Artviva July 2007 Italy Travel Writing Competition: Rebbeca Bell

Italia Thoughts

Tuscany will take your heart, tear it up and leave you coming back for more. I promise, you will return home, aching for the cappuccino, the wine and the bluest sky you've ever seen. How it happens exactly, I cannot say, but I can attest to it myself.

Never mind the late or cancelled trains (causing you to be stranded in a town several miles from your destination), the strikes, the unpredictable store hours or internet unavailability. Upon your homecoming you will ask others, and will find that they too were sorry they left.

"Why did you return to the States?" you'll inquire, and receive one dutiful answer after another: "I came back for my cousin's wedding," one said, "I only had two weeks off from work," (a likely story) and "I spent all my money," (an easy thing to do there). And why did I return? My plane was booked and I had to catch it. Yes, another dutiful answer and one I wholeheartedly regret.

I should have stayed there, soaking up the Tuscan sun and olive oil. I didn’t even get to Venice or Rome; I spent 12 days in the olive groves. I lived like a local, stopping at the piazza café/bar for a cappuccino in the morning and a glass of el vino rossa in the evening. I made friends and, yes, even a lover. I took day trips to the nearby towns, sampled bits of local flavor and watched the Mediterranean Sea crash on the shore.




A palpable life force dominates in Italy -- a vitality that fills you up, more than you knew you could be; but then leaves you empty of all your red blood upon your return to the States. An old saying resonates: Italians have two veins; one for café and one for vino. I wonder, can a displaced Americano have this too?

“This is Italy,” becomes a phrase you will hear often. They do things on their time and in their own way. Don’t expect to change it. “Go with the flow,” may be a phrase you should recite from time to time. Especially, if oh, the last train is cancelled and you find out later from the locals - to never trust the last train. Don’t expect to find a store open between 1-4PM, that they will actually open at the time stated, or a train schedule ANYWHERE! Most Italians will be friendly with you if you try speaking in their tongue; but, especially in Tuscany, charades may be your only choice.



Aside from mere trivialities, Italy really is what you've heard:
The romance. Where else can you have a barbecue at a 500 year old villa located in an olive grove, and pluck fresh rosemary and sage from the adjoining fields to throw on the grill? Where else is the view so charming and the men so disarming? A word to the wise: do not let your guard down; you can fall in love easily. I’m warning you, upon your return to the States, your heart will feel displaced for quite some time. (Not speaking from experience, of course!)


The language. Is there any language more beautiful? The Italian spoken today was specifically chosen from the region of Tuscany because it was the closest and best sounding of all the dialects that dominated each region. In the 14th Century they realized they needed a national language and so chose the one you hear today for its eloquence and ease of ear. The wine. Even if you don't like wine, you'll like it in Italy. Not much to say here, you have to taste it for yourself; but a bit too much will not end in a headache --you won’t even get drunk! (Unless you try really hard!)
Of course, the olives. Olive groves, olive oil, olives, they are all in abundance. So fresh, velvety and delicious! Indulge, your skin will thank you for all the polyphenols and antioxidants. The trees themselves are quite captivating. Don’t expect to get much shade under these ancient beauties, their silvery leaves twist and turn to reflect the light.

Lastly, the sky. This is truly the best part. A sky so blue, so deep, so luscious, so close you could step up into it and so low, it covers the mountains like a blanket. Look to the sky every day. You will be amazed; never have I seen a sky like that. I would return just to gaze into it. Ah, to see a sky like that in Columbus, Ohio!



There is much to say, but you need to experience it for yourself. Suck the marrow out of life; it’s easy to do there. There will be stressors, like the trains, the strikes, the store closures during siesta, but go knowing that Italy will embrace you and slap your hand all at the same time.

And, you will come back for more.

Rebecca Bell

Artviva July 2007 Italy Travel Writing Competition: Julia Speht

Sorrento Beyond Summer (for the Gourmet)

My partner and I love to escape for a cheap winter break in January and in previous years we’ve picked up a package deal to Egypt or similar sunny collapse-and-sleep type places. This year, we went in search of culture, gourmet food and mountainous views in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

As package deals out of season were not an option, we made our own DIY holiday combining four nights in a mountain farmhouse with views over the Bay of Naples, with three nights eating our way through the gourmet food of an international cookery school in Sant’Agata village on the outskirts of Sorrento.

We’re not sunbathers so the daily temperatures of Southern Italy (15-20 degrees) appealed, particularly as we planned visits to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, but didn’t much fancy trudging through the dusty ruins in glaring heat. In fact we had the ruins almost to ourselves: no queues; no noisy school groups; and no elbows or rucksacks in my Roman photographs. It made the experience much more enjoyable, especially in Herculaneum where on our way back to the train station we stumbled across a local wine shop selling home-made strawberry wine for €4.00 which was naturally sparkling and deceptively strong, but washed down the chocolate panettone perfectly on our return train journey.

We were surprised though to find ourselves on the sunny beach with a light breeze in Amalfi eating ice-creams in mid-January! However it seemed that this was not warm enough for the mainstream, because we were delighted to find availability for anything – and everything – we wanted to book. This drove the price down considerably, and we found ourselves scooping up bargains as tourists were few and far between.

We had no problems either booking into our favourite agritourismo farmhouse apartment in the Priora hills - 2km north of Sorrento - following a lemon-grove walk up the hill with glimpses of the sea, curving its way around the rocky cliffs into the distance. The owners always stock the kitchen with their own farm produce depending on season: I couldn’t imagine what could possibly be growing on the 19th January as back in blighty we had frosts and rain downpours. When we arrived, however the fruit bowl was overflowing with fresh oranges, huge lemons, misshapen pears and apples. The fridge revealed locally-produced cheese and butter, large eggs, home-cured ham and freshly baked bread with a hint of cumin. The usual staples of home grown onions, giant garlic and bushes of basil were still there, as were the jars of hand-picked tomatoes, passata and peppers. We revelled in this find and devoured a feast on our terrace overlooking the bay of Naples, as the lights twinkled in the sunset and white crests of waves flickered back at us until we couldn’t see anything except the lights of ships fading out to sea.

With aching calf muscles after four days of hiking up and down the lemon-grove hill from Priora, we had begun to feel at home in this sleepy hillside village: nodding hello to the neighbouring farms as we strolled past in the morning; listening to the church bells of afternoon mass as we clamboured back up the hill in the evening, clutching the treasures we had bought from the market during the day. The owners – Gina and Marco – had a new puppy which had also taken a liking to us and would greet us in the morning as we set out breakfast on the terrace to enjoy the view.

By the second day our relationship had progressed to the stage where the puppy was following us down the hill as far as the church, then barking a goodbye. On the last day, she had followed us almost a mile into the centre of Sorrento and we feared for her safety, having no lead or method of persuading her to return home. In the city centre she ran off down a side street, leaving us to ponder her all day, haunted by visions of her being run over by maniac motorbikes or a flashy sports car. Of course, as we reached the apartment at 10pm that night, she was waiting to greet us outside the door. As we bade farewell the following morning to Gina and Marco, they just shrugged at this and offered us a drink of home made Perno – this was a kind of liqueur made of fennel and incredibly strong. It was quite difficult to manage at 11am, but the result was a surprisingly warm sensation and strength of flavour that lasted for hours.

They enquired politely as to our plans, and we described our next B&B and planned trip to Naples on the train, to taste “real” pizza Neapolitan style. Marco thought this was very strange, and a long way to travel pizza. Why hadn’t we said so earlier? We could have joined their family on Friday nights, when they always have home-made pizza and bake the fresh bread for the following week. We looked sheepish, feeling like extravagant foolish tourists with more money than sense, and promised to return another year when we could participate in the Friday ritual.

On this occasion however, we had already booked into the famous International cookery school, Mami Camilla bed and breakfast with a discount package including dinner and a cookery class.

This turned out to be a real bargain as dinner was an orgasmic four-course affair of home-made delicacies from fresh local produce which the International chef and his team of students have spent the afternoon preparing with dedication and enthusiasm.

My day’s cookery class was exciting and delicious, with students scribbling down notes, and deliveries of fresh local ingredients interrupting regularly. It was clear that the head chef had many friends at wholesalers and suppliers, as well as famous restaurants in the city, when freshly made cheese, eggs and vegetables arrived with uproar, banter and exchanging of drinks. We learnt to make fairly complicated recipes and could taste, smell and touch throughout the afternoon which I found very enjoyable. I was one of six students and we all watched the hulking Italian head chef in awe as he explained every move in detail and invited us to copy various elements of the dishes – rolling the gnocchi; lining the soufflé cases; filling the cranoli baskets; whisking the becemal sauce etc.

Further interruptions came from the chef’s family – loud arguments with his wife, which usually ended in doors being slammed; excitable exchanges with his son and telephone exclamations with his daughter. These were all accompanied by arm waving and expletives in Italian, but usually included loud laughter and hilarity, whilst the six students desperately tried to hold together lumpy cheese sauce and overflowing vegetable pans until he returned, and with one wave of his hand, silenced the bubbling and panic.

Our first night treated us to Cauliflower soufflé, meatball lasagne, Bresola of Veal, followed by Sicilian cranoli for desert, washed down with local wine at 5 euros a carafe. Sitting round the communal dinner table with the other guests and cookery students from all over the world, we felt very much at home in the Italian family’s traditional house. At nearly midnight we made our excuses from the table and picked our way through the private lemon groves to our farmhouse apartment to sleep, until the roosters woke us the next day with the pouring sunlight into our rustic bedroom.

But our gourmet pilgrimage was not yet complete: we had found details of a local restaurant on the Internet that claimed to be a member of the “Slow Food Movement” in Sant’Agata, a small village 7 km inland from Sorrento. The restaurant, “Lo Stuzzichino” is known to locals as a low-key rustic place, playing second fiddle to the much revered “Don Alfonso” restaurant on the same road – “now that is the good restaurant in Sant’Agata!” our hosts confirmed. Yes, with three Michelin stars it ought to be. But our twenty minuets bus ride was worth more than just the spectacular views across the two gulfs (of Naples and Salerno), and the cute mountain village life in quaint Sant’Agata, with crumbly church bells pealing out in the hazy sunlight of the afternoon. Elderly ladies tottered through the cobbled streets with small dogs and shopping bags of groceries; although the small row of shops only seemed to stock lingerie, hand-made chocolates or cakes.

We walked past the prestigious sign for Don Alfonso (since 1890) to see that he too, was taking advantage of “low season” to make major renovations to the building. With delight, we scurried onto the cosy, “rustic” haven of Lo Stuzzichino with the walls covered in photographs of the staff in various states of merriment, and with certificates of award or thank you letters from food critics. Here we sank into our wicker-spun chairs for the mouth-watering marathon that followed, with time suspended in a delicious equilibrium of perfection and relaxation. Our waiter, a qualified sommelier, spoke melodic English and recommended the daily specials which we accepted without blinking. Over the next three hours we savoured delicious home made local specialities such as bruschetta, fresh seafood linguine; peasant’s potato pasta soup; local cheeses and home made cheesecake for desert. All this at extremely reasonable prices (we paid less than 20 Euros a head for a four course meal with wine and liqueurs and coffees) in a warm homely restaurant which was also bustling, romantic, and full of locals enjoying their village treasure.

In fact, we were the only English speakers in Sant’Agata that day; and on most days during our holiday – relaxing in itself. In Sorrento, where the main hotels were closed and the tacky cafes offering menus touristicos were shut for the winter, we found ourselves walking the passiegata with the locals. More importantly we didn’t feel hassled or hustled. Even if we were recognised as English, we weren’t treated as tourists, but with a friendly, curious welcome.

Our day trip out to Amalfi, as hair-raising as ever along the zig-zag hairpin bends of the mountainous route in the cliffs, was also a private exclusive pleasure with just the six of us on the local bus. The only crowds in Amalfi were the stream of teenagers pouring out of the local school at lunchtime: noisy, excitable, dapper. And the smart gathering of a local wedding on the steps of the famous, awe-inspiring Duomo in the main square. We felt privileged to have been allowed this insight into daily Italian life, so often obscured by “O Sole Mio” ice cream sellers, particularly in this beauty spot where wealthy travellers have been holidaying for centuries.

It seems that all the iconic parts of Italian holidays: food, scenery, culture, climate can be best enjoyed away from the madding crowd, but not by choosing obscure locations and missing world-class heritage, but by braving the winter weather and seeing this delicious country “at rest” away from the glare of the usual tourist season.


Julia Speht. 30.01.07.
Flights
Ryan Air from Gatwick to Naples, Sunday flights, £55 each including taxes.
Pink Elephant car parking (long stay) £36 for one week, Gatwick airport.

Mami Camille B&B
Via Cocumella, 4. tel. 00.39.081.8782067. Info@mamicamilla.com
http://www.Mami.camilla.com

The “Winter Special” costs 320 Euros for a double room, bed, breakfast and 4 course evening meal (for 2 people) for 3 nights; or 260 Euros for a single. This includes an activity (Excursion to the Amalfi coast or a cookery lesson with the International chef, Longo Biagini)

Lo Stuzzichino Restaurant
Via Deserto 1/A, S.Agata sui due golf
Massalubrense, Tel. 081.5330010. www.ristorantelostuzzichino

The Original and Best Walking Tour Company in Venice

Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. - Truman Capote

Truer words were never spoken. Venice is decadent, rich and wonderful. A visit there leaves you feeling as though you’d indulged in something marvelous. We’ve all seen the postcards and documentaries but they just don’t do it justice. I first saw Venice in the early morning surrounded by a light fog. It took my breath away – and it still does.

No one knows Venice better than its most famous son – a nobleman and architect who hosted a famous documentary series on the city of his birth. He lives in a palace on the Grand Canal and has a family tree that spans 1,000 years. He once jumped in one of the canals just to prove that the water was clean! Of course, he won’t ask you to do that but by booking an afternoon with him through one of our Artviva Exclusive Experiences, you’ll see Venice in a way most visitors only dream of. It’s an unforgettable experience that you’ll find exclusively with Artviva.
Of course, we offer a wide range of fun and informative tours in Venice, including the Original Venice Walk.

Last but not least, I couldn’t very well end my discussion about Venice without mentioning gondolas. Maybe you think they’re a little cliché – but trust me, a gondola ride is one of those must-do things in life. Imagine sailing down the Grand Canal at sunset flanked by majestic palaces on either side. You’ll see the city from a whole new perspective! Now, thanks to a lot of hard work and persistence, Venice has it’s first female gondolier- Alexandra Hai. It took Ms.
Hai 10 years break into the all male Venice Gondoliers Association (talk about an old boy’s club)! But her love for the city, and for the art of being a gondolier carried her through to victory. Look out for her as you wend you way down the canals, and don’t forget to check out the Artviva website to find out more about the best Venice tours in town.

Artviva Newsletter Spring April 2007

Spring Fever, Italian Style

Italians are outdoor people, not in sporty sort of way (although they do ski but I think that’s just because of the outfits and the sunglasses) - it’s just that they just love being outside. In the warmer months, I sometimes wonder why anyone even bothers having a house at all. As soon as April hits, the whole country heads outside, to eat, drink talk and just generally soak in the beauty of the bella stagione (the beautiful season). People begin to linger just a little longer over their after work apperitivo, after dinner they gather in the nearest piazza. As you walk the streets the night air is filled with ringing laughter and animated conversation. I can only describe the collective mood as delighted, as if the entire nation had let out a collective giggle.

And oh, the countryside! There’s nothing like watching the earth suddenly come to life before your eyes. Everything is in full, lush bloom. The hillsides are impossibly green, dotted with explosions of yellow, red and lavender that take your breath away.

I’m reminded of the film that made me decide to visit Italy for the first time, Enchanted April. Set in the 1920s, it follows the adventures of four dispirited English women as they leave behind dreary old England for a rented villa in Tuscany. The film manages to be both poignant and laugh out loud funny. The performances are stellar- although the Tuscan spring steals the show. I guarantee it‘ll lift your spirits, and probably send you running to your travel agent.

Experience our great tours of Italy, reserve now at www.italy.artviva.com

Until next week …

Gourmet Corner Artviva Newsletter Spring April 2007

Restaurant? Theater? Private Club?

Florence’s Teatro del Sale is one of a kind. First there’s the chef, Fabio Picchi, culinary legend and original chef of the famous Cibreo restaurant. Then, of course, there’s the food. Picchi’s menu of traditional Tuscany fare changes every night. Teatro del Sale is delightfully informal, with buffet style service and an open kitchen so you can watch the master at work. Picchi himself calls out the dishes as they are ready. Come hungry because he hates to see leftovers!

As if that weren’t enough, at 9:30 on the dot Teatro del Sale transforms from restaurant to theater. Every night offers something different: poetry, jazz or classic music or theatrical performances. And here’s where the private club bit comes in. Teatro del Sale is a cultural association; in order to dine there you must complete a membership card and pay a one time 5 Euro fee. In addition to enjoying sumptuous meals for next to nothing (the price of the evening buffet is just 23 Euro and that includes the show!) members can drop in anytime to sip a caffe while lounging on the comfy sofas.

Teatro del Sale is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and again from 6:00 pm to midnight. Reservations are recommended. For more information, visit their website at www.teatrodelsale.it

See you there!

Teatro del Sale

Via dei Macchi, 111r, Florence

055 2001492

Artviva Solving the Da Vinci Mystery

Solving the World’s Greatest Art Mystery

Our super sleuth is none other than world famous art detective Maurizio Seracini - now on the verge of uncovering the Battle of Anghiari, Leonardo da Vinci’s missing masterpiece.

The story begins in Florence at the height of the Renaissance. Da Vinci was asked to fresco the walls of Palazzo Vecchio in 1505 and painted the astounding Battle of Anghiari. Eyewitnesses described the painting as ‘miraculous’. 50 years later, what may be the world’s greatest masterpiece vanished under Vasari’s brush strokes as he frescoed the very same wall.

Maurizio Seracini, engineer and passionate art conservationist began his search for the painting in 1975. Some 25 years later, he discovered a tiny cavity in the wall on which the Vasari fresco was painted.
Could it be that instead of destroying da Vinci’s masterpiece, Vasari simply built a dummy wall on which to paint his own fresco? Seracini says yes, and so do many of those who’d originally dismissed his quest as a fool’s errand. Now, with financial support from the Guinness family and the all-important green light from Florence’s ministry of culture, Seracini is preparing to prove to the world that the Battle of Anghiari does indeed exist.

With an Artviva Exclusive Experience, you can spend an afternoon with Seracini himself. You‘ll see all of Florence’s greatest art treasures and, of course, the site of the soon to be discovered Battle of Anghiari.
Log onto our website at www.italy.artviva.com for more information on booking your Artviva Exclusive Experience.

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Welcome to the Artviva Blog!

If you’re reading our blog, chances are you already know a little bit about us, if not, read on:

Artviva: The Original and Best Walking Tours, located in the heart of Florence, Italy is a company like no other.
Our tours are the best in the business, - dramatic, informative, laugh out loud funny and just a wee bit irreverent. Our guides are dynamic, passionate art history scholars who speak perfect English. Customer service is our number one priority. The Artviva office staff are native English speakers who are always ready with a smile and some helpful advice.

Artviva offers services in Florence, Rome, Venice and Tuscany. We’ll be your guides to 3,000 years of Rome’s tumultuous history. We’ll show you how Florence became one of the greatest art centers in history. We’ll take you biking through the Tuscan hills and wine tasting in the Veneto. We’ve created a truly special line of tours called Artviva Exclusive Experiences in which Italian nobility, scholars, chefs will share their vast expertise in intimate, once in a lifetime encounters unique to Artviva. Did we mention that we’re recommended by Michael Palin, Rick Steves, Time Magazine, Departures and many more? And we have been seen on BBC World, Discovery Channel and History Channel as well as Travelchannel.

To find out more about us or to make a reservation, log onto our website at http://www.italy.artviva.com/

We look forward to seeing you in Italia!

Artviva Events in Italy Newsletter April 2007

Events in Italy
Opera Festival - Lyric Festival of Tuscany, 2007
Immagine yourself seeing Tosca performed at a Medici villa in the Tuscan countryside where Lorenzo "Il Magnifico" used to receive famous philosophers, writers, and artists. Or watching the ground-breaking dance company Momix perform to Peter Gabriel's Passion in grandest Italian garden in the world? Have you ever dreamed of hearing the haunting strains of Ravel's Bolero in a medieval abbey in the hills near Siena?
This summer you can see lavish productions of classic operas, dance, and lyric works in these three spectacular locations (each within or less than an hour from Florence): The Boboli Gardens in Firenze, The Abbey of San Galgano in Chiusdino, and the Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo near Barberino di Mugello. We can't think of a more memorable way to spend a summer evening under the stars in Tuscany!

You can purchase your tickets through the Festival's online reservation system at: www.festivalopera.it. Simply choose "Entra" and then "Biglietteria" from the menu on the right hand side. You will then have the option of viewing the reservations page in English.

2007 Festival Schedule
June
12 Tues 21:15 Opera-Tosca Florence-Boboli Gardens
19 Tues 21:00 Opera-Rigoletto Chiusdino-Abbey of San Galgano
22 Fri 21:00 Opera-Rigoletto Chiusdino-Abbey of San Galgano
23 Sat 21:00 Orchestra-Beethoven Chiusdino-Abbey of San Galgano
26 Tues 21:15 Opera-Tosca Florence-Boboli Gardens
29 Fri 21:00 Opera-Tosca Barberino-Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo

July
3 Tues 21:15 Opera-Rigoletto Florence-Boboli Gardens
6 Fri 21:00 Opera-Carmina Burana Barberino-Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo
Orchestra-Bolero
10 Tues 21:15 Opera-La Traviata Florence-Boboli Gardens
11 Wed 21:15 Opera-Tosca Florence-Boboli Gardens
13 Fri 21:00 Opera-Carmina Burana Barberino-Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo
Orchestra-Bolero
17 Tues 21:15 Opera-Tosca Florence-Boboli Gardens
18 Wed 21:15 Opera-Carmina Burana Florence-Boboli Gardens
Orchestra-Bolero
20 Fri 21:00 Opera-Rigoletto Barberino-Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo
23 Mon 21:15 Dance-Momix Florence-Boboli Gardens
24 Tues 21:15 Dance-Momix Florence-Boboli Gardens
25 Wed 21:15 Opera-Tosca Florence-Boboli Gardens
25 Wed 21:00 Piano-Stefano Bollani Chiusdino-Abbey of San Galgano
28 Sat 21:00 Opera-Tosca Chiusdino-Abbey of San Galgano
31 Tues 21:15 Opera-Rigoletto Florence-Boboli Gardens

August
2 Thu 21:15 Opera-La Traviata Florence-Boboli Gardens
3 Fri 21:00 Opera-Tosca Barberino-Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo
7 Tues 21:15 Opera-Rigoletto Florence-Boboli Gardens

Artviva Italy Travel Writing Competition

Artviva Italy Travel Writing Competition
We would also like to announce our Artviva Italy Travel Writing competition for online blogs, articles, comments and diaries of your travels to Italy. The winners will be announced in July 2007, prizes will include delicious hampers of Italian wine and gourmet products as well as artisan ‘made in Italy’ gifts.

Guidelines for the 2007 Artviva Italy Travel Writing Competition

Talented travel writers are invited to write to us with interesting travel stories based in Italy. Entries can be fiction or non fiction. Accompanying photos are welcome as are photojournalistic approaches

Artviva will publish any acceptable entries on our web site www.italy.artviva.com and on the Artviva blog site. The top five winners' will receive delicious gourmet hampers and artisan goods to the value of 250 Euro, the ten runners up will receive the same to the value of 100 Euro. There is a special prize for the funniest Italy travel adventure (fiction or non-fiction) of a gourmet hamper and artisan goods to the value of 300 Euro.

Submit your travel writing- from 250 words up to maximum 2, 000 words with supporting photos in .jpg or .gif format . To enter email your travel writing to rose@artviva.com

Include your full name, complete postal address and phone number. Type "Travel Writing Comp. Entry” in the subject description of the email.

The contest ends June 21st 2007 and all entries must be received by June 1st 2007. Artviva reserves the right to publish all submissions deemed appropriate.

Artviva will judge entries based on literary quality and the ability to delight and engage readers as well as making us have a good chuckle- where appropriate!
Winners will be chosen on or about June 30th 2007 and will be notified by phone and or e-mail by July 10 2007. Winners will be announced on the web site www.italy.artviva. com and Artviva blog site after July 10th.

Entry is free. We reserve the right to not publish any material we consider not suitable, or to edit or change as necessary. Decisions of the judges are final. Artiva is not responsible for entries/emails not received. Artviva will not be held responsible for any submissions held to be counterfeit, fraudulent or infringing rights. All submissions will be considered made by the email sender account holder submitted at the time of entry.
Entrants must take responsibility to ensure that entries are their own original work and do not breach any rights. Entrants grant the right to Artviva to use submissions in part or in entirety. Entrants acknowledge that no payment will be forthcoming for entries. Entrance into the competition is deemed acceptance of the above terms.

Newsletter April Spring 2007 Artviva

Spring by Botticelli
Hear all about Botticelli and see it on our 'Masterpeices of the Uffizi Gallery ' Tour

It’s spring in Florence!

Here at Artviva The Original and Best Walking Tours we’ve spent the long winter months gearing up for our best season yet!


2007 holds a lot in store. This newsletter will continue to be your source for quick news on the latest developments at Artviva. For those of you who really like to keep your finger on the pulse, look out for our new weekly blog. This Blog will include even more news about Artviva, events in Florence, reviews on the best places to eat, drink and shop and interviews with some of the amazing people we collaborate with, one of whom happens to be this month’s Italian Genius.


Maurizio Seracini, engineer and world famous art detective, is on the verge of discovering what may be the greatest masterpiece of all time, Leonardo da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari. Originally painted on the walls of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio in 1505, it was lost 50 years later when Vasari painted his murals on the very same site. After its disappearance, The Battle of Anghiari became the stuff of art legend, a work of remarkable beauty believed to have been destroyed half a millennia ago.


In 1975, in what may be the greatest art history whodunit of all time, Seracini began his search for the painting. Now, thanks to modern technology, the financial support of the Guinness family (yes, those
Guinesses!) and Seracini’s passion and dedication, he is just months away from proving that The Battle of Anghiari exists.

Through our Artviva Exclusive Experiences, you have the once in a lifetime opportunity to join Maurizio Seracini as he nears the conclusion to his quest.
Seracini, art sleuth extraordinaire, will also be your guide to all of greatest art treasures of Renaissance Florence. Go to
http://www.italy.artviva.com/artviva_exclusive_general_experiences_italy/artviva_exclusive_experiences_italy_travel_florence_tuscany_rome_venice
for more information on an Artviva Exclusive Experience with Maurizio Seracini.