin is an absolutely balanced diet based on local products of the region: cereals, vegetables, olive oil and fish.

Wisely combined they give life to delicious and light dishes which are in  line with the most demanding requirements of today s nutritionists. You must eat a bit of everything! No limitations of carbohydrates nor proteins even less fats. Olive oil is good for your health so is an everyday intake of red wine. But all must be in reasonably balanced quantities.

He then confides me that he never worked just for the Michelin star: “The star is something you acquire naturally, paying attention precisely to detail, quality, but most of all working with devoted passion.” His suppliers, that he makes a point to visit and source during the winter season when it’s more calm at the hotel restaurant, are mostly from Naples.

In the Summer, after such a firm understanding of quality, they already know what he likes and send him his favorite ingredients with no need to even speak over the phone. The menu is dictated by the catch of the day and season. Quite frankly, this is how it should be.

Oliver’s dietetic kitchen of the Capri Beauty Farm is a combination of refined art, a rigid technique (German origins) and a holistic philosophy of life where the nutrition gives back balance and energy to body and mind.  The characteristics of every single ingredient combined especially with the way of cooking preserve the nutritional quality and at the same time guarantee the principles of a high gastronomy.

One of Oliver’s favorite combinations, believe it or not, are the mixing of fish and dairy. (Both my favorites too) Alici (Anchovies) with Ricotta is one of them. Oliver tells me very seriously (proving the previous point), that the Alici must absolutely not be purchased when the moon is full as they are hard to catch at this time and would not be totally fresh. (I will try to remember that on my return to New York City)

The art of Oliver and his team of chefs consists of creating culinary experiences of a high standard, personalized and innovative by preserving the aromas, colors and scents of the different dishes.

My customized diet was created by the Professor Francesco Canonaco in conjunction with  Dr. Cinzia Grassi, the nutritionist, as  I don’t eat meat, a certain kinds of sea food for religious dietary laws (Kashrut).

My menu was handed to me every morning in my room with my name on it on together with my breakfast so that I could psychologically prepare myself before meals to what was coming–knowing that it had been based to my advantage on the most recent and scientific researches in the field of nutrition.

Apart from being surprised by the exceptional taste of the œdie dishes within the range of an average of 900 calories daily diet, it was really  an essential component of my weight loss program; in fact, in association with specific treatments, it definitely represented the perfect formula to achieve my  well-being and psycho-physical balance.

Coming back home, I really felt much better. stronger and healthier. I adopted the diet that Professor Canonico and the nutritionist Cinzia Grassi gave me as follow up advice through email during the following months in New York City.

Thank you Oliver!

Joelle’s Tips:

Restaurant L’Olivo just got awarded with two Michelin Stars: Check the Press release November 20, 2008

l-olivo-restaurany-awarded-second-michelin-star

Menus:

Lunch

• Beauty Farm Cocktail: Fennel, Celerey, Pinapple, Melon (42 kcal)
• Steamed assorted vegetables (53 kcal)
• Stewed Scorpion Fish with Vine tomatoes( 192 kcal)
• Plums in red wine ( 45 kcal)

Dinner:

• Crudites (20kal)
• Vegetable Soup (24 kcal)
• Turbot with mint sauce and crunchy celery (255 kcal)
• Green Apple Sorbet ( 39 kal)

Lunch:

• Beauty Farm cocktail : Carrot, orange, ginger and mint (51 kcal)
• Zucchini and Asparagus pudding with Basil and Mint sauce (64 Kcal)
• Saffron scented gurnard fish with assorted vegetables
• Fruit Kebab with Yougurt sauce and cocoa beans ( 63kal)

“For me an object is something living. This cigarette or this box of matches contains a secret life much more intense than that of certain human beings.“  Joan Miro’

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” — Pablo Picasso

Talking about washing people’s souls off from daily life: bidders defied grim market sentiment this month, with the majority of lots attracting enthusiastic souls bidding at Damien Hirst’s “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever” sale at Sotheby’s, London.

The highly publicized sale, which took place over two days, realized $207,169,510  above the high estimate, and included a new auction record for the artist with “The Golden Calf“, which sold for $19,227,777 to an anonymous collector.

“We are born with a scream; we come into life with a scream, and maybe love is a mosquito net between the fear of living and the fear of death. ” – Francis Bacon.

A 1976 Triptych by Francis Bacon brought $86.3 million at Sotheby’s, last May, becoming the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at auction and a retort to doomsayers who had predicted that the art market would falter seriously this season because of broad economic anxieties. “Recession? What recession?” Barbara Gladstone, a Chelsea dealer, said jokingly as she was leaving the salesroom.

Although the sale had top-quality art and dealers predicted it would be a success, it went well beyond even the auction house’s expectations, bringing in $362 million, above the sale’s high $356 million estimate. Three telephone bidders went for the painting, the most expensive postwar work of art ever sold at auction and sold by the Moueix family, producers of Château Pétrus wines.

“Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” — Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol’s Two Marilyns (Double Marilyn) at Christie’s auction house in London October 14, 2008. The picture was expected to fetch up to 6.5 million pounds ($11.4 million) at the Christie’s post-war and contemporary art sale on October 19.

The death of Marilyn provided Andy Warhol with the perfect pretext to capture, in a range of monochrome and multi-colored works, her celebrated visage smiling out with a pout rendered slightly ridiculous by association… In Two Marilyns (Double Marilyn), one of the early images on this theme executed in the months immediately following the star’s death, these features have been printed in black on the primed canvas, creating an elegant, even austere Pop stele to the tragic star. It was Two Marilyns and its sister-pictures both ushered in Warhol’s own fame while cementing that of the star.

Nobody has done more to capitalize on Andy Warhol’s increasing popularity than Mr. Mugrabi. Together with his two sons, this self-made former cloth merchant from Bogotá, Colombia, says that over the past 20 years he’s amassed about 800 of the artist’s works, a stake that’s easily three times larger than any other private Warhol collection in the world and nearly as large as the paintings collection owned by the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Dealers and major auction houses rarely buy or sell a Warhol without Mr. Mugrabi’s knowledge, and anyone who wants to buy one at auction must be prepared to outbid the family.

Tonino Cacace’s story is a little different and more inventive a creative than the aggressive Mugrabi family approach. The owner of the luxurious Capri Palace & Spa, commissioned the Italian artist Giorgio Tonelli to paint the bottom of two of the hotel’s private swimming pools:  Andy Warhol and the Rene Magritte in the gardens facing the Monte Solaro with the inspiration of the artist’s works in the rooms and bathrooms. The Mondrian and Kandinsky suites have some of their walls painted with the same concept.

The hotel is an art gallery on its own. Tonino Cacace makes a point to share his refined taste on Italian post-modern and contemporary art collection with his guests. After all it’s for no reason that guests receive  on arrival a ” Welcome to your home ” key holder booklet on their way to the rooms.

Among the large collection of interesting art works, I decided to mention a few, especially as I loved the context in which each one has been carefully placed.   The five-star hotel owner’s passionate involvement with life and the space he created, visibly transcend through the artist’s own understanding about the present space, the atmosphere, and finally the cultural background. The result is a natural and harmonic blend of cognitive and unconscious associations of personal and intimate well-being and exclusive, almost private hospitality.

A beautiful painting Giorgio De Chirico, founder of the “Metaphysics School” in 1960, “Ettore and Andromaca” stands close to the reception desk almost implying the longing for the guest arrival.

Most renowned Italian sculptor and worldwide recognized by his particular spheres and discs, both made of bronze, Arnaldo Pomodoro’s “Disco” invigorate the hotel’s main living room creating around a dynamic  perceivable movement of people socializing. Keith Harring lithograph of people dancing in the middle of a pair of ormolue Louis xv style wall lamps reinforces the energy.

The intriguing and gigantic bronze helmet “Elmo” by Mimmo Paladino, has been exclusively created for the Capri Palace lobby entrance. The artist who represents silence made up of shadows and mysterious magic declares: “Art is not a superficial thing, nor a poetic storm. Art is a process around a language of signs.”

I have often noticed children playing around the eyes and openings of the art piece—almost perceiving with gentleness how Mimmo Paladino, the painter, sculptor, regards his work as nomadic art, based on repeated passages, and explains that by nomad he means a crossing of the various territories of art-both in a geographic and temporary sense-with a great technical and creative freedom. Children realize their stay  in “Paradise” is provisional and they’ll be back home and to school soon.

British artist, Allen Jones’ “Believe It or Not”,  whose inspiration by European avant-garde movement and Pop Art honored him with numerous international prizes and awards reigns over the bar near the terrace.  Jones’s art takes the form of paintings and sculptures. It’s easy to notice with a Bellini in one’s hand and a enjoyable company, how his work connects a woman’s threads:  As an object,  as a subject, with long legs on elongated stiletto heels, the absolute symbol of a timeless eroticism and, in particular, a mirror on our age. But we are soon reminded we are in the island of Capri and everything else like in a fantasy is okay.

One of my favorites is Fabrizio Plessi’s “Azzurra”. This exclusive installation realized by the artist for the Capri Palace Hotel represents a typical Caprese boat used by the local fishermen to go into the most famous and romantic Blue Grotto.

Five monitors projecting a water flow are arranged inside the boat. Water and video, frequent characters in Fabrizio Plessi’s work, have the same blue surface, the same capability to carry objects and ideas, they both acquire their beauty from the reflection of the light. Again living the contrast of reality versus fantasy and possibly be so powerful to be able to enjoy both in the morning at sea  and the art work at night in the TV room. Which is real and which is fantasy?

Fabrizio Plessi’s work represents a point of contact between technology and humanity: old elements, images coming from our memories and new video-electronic flow are greatly combined to recall a hardly ever seen neoclassical balance. He is one of the major interpreters of video-art.

“Uomo-Corno” (Horn-Man), in polished bronze, with an iron hook structure is the symbol and emblem of a mythological world in which past and present, irony and tragedy, tradition and modernity take concrete form in a new vision of the amulet — a good luck charm and artifice of its own destiny. We all know how superstitious Neapolitans are

His bronzes are worked as if they were made of clay with scratches and furrows, or modeled to highlight the refractive qualities of their smooth surfaces.

The artistic quest of Pignatelli in “Eroi Melanconici” (Melancholic Heroes), forges a path of fascination between archaeology and the exploration of myths—hemp canvases sewn together depicting skies of ash and dust that come alive with rips and stitches in huge spaces immersed in shadow. Depicting the icy face of a sad Aphrodite or the monumental, poetic countryside of reconnaissance flight, Pignatelli’s paintings are like mute images from a film projected onto a lacerated screen. I could personally feel Anacapri’s landscape, archeological importance  but mostly my own global condition of being an almost rootless gypsy (like most of today’s travelers) through this artist canvas.

I will end with Arman Fernandez’s “L’Envers du Désir”, potent and at the same time almost imperceptible among the small trees in planters and gray wicker furniture.

Influenced by Dada, and later by much of the Pop Art movement, Arman’s works stand out through their aesthetics; he was the master of composition and this provides even his most absurdest works with beautifully realized compositions. Whether paint on canvas or garbage in Plexiglas, Arman saw the beauty and relevance of the everyday world and created art to reflect his own imaginative ideas on the world. He dared to question traditional views on the nature of art, but stands out as he never abandoned the sense of beauty in composition that has been art’s foundation since antiquity. Apart from the incredible title, he is a Scorpio (as am I) and the intensity is of this feminine sculpture is unique.

Many more can be examined and appreciated individually. The Capri Palace “Art Gallery,” Mario Schifano,  Velasco, Domenico Cantatore, Alessandro Papetti, Stefano Cantaroni, Aldo Mondino, Jakub Nepraš: different artists with different styles, works of creativity that reflect a thousand shadings and life experiences that become the dominant elements within the eternal common denominator of artistic expression.

Apart from the Capri Palace’s complimentary acquarello (watercolor) painting classes conducted by painter, illustrator and art therapist  Michele Costantini (for guests as well as outsiders), the different art exhibitions that take place in the welcoming space also include a forthcoming project with the New York Guggenheim and Whitney Museums that consist in sponsoring trip expenses and stays in the hotel for young international talents so that they can be provided with ideal conditions to create their art. The world is teeming with art events this season. I will enumerate a few in Joelle’s Tips (below).

“I have been lucky enough to be able to live on my obsession. This is my only success” — Francis Bacon

The rest is up to you.

Joelle’s Tips:

Get your art Fix in the world next season events:

3rd Biennial of Contemporary Art of Sevilla – 3/10-11/1 (Sevilla)
Van Gogh at MOMA – 9/10-9/11 (New York)
Frieze – 16/10-19/10 (London)
Contemporary Istanbul – 16/10-19/10 (Istanbul)
SCOPE - 16/10-19/10 ( London )

I am not used to drinking Falanghina Wine, Chianti, and Bellini’s every single day. Moreover, I have never been a drinker. To add to all of this, I have been appreciating every single day all kinds of Mozzarelle di Bufala, Fior Di Latte and smoked Provole ” for a Lactose intolerant person, I have done my best as you can imagine.

Extra Virgin olive oil from Tuscany, Umbria and Campania was on every single salad, home-made bread, pasta and delicious antipasti. I have spent literally hours under the sun, dried my skin to the point where my mother thought I was somebody else when I went to visit her in Brussels for a few days. By the way, she though it was after all a long time I hadn’t tried her Belgian truffle chocolate Cote D’or and hazelnuts drinks  before going to sleep. “A little sugar won’t hurt, cherie!” A perfect time to burn off those calories, right?

Arriving in Anacapri, I realized (apart from not being able to look at myself in the Summer pictures of my review) that my heart is pounding every time I swim, walk or get irritated. Must be the coffee. I am not a coffee, even decaf, so, must be something else.

Yes, I am happy in Italy but the delicious food, the wine, the sun will not end for God’s sake! Can I just put some sensibility in my brain and get on with what’s really healthy for me at this moment? What is the solution? I am thinking silently: the person in front of the mirror looks like me but a bit more swollen than me, a bit more overweight than me, a bit less reasonable than me; and, does not want by any means to go back to New York City in this state having to face the harsh coming winter.

The solution appeared in the form of Caroline Courteau, Director of the Capri Palace Hotel guests relations, who is running towards me: “I have a few free minutes for lunch would you care to have a look at our marvelous Beauty Farm Spa? Of course, it’s just a visit as it’s completely booked up; during this time of the season it’s the busiest!” Without a word, I follow her. I know it’s a sign from God, not the Jewish one, maybe a Greek god, but it’s definitely a sign.

We walk through a kind of glass Gazebo, a corridor in the middle of an enchanting forest of bright green and healthy Ferns very well known in Brazil as Samambaias. We enter another very bright room of different ambiance and atmosphere where we are surrounded by a think curtain of yellow Bamboos, an refreshingly attractive aroma of Ylang Ylang incense.On the wall, hangs a dark art work known as “staging photography“by Italo-German artist Stefano Cantaroni depicting sculptural and half naked bodies draped in cloth as if they were in a Greek tragedy performance.

At the reception desk, Caroline introduces me to a smiling Valeria, Letizia, Clara and Veronika — all dressed in white and eager to serve you with your most intimate needs of well being and consolation. I hear myself whispering into Caroline’s ear: “Are you sure they have no availability for any treatment at all in this place?”

“I don’t know Joelle let me check, but maybe you would like to meet with the Professor. He’s available now.”

Professor Francesco Canonico is a charming tall man. White haired and stylish. By his looks, I assume he is for sure a connoisseur of women. Born in Cosenza graduated in medicine and surgery from the University of Modena, he holds degrees in pediatrics, food science and medical oncology. In 1980, he was elected to the board of the Italian Pediatrics Society. He is a lecturer in medical auxology, genetic medicine in the pediatrics and neuropsychiatry departments.

He asks me to sit and first thing he says without looking at any papers or asking me my name: ” Come stai? ” (How are you?). I love it!! I immediately take advantage and like a broken fountain confide him my despair from the chocolate cakes to the anguish of an imminent heart attack.

He pauses, asks me how long I will be staying in the hotel, and makes a phone call to Dr. Cinzia Grassi, the spa nutritionist (who severely asks me why I have put on seven kilos on during the year). After a few questions, specific and routine blood tests, a indirect calorimetry test with canopy, body impedentiometry to determine lean and fat body mass, intra- and extra-cellular water with the consequent quantification of water retention, determination of alimentary intolerance (these tests will be performed by the University of Milan). With the last few measurements she has the answers.

“What do you have generally for breakfast?”

“On Monday in New York City, granola, non-fat yogurt and strawberries. On Wednesday in Paris, a hot croissant with butter and home-made orange confiture. On Sunday in Sao Paulo, acai pulp mixed with Pao de Queijo and orange juice.

The Professor and Dr. Grassi look at each other and say simultaneously: “She needs the Metabolic Response  Plan (a project done in collaboration with Milan Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status). ” You start today! The diet will be of 900 calories per day and at three o’clock. Clara and Letizia will be waiting for you for the La Scuola Delle Gambe (Leg School Treatment).

In 1994, when the professor became the medical director of the Capri Beauty Farm (he wanted to improve people’s lifestyle), his foremost contribution was to add medical treatments and aesthetic medicine to the existing cosmetology and fitness offerings.

The patented Leg School, is an original topical method for improving the venous and lymphatic circulation of the lower limbs. He then confides in me with a smile full of assurance (the result of many years of observing women in the stage of post pregnancy): ” If the circulation of a woman’s legs is healthy, everything else in her body will follow accordingly.” I immediately agree to undergo the miraculous treatment and theory without really knowing what’s coming next.

A personalized Mediterranean diet for lunch, at the Olivo restaurant over the pool. My name is on the table setting, very chic, (I write about the dishes it in my next post). Afterwards, anxiously walk to the open air garden of the gorgeous spa.

Letizia eager to start,  apples water and mud from the dead sea. This Medicated mud, a clay enriched with active substances which are invigorating, soothing and decongestive, has the natural freshness of seaweed all secretly manipulated by the professor himself here in Capri. I can recognize the scent camphor and licorice. Letizia assures that the vasco-active substances will help to improve the lymphatic system, the vein circulation and the elasticity of my skin.

“Believe me, it’s freezing,” I tell Letizia who assures me that the mud did not come out of a refrigerator, and that it’s just my body’s healthy and expected reaction to the active ingredients. “Adiposity, liposclerosis and cellulite are certainly going to disappear after a few session, stimulating and improving the blood circulation of your veins Joelle! – your he legs will prove highly beneficial sensation — you’ll see.”

Without a word and a bit shivering, I am then taken by Letizia to an open air shower that is sculpted inside of rocks full of beautiful leaves. She’s taking the mud out for me; I feel like a baby in her dedicated care. Medicated bandages are then applied over my washed legs. Apparently, they are highly effective in combating water retention; these supposedly invigorate venous walls trough the use of vaso-active substances. “Much, much colder you won’t believe how cold this is! Cold!” I ask for some hot detox tea which is served near the warm and inviting indoor pool (also sculpted inside a rock).

With the bandages off, I am asked to go to the third and final stage of this treatment, The Kneipp vascular treatment. Letizia says “it’s a little annoying at the beginning. The experience differs from woman to woman, but as time goes by after a few walks in the shallow tanks of medicated water enriched with vegetable and mineral extracts (the same applied in the mud and bandages) you won’t notice so much the difference between the (18°-38°) temperatures. Do not worry, it’s worth it. It will definitely bring back vitality and lightness while improving both your venous and lymphatic tone.” I start wondering if all that salt and sugar in my meals was worth it after all!

I was hard–very hard–but that night after dinner I drifted off into a deep sleep with a such a pleasant feeling of forgetting what life was all about.

And the days passed between Slimming Hydrofor, (the latest cure to treat cellulite, aging problems,
muscle and facial and breast hypotonia, wrinkles, stretch marks and localized adiposity carving the body),
LPG Endermologie, Electro stimulation, Slimming seaweed mud therapies with medicinal plants ingredients such as Ivy leaf, Centella Asiatica citrus extracts, in steam bath and open-air under the blue sky , Lymph drainage massages (almost as good as Brazilians) no gymnastics in thalassotherapeutic swimming pool or Personalized Fitness program, I do that all year round and did feel like using my time visiting the city of Anacapri, slowly pacing my rhythm down.

My favorite treatment apart from the Coffee Peel is the revolutionary exclusive Sun Peel. Patented by Professor Francesco Canonaco based on a chemical peeling for body and face, it has a combination of phyto-essences and essential oils and it’s basically characterized in two phases:

The first step, containing Tirosine, is applied by Veronika (a very kind and cute, blondish, tall girl) while explaining passionately that it’s natural component exfoliates the skin’s first layer and Rose Pepper containing Peeperine ingredient with marine salt, stimulates the production of Elastin and collagen. Thesecond phase, Holistic helps the new cells to produce melanin while Avocado and other essential oils will hydrate it. It’s magic my friends, magic.

While I take a few shots with my camera, I get the last precise explanation of the benefits of this treatment: it’s an ideal way to prepare the skin for sun exposure or to avoid peeling after an over-exposure, in my case. The tan gets brighter, homogeneous and lasts longer without leaving the skin stained. Seems like I can almost take New York back.

Everyday, I would gradually feel more resistant to the vascular Kneipp treatment, less salt intake, I was not particularly hungry, the diet was well balanced but I felt extremely tired without a real reason since I was not even exercising.

The answer came after uploading all the information from the efficient results of Measurement of energy expenditure and physical activity anamesis to a computer. During my past day’s 24 hours performance, Dr. Cinzia Grassi plugged in the armband, a small device on my triceps (upper arm) that I religiously kept on that day and night.

I went shopping, visit Monte Solaro (where I got the scare of my life), had three meals, went sunbathing at the pool and worked on my computer for a while.The next day on the discharged information, Dr Cinzia asked a few questions based on surprising facts and parameters of my energy consumption, physical activity and sleep.

During those 24 hours the results showed I walked 9.325 steps in 2 hours and 37 minutes of physical activity. Spent 583 calories, a larger amount at the time I was in Mount Solaro chairlift (I was nervous and afraid of heights) but what surprised me most was that I went to bed early at 10 o’clock in the evening (I was exhausted) and got up at 7 in the morning. Apparently I also woke up 10 times that night without even noticing — resulting in a total of only 4 hours of quality sleep.

No wonder I have been so tired! I understood that although I seem to manage my stress during the day and feel somewhat healthy, at night my sleep won’t lie! The doctor gave me some pediatric drops to help me sleep better.

I lost almost 3 and a half kilos, it could have been more if my body did not have to defend itself from fatigue and had spent more time at the spa. Cinzia promised to work on a overall customized lifestyle maintenance plan of my own once test results came back from Milan (and everything would be sent by mail directly to me in New York).

While waiting in the hotel lobby, getting ready to leave, professor Canonico probably on a break, introduces his pretty assistant cardiologist of La Scuola del Cuore program. With a straight face he then asks me: “Well done Joelle! Would you care for a Martini to celebrate?”

Joelle’s Tips ;

The Spa Treatments Plans:

La Scuola Delle Gambe -The Leg School

La Scuola del Cuore / The Hear School

Dimagrimento / Weight-Loss- Metabolic Response.

Capri Palace Hotel & Spa -80071 Anacapri, isola di Capri Via Capodimonte,14

Tel + 39 081 978 0111- Fax + 39 081 837 3191 /

beautyfarm@capripalace.com /reservations@capripalace.com

According to Tonino Cacace, a second generation owner of the hotel Capri Palace, “My little Village, is a place for the soul.” And in the preface of an elegant black and white Hotel brochure that looks more of an art book than anything else, he writes in a manner of a poet:

” The ancient Greek and inhabitants of Anacapri used to climb to their village thousands of years ago up steep steps cut into rock face overlooking the sea and rising up into the clouds. Later, this became a spectacular road that still exists to this day, and its peak amid the tiny dwellings and secret gardens of today’s town Anacapri (ana meaning above in Greek) becoming the Acropolis of the island.

And it is in this same small town, with its narrow alleyways and dazzling white buildings standing in sharp contrast against the  brilliant blue of the sea, preserving its typical Mediterranean architecture that sits the Capri Palace, standing over the ruins of a great Roman palace built by the Roman Emperor Augustus and further embellished by the Emperor Tiberius.

The columns arches and vaults bear a fleeting resemblance to the original Imperial Palace and the pure white architecture of the Mediterranean islands.

The sea he carries on is unquestionably the dominant element here : It is in the flavor of our dishes, and in the eyes and smiles of our people: the sea will continue to stir our soul as we relive the beauty of this magnificent place, where over the century time has elapsed slowly, and the days roll by at a leisurely pace”.

The day I met Tonino (diminutive for Antonio) Cacace,  was few weeks before my recent arrival in the hotel; he happened to hear, don’t ask me how, I was visiting his Palace asking questions around and like a Greek god coming down the Olympus, had someone call me in to present himself so that luckily, I could pay him my respects gracefully with an absolute stunning interview.

Before I have a chance to shake his hands , I am immediately captured by the magnetism of this tall and dark haired man with blue eyes, far bluer than the sea describes so poetically in his brochure.

I am struck almost breathlessly and in shock by the depth of such gaze into mine. Interlaced with simple and polite gestures, almost too humble for an emperor casually dressed in bright white linen,he asks for a San Pellegrino water for me and a grapefruit juice for him. Waiter disappears and here I am confronted with this charming Italian hotelier my Belkin recorder and the Caprean sea breeze reminding me I am alive .

Always through his eyes with a gentle but firm tone of voice, I learn he’s a man whose passions for art and philosophy make his day-to day a living inspiration for the close at heart Palace he inherited and the people in the village he was born. Through ethical, social and cultural responsibility his conscious mission is to preserve  the community of Anacapri historic and territorial roots transcending them all together into a modern, global and better place to live.No doubt his immense, restless almost spiritual devotion will allow him to reign supreme.

The Hotel has its origins in the inn “Mariantonia“, once located in the center of Anacapri, operated since the 19th century by the Cacace family. ” It was my father, Mario, who built the hotel in the sixties” he confides me with a serious look on his face then adds ” He was a man with a vision. He understood far in advance the hospitality development around the Piazzetta and to build a hotel in a mountain (at the foot of Mount Solaro with its magnificent views over the Gulf of Naples and Ischia Island) seemed at the time the idea of a fool.”

Sipping his juice without pausing for thoughts he carries on:  “He also knew how to raise a future hospitality entrepreneur, he therefore sends me to a severe college in Rome to follow humanistic studies where I ended up getting a degree in law which was not exactly what I had in mind for myself.  In 1975, my father unfortunately passes away tragically at only 53 years of age. I was 23″.

For a man that age, handsome and charming the way he already was and whose obvious only interests at the time were beautiful women and a life of carefree enjoyments, he found himself suddenly trapped by destiny  turning that ripe boy he was into a young busy entrepreneur with plenty of company and family duties on his plate.

With the utmost dedication and following in the footsteps of his father,  he dramatically transforms the previous four stars hotel, into a top luxurious five stars, today, member of the prestigious The Leading Small Hotels of the World group. Two restaurants featuring Caprese Cuisine one of which is gastronomic, l’Olivo which recently got awarded with a Michelin star, and working for its second, the magnificent  Beauty Farm considered by Conde NastTraveler readers as the best medical spa in the world, a luxury boat and limousine service, a Vip private heliport.

He achieves this clear success by reducing progressively the hotel physical dimensions , redefining thus the concept of luxury and its hospitality.

In the early Eighties he introduces before anyone else in Europe rooms with available private pools a revolution at that time, and from the 110 rooms in the seventies he reaches today to  a number of spacious 77. I must tell you my suite , reminiscent of the most beautiful Roman coastal villas, overlooks an internal garden filled with Jasmine, Lemon and flowering orange trees. And by the way, it is called Artemide like the Greek goddess. Among other ‘goddess’, La Callas, Monroe, Adjani, Athena, and Acropolis have black and white pictures on their walls that make you feel like taking pictures and stars home with you.

The Hotel interior has been gutted since and redone with a curious grace  and elegance as the result of a collaboration between Tonino Cacace and his ex-girlfriend, the talented architect Fabrizia Frezza. With the remodeling, the old hotel rigidity typical of the stark architecture of the seventies acquired a feeling of a  home hosting firstly friends than clients.

With its stone floors, columns creating at times the optical illusion of the Athens Parthenon, arches and vaulted ceilings, every element is a reminder of a glorious past that seems to come to life in all its splendor.

The Travertine baths, the warm tones of the fabrics and the sumptuous white and gold décor at time Louis XVI style at time reminding the light and the warmth of Mediterranean hospitality blended in each and every room with understated elegance and touches of minimalist rigueur.

” Excellence for me is the attention to detail, Tonino Cacace adds with an introspective look – it’s a consequence of an inner restlessness, uneasiness that constantly pushes your performance to its best being the example to all those that together work for the same scope; in a company or in a hotel, it does not really matter ”

As a result of this holistic concept ,prestigious  ‘Made-in-Italy’ companies like Loro Piana, six generation suppliers of cashmere and exclusive fabrics for plus-ultra demanding customers are partners with Tonino Cacace turning him into the top world consumer of the precious wool and striped grey linens for the hotel’s common rooms, restaurant small bergeres, Poltona Frau’s armchairs all masterly hand-crafted by the expertise of Loro Piana’s Neapolitan upholsterers. Trust me something ” literally I am writing home about!”

Carlo Moretti for Murano, the hand blown glass factory from Venice created especially for the restaurant original pieces giving us the feel that art and design must me part  harmoniously of our basic everyday life.

Antonio attends a phone call, I drink my San Pellegrino and around me I notice the clientele, mostly European , some Lebanese, a chic crowd, mainly young discerning and sophisticated couples of a self-made generation whose values were acquired by hard work. It’s a clientele that is far more contemporary and demanding, they consciously differ from their parents who are still satisfied  with the aristocracy of old- glamour cliche living without a doubt a trend that today, as iconic as it was, is finally over and definitely depasse.

Silence, discrection and spirit preservation are in today’s menu opposed to the sixties where everyone needed to be seen and Jamais- vu (never seen ) at a local charming Capri Piazzetta during un-globalized times

Clients are dressed in Missoni, Paul Smith and Hermes, their sandals are local, Saint Barth are the Lotions that circulate around the pool, Cowboy hats, the eye wear is from Etro, and lots of Coral understates jewelry. In the evening jewelry is from De Grisogono of course, a long time hotel habitue,

Gwineth Patrol recently was the star at the Capri Palace for the latest Diego Della Valle ( long time friend of Cacace)  Tod’s advertising campaign. Not to mention, and Tonino Cacace is discrete, in the space of just a few years, it became the favorite destination of famous personalities from the worlds of the arts, business, and entertainment. Among them Julia Roberts, Harrisson Ford, Madonna, Liz Huxley, Mariah Carey, Witney Houston, John Grisham, Frederick Forsyth, and the Hariri family.

A special suite, the Megaron, had been reserved for your stay. The roof provided with a heavy crystal layer can be opened allowing you to enjoy and gaze the starred sky at night from your personal and private round pool.  By your side standing in the cozy roof garden, the luxury of an olive tree to provide you with the feeling of  earthly fertility , and if you can, read me well, that olive tree has personally  been picked by Tonino Cacace himself especially for you  at mature age and installed using a helicopter. Knowing that tree would have only 50% of chances to survive, Tonino kept on talking to the tree so he could grow safe and healthy to harbor your wildest dreams and desires in case a falling star would knock at you small spot of sky.

Nothing more to tell in this post about this  Deus-ex-Machina whose personality and charisma made of the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa  one of the most undisputed exclusive and luxurious places in the world apart that…

On my bed side, a member of the hotel’s staff ( ” treated  like clients ” by Cacace on his father’s advice)  has left a small booklet with a collection of aphorisms by famous poets and writers illustrated by watercolors by Maestro Michel Constantini inviting their guests into a safe and good night sleep.

The one I picked before my own is from Khalil Gibran one of my very favorite poets: “You can’t touch the dawn, if you haven’t covered the paths of the night.”

I am sure Tonino Cacace’s soul as a man and an entrepreneur, checked that one out before falling into the  dream of a gold Palace upon a hill over a dark blue sea.

Yes, you’ve heard me! After almost three months in Italy I am still not ready to leave the country. I just received an email on my Blackberry that the coming winter there is going to be the coldest, longest and snowiest in the last 50 years… therefore (by now you know there is always a “therefore”) I decided to extend my Summer a little longer in a wonderful spot in Anacapri on the upper side of Island of Capri facing the  Sorrentine Peninsula where the ancient Greeks and later Roman emperors like Augustus and Tiberius liked to spent their time.

Marco, from the hotel where I am staying, frowns a bit because as usual I haven’t sent a previous notice about the time of my Aliscafo arrival from Napoli Mergellina.

I never know what time I’ll wake up when I am in Naples; and, I also know that Marco is so efficient that he will find a solution in the hectic port of Marina Grande which is filled with a dense traffic of suitcases and tourists on taxi lines.

It goes without saying, that the hotel limo with the driver has just left a minute ago and with no name such as Joelle Maslaton on the passenger list.

Holding my Panama hat, both my small and a large suitcase Marco makes a phone call on his mobile phone to a taxi driver (they rule the island) who is a dear friend of his from old times (he is obviously busy doing something else probably with another client). They discuss a little and the conversation ends with a smile  on Marco’s face. After 40 seconds the taxi arrives. Marco pays my taxi bill and instruct his friend with a simple question: “Guess where she is going?”

The Capri Palace Hotel & Spa in Anacapri is where I am going. As soon as I the driver opens the door, Caroline Courteau director of international guest relations, an impeccable Swiss young woman dressed in a classy blue suit and a red scarf around her neck, welcomes me with a large smile asking about my past trip in Tuscany.

I do not really feel like chatting too much as while we pass a stone wall covered by a silky cascade of falling water, I am profoundly touched by the immensity of the blue water of the swimming pool seen from below the surface through through small glass windows aligned on our right of the refreshing entrance hallway whose white linen curtains keep moving depending on the wind ’s orders.”

Did they get that from the Greeks? I wonder silently while Caroline animatedly carries on talking about something I have not quite heard like if that magnetic view of the pool in front of us did ever exist.

Looking around, the property of a curious and intimate grace looks far more of a private estate than a hotel. I realize that there are plenty of attractions to experience here. One of them, the most important, is the luxury of not letting anyone know that I am here so that I can finally get a well- deserved rest.

Believe it or not, after so much wine tasting, numerous gastronomical adventures, plane rides, staying up late and sleeping late, sun worship abuse and slight weight gain, I need to rejuvenate in a very quite almost hidden atmosphere where I hope to give my inner and outer self a new dimension that will prepare me mentally and physically to face the upcoming cold New York City winter season.

And like did Pablo Neruda, Axel Munthe, Graham Green, Gorky, Lenin, Friederich Krupp, Alberto Moravia, Oscar Wilde Marguerite Yourcenar ,Baron Fersen and Curzio Malaparte in this charming spot of the world which is the island of Capri, I will take advantage to finally rest quietly and who knows, get the inspiration for what is today my beloved passion and living reason, the art of expressing in words what I seem to understand about beauty, harmony and awareness in my own world, life and gifted spirit.

Shoemaker to the stars, Salvatore Ferragamo saw his brand become more of a lifestyle choice than an accessories line. I decided to go to Florence for the day and see how he accomplished that.

Salvatore Ferragamo may be turning 80 this year, but the Florentine fashion house shows no signs of slowing down just yet. Having made its name with leather goods (notably shoes and bags), luxury luggage and sunglasses, winning celebrity fans such as Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman along the way.

It was the first Italian fashion house to diversify into travel and lifestyle. When the brand expanded to encompass boutique hotels, rural resorts, wineries and restaurants, it kicked off a trend that has quickly gained currency throughout the fashion world.

This forward-looking spirit is nothing new. Drawn to Florence by the city’s long tradition of craftsmanship, founder Salvatore Ferragamo made fashion history by inventing the wedge heel in 1937, and went on to pioneer sandals and ergonomically correct footwear.

He was the first celebrity shoemaker, making shoes for the likes of Greta Garbo and Marylin Monroe. He went as far as to claim he could judge a person’s character by touching their feet.

But the Ferragamo family has always had aspirations beyond footwear. And although justifiably proud of the brand proud of the brand’s recent globalization, retaining it’s “Made in Italy” status is clearly non-negotiable.

Unlike Gucci, which was also founded in Florence, the Ferragamo brand thrives as a locally based, family-owned enterprise; the company is still ensconced in an ancient palace off the river Arno. Along with its shoe museum, and its boutique hotels that can be found all over the city. Above all else, this is an essentially Florentine brand-if it didn’t hail from the city, it would surely have to decamp there.

Florentine style is characterized by distinguersi, a desire to be singled out for one’s subtlety not flamboyance. Florentines are rarely fashion victims, and their stylishness transcends social status, wealth, taste, even beauty. More than any other house, the Ferragamo look embodies this ethos: craftsmanship above cool brands status, effortless chic and an understated urban elegance combined with a passion for rural living.

Dressed head to toe in Ferragamo, Salvatore’s eldest son Ferruccio, pours scorn on the idea that, sartorially speaking, Florence lags behind Milan: “Florentines dress more elegantly than other Italians,”, he says. “The Italian fashion industry was born here, with the first haute couture shows in 1950s.”

Now at the helm of the company, Ferruccio attributes the firm ’s success to his mother, who despite being “a simple housewife, assigned the six of us to roles in different sectors”; he has adopted a similar approach. His son James acts as accessories designer, while James’s twin brother, Salvatore jr, runs Il Borro the family’s Tuscan wine estate and rural resort.

However, falling back on the family business is anything but an easy option. Only three family members from the third generation are allowed to work for the firm at any one time, and jobs are offered with the caveats that “they’ve proven themselves elsewhere and there’s a suitable vacancy”, explains Salvatore. As he points out with alacrity the competition between his 25 cousins is considerable. The family founded the Il Borro estate on similarly meritocratic principles.

Tucked away in the hills near Arezzo, it was originally a medieval village left in ruins after World War II. Salvatore says  his father ” had a vision of turning it into a rural resort and wine estate for trailblazing Super Toscans, rather than the traditional Chianti Classico.

With its Geranium-clad cottages and geometric gardens, the resorts borders on perfection, but Salvatore insists on its authenticity “lt’s a wine estate resort and restored medieval village, not Disneyland,” he says.

Even so, it is featured in fashion shoots, even if the Ferragamo name is notably absent from the wine bottles here. As with the family’s hotels, this is a deliberate effort to keep the integrity of the original brand intact.

It’s perhaps  not surprising that there’s no Ferragamo fashion outlet on the estate. Instead, several activities and craft workshops have been set up for a goldsmith, a carpenter, a ceramist , a glass maker and, of course a cobbler—a reminder of Ferragamo’s shoe-making heritage.

And it’s here that you’ll find the very essence of the Ferragamo lifestyle. A typical day might start with a family football match against a Florentine team, followed by a lunch of Spaghetti alla Menta (spaghetti tossed in buttery mint) at the estate inn, washed down with il Borro wine.

Rather like an Italian Ralph Lauren, the Ferragamo family offers romanticized idyll of rural life…

Except with slightly chicer footwear!

Joelle’s Tips:

Source : Lisa Gerard Sharp – Bthere magazine August 2008/ Photo Credit :Salavatore Ferragamo Museum all rights reserved

The store flagship: Salavatore Ferragamo: 4-14 r Via Tornabuoni

The Exhibition Creativity in Color: Ferragamo Museum Piazza Trinita 5r. Florence. Tel +39 055 33 60 475 Watch the virtual tour

The hotels and apartments: lie on both sides of river Arno. Most are clustered around Ponte Vecchio. Some of thse boltholes are designed for people watching,others for privacy

• Palazzo Capponi:1, Lungarno Guicciardini, a grand frescoed pile

• Continentale: 6 r Vicolo dell’ Oro is a hip hotel with a retro feel.black and white photography and views over the famous bridge,

• Gallery Hotel Art: 5,Vicolo dell’Ortowas Florence first design hotel,and still appeals to the fashion ser

• Lungarno Suites: 14 Lungarno Accianoli are luxurious serviced apartments set in Palazzi on the river. For more details, visit lungarnohotels tel +39 05527264000

The private tour: Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, not to be missed by all means! 5r Piazza Santa Trinita. Exhibits here include shoes made for Hollywood stars and the mistresses of Hitler and Mussolini.

Fans of Interiors: Lungarno Details 4,Lungarno Acciaiuoli the family’s Florentine desigh store. The objects can be found in the various hotels.

The Michelin Starred Canteen: Borgo San Yacopo 62 Borgo San Yacopo tel +39 055 281661 is the family’s Michelin-starred ‘canteen’ overlooking Ponte Vecchio

Tuscan Countryside:

• Villa Delle Rose 2,Via Brancolano, Tavarnuzze. tel +39 055 27264000 in Chianti.
• Il Borro + 39 055 977053 near Arezzo, which offers wine tasting,golf,riding,hunting and hot-air balooning.
• Osteria del Borro , a rural inn where you can take gastronomic courses

It’s such a great feeling to come back from hectic Florence and have a nice walk around the peaceful garden here at the Villa.

Throughout the centuries it has been the tradition for Italian nobility to be patrons to great artists. Villa Mangiacane stays true to this sponsoring on-site artist from Zimbabwe and abroad, and numerous art exhibitions openings.

The best time for a walk is in the early evening prior to sunset. Colors reach a degree of saturation which is ideal for photo-shoots or just to admire the splendid collection of art and sculptures integrated in the composition of centennial trees, water basins, small lemons trees in terracotta vases, quiet and iron benches. Not to mention the vast almost infinite renaissance perspective of olive groves upon San Casciano hills.

Most of the profits go to the deserving African charities and the remaining profits are reinvested to support the Shona Art Sculptors in Zimbabue and to promote their work by enabling them to gain international recognition and exposure.

As you pace amongst the myriad of masterpieces in the ‘ Giardino della Scultura‘ with its backdrop of nature,your eye travels in time as it moves across a spectrum the include Lithuanian cubism, and Zimbabwean Shona Sculptures.

The Villa Mangiacane Estate stretches over 300 hectares with very versatile locations for any photographic or film shoot. This Renaissance Haven is an efficient location that offers a high variety of “ready to use” settings with great props – opulent chairs, artworks, textures and materials indoors as well as the Tuscan forest, vineyards, olive groves and the famous sculpture garden outdoors.

I realize that it was not only myself, Cosmopolitan magazine, but also Award winning Norwegian photographer Petter Hegre who studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California and worked for Richard Avedon before returning to Europe  has enjoyed the inspiration of the magical garden at the Villa. Hegre who published six books and his work has been exhibited internationally is known for being the pioneer of a new photographic genre called ‘The New Nude’, challenging ingrained views on the female nude.

Just as the Renaissance sculptors believed that a masterpiece lay dormant in every stone, and that artist simply awakens it- Villa Mangiacane itself has awakened to embrace a new era…

By the way if you happen to be in the neighborhood check the Giardino because a container full of new art work in on its way this time to live by the Olive trees through eternity…

Every time I must leave a place, a unpleasant feeling of nostalgia and emptiness takes over my physical body and spirit. Especially if I had a great time and experienced new insights.

I have a few hours before my last dinner at the Villa. I decide to pack.  organize my catalogs, books, blackberry, computers, wine and olive oil gifts, licorice sticks, Aqua di Cologna, pretty notebooks and cards. I decide to isolate myself and meditate as I always do every time a trip is over.

It’s always questioning  a new way I will approach everything I have seen, the people, always so interesting, that I have met, and the way I will assimilate it in order to be able to write respecting as well as I can the truth  of my insights and the reality inside the local living of people and their culture.

The Naduska spa is just beyond the Giardino della Scultura among the Tuscan landscape of vineyards and olive trees. Only such a spectacular environment could offer the perfect sanctuary for the relaxation I need at this moment. A little rejuvenation won’t hurt.

As I go down the stairs of a little door almost inaccessible due to the heavy leafy plants around it, I hear a calming noise of running water. Wow!!!! What am I seeing? What an amazing long pool. Maybe two meters large only, just perfect for a Nymphea to swim by herself.

I slowly immerse my hand to get a warm sensation of perfect heated temperature but suddenly the water color changes from gray to purple, the color of spiritual transformation, then to aquamarine green, the color of hope and relaxation…to a Burnt Sienna color of visualization and positive energy…this pool inspired by the roman baths changes the color of its water every few minutes.

I get changed into a tiny Brazilian bathing suit, swim for a while, step into the Jacuzzi. In the relaxation area, there are all kind of herbal teas, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle magazines from Paris, London, and Milan. Surrounded by suggestive lighting and mosaics, I feel in a kind of underground temple.

There is some kind of magic in the atmosphere, maybe extreme relaxing solitude. Without realizing it, I have gently closed my eyes, abandoning myself to the sound of the running water through a composition of Tuscan stones and Fior di Pesco Carnicio blocks of marble from Carrara in subtle peach color. Very rare my friends!

I decide to indulge myself into a relaxing massage with the Officina dei Tornabuoni Princess Viki aroma therapeutic oil. You won’t believe the active ingredients it contains!  Want to hear it?  Bisabolol, Sweet Almond oil, Avocado oil, Rice bran oil, Olive oil, Calendula, Shea butter, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Chamomile extract.

The treatment room is darkly lit, not far from the gym and the old cellars. Its ceiling has very, very old bricks all around Gelsomino (jasmin) scented candles and two massage beds where I am immediately asked in an Italian soft voice to lay down and forget about where I am… How can I?

The warm oil on my skin fills in every pore and the pure non-greasy blend of food-quality cold-pressed oils of Sweet Almond, Avocado, Rice bran, Olive, and Calendula, along with nourishing Shea butter and soothing Chamomile for one hour made me absolutely forget where I was.

These natural therapeutic products are locally produced using mostly plants and herbs from the Tuscan countryside. The holistic, total approach to beauty and well-being enables my mind and my body that soothing inspiration that I was in need.

Last step, the Turkish style sauna. All Italian marble mosaics from Bisazza, the colors change alternating with each other according to the difference of intensity of the vapor. I brought my camera, it’s in the pocket of my robe.. I will never be able to capture what I am seeingâ there is too much steamâ Et voila, it’s done!

I am now ready to leave dear Naduska. By the way, named after the owner’s fiancee; I will meditate and also ask for spa named after me to my new and next love relationship. ( I’ve always thought you get inspiration on your travels!!)  Oh… and in order to reinforce this through the law of attraction technique. I am taking with me from the Naduska Spa, the Oficina de Tornabuoni Love – Aromatherapy Shower Gel Collection: L – relaxing, O – Sensuality, V – Revitalizing, E – Harmony. And then just watch!

Arriverderci Villa Mangiacane. Thank you for having me and please check about my roundabouts in the Florentine Lifestyle edition newsletter, I will certainly mention about you!

Joelle

Joelle’s Tips:

The Spa:

Naduska Spa – Villa Mangiacane- Via Faltignano 4,
San Casciano 50026 Firenze Italia
for reservations :
Tel No. +39 055 8290123
Fax No. +39 055 8290358
E-mail : info@mangiacane.it

The Holistic terapheutic and beauty product from Tuscany :

It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. The sun is going to be very strong and hot today. Apparently, this is the best time to walk around the vineyards . The light is still dim and diffused, the ideal for taking nice pictures.

I rush into the Villa’s Giardino Aromatico (herb garden restaurant0  where I have a delicious breakfast made of local tarts and a fresh fruit punch. I am very exited, I have never done this in my life!

The Mangiacane estate, which overlooks Florence, just 10 kilometers away, spans 306 hectares. It is situated between San Casciano Val di Pesa and Greve in Chianti, at an altitude of 250/300 meters.

I am wearing my Havaianas from Brazil and a very light dress.  From afar I hear voices of men speaking in Arabic with a Moroccan accent. They are workers from the vineyards, I can see they are meticulously picking off the dry grape leaves.

Paolo Barzagli who is a typically handsome Italian man”except for the fair hair and the blue eyes is the director of Villa Mangiacane. He supervised all of its reconstruction with its complicated details (including a permit that took more than 7 years for altering the position of a window!). He talks to the workers in Italiann firmly but with a kindness of a true Renaissance man.

Offering to accompany me on the walk he explains to my New York mind that the diversity of soils and exposures, to the East and North East in San Casciano, and to the South in Greve, generate different micro climates and guarantee the production of wines with great complexity and personality.

He notices the intrigued look in my eyes and goes further inviting me for a special  dinner where all the Mangiacane wines, Grappas and rose wines will be experienced and tasted in the old cellar by candlelight.

But first I should know more about their production. I hardly listen to him, the strong light, the grapes, the Tuscan sky and my camera are far too busy to retain all information. We proceed deeper into the beautiful forest near the hilltop between the towns of Greve, Radda and Castellina forming a triangle in the very heart of Chianti.

Greve, Paolo explains, is named after the river that runs through; it is the chief town of the Chianti Classico wine zone and home to Chianti’s largest wine fair, held every September (he asks me if I’ll be in Florence during that period). We are both tired after the long walk, maybe the helicopter would have been a good choice.

We enter the new cellar that was extensively modernized in 2001. It’s impressive and extremely technological. I still have those images of men crushing the harvested grapes with their bare feet in large wood barrels (to music no less!)…but that era is over by far.

Paolo proudly tells me that Villa Mangiacane produces 80,000 bottles a year, mainly Chianti Classico D.o.c.g wines, but it also produces I.g.t  wines (typical geographical indication). While I am already imagining Tanja and Pierre upstairs in the Villa preparing everything for tonight’s dinner in the magnificent candlelight setting of the old cellar.

Paolo says they will be expecting me at eight o’clock and will join us a little later after coming back from Florence. After this spectacular day, I’ll relax for a while in the luxurious sauna at the Naduska Spa, get dressed and be fresh to experience the enchanting Tuscan wine tasting evening.

I am sleepy, a little dizzy.. but I insist in enumerating my winners:

• Riserva: Chianti Classico d.o.c.g. Variety:  95% Sangiovese, 5% Colorino.  Production area: San Casciano Val di Pesa, harvest method: hand picked,  Fermentation tanks: stainless steel vats, 29 temperature control, lenght of fermentaton 7-8 days, aging 18 months in French oak barriques ( 80 new) carefully crafted for a sophisticated taster.
• Aleah: Igt Toscana. Variety:  10% Merlot , San Casciano, Val di Pesa, 5000 plants/ha, hand picked, stainless vats, 26 temperature control, lenght of fermentation 10 days, bottle aging period 18 months in French oak barriques, natural purification.
• Villa Mangiacane: Chianti Classico D. o. c. g, Variety:  85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Colorino, San Casciano , Val di Pesa, Greve in Chianti 5500 plants/ha in the old vineyard, hand picked, 27° C temperature Control 7-8 days fermentation aging: 12 months in French oak barriques (10% new) natural purification.

Grappas, Champagne,  Aqua San Pellegrino and Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva in freshly baked bread with rosemary where served all night during tastings. A wonderful zucchini salad was prepared by chef Boucuse.

Petter Hegre’s muse being harvested with the wine in a black and white picture and present in one of the wine labels stared at me  all evening almost as a kind of a ghost. Too bad she couldn’t  appreciate the  intensity of the “rubi-ness” of  of the young Shamiso rose against the light of a warm Tuscan sunset over the San Casciano hills. Going to sleep.

Joelle’s Tips:

Wine Tastings at Villa Mangiacane and Helicopter tours :

Arrive in style at local wine farms by helicopter for an exhilarating wine tour with a twist. Your helicopter ride will start from the doorsteps of Villa Mangiacane and your pilot will escort you Tuscany’s best known wine estates.  Villa Mangiacane will inform you on the top Estates to visit and will arrange private transfers and arrange bookings at these estates. info@ villamangiacane.it

Gift ideas:
Extravergin Olive Oil 0.500 lt Eu 12.00 per bt
Extravergin Olive Oil 0.250 lt Eu  9.00 per bt
GIFT box of 3 bottles (chianti classico, Riserva, Aleah) Eu 70.00
Contact info:
Martina Marini
Wine Sales Department
Villa Mangiacane
Via Faltignano, 4
50026 San Casciano VP – Florence
Tel.: +39 055 829 0123 – Fax.: +39 055 829 0358
Email: martina@mangiacane.it
Skype: martinamangiacane link.: www.mangiacane.com