The American love affair with Tuscany

March 12, 4:04 PMItalian Living ExaminerSerenella Leoni

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Italian Living Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Tuscany has always been a very popular tourist destination for people from all over the world.  For Americans, since the publication of Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” (and the eponymous movie plus her other subsequent books on Tuscany), the fascination with this region of Italy has reached amazing heights.

I am not knocking  this trend - the desire to share the Tuscan lifestyle is the reason I began writing this  column. I am from Tuscany and passionate about all it has to offer :Art, architecture, food, wine, history, vineyards, sunflowers and natural beauty. Tuscans are very proud of their heritage and live a great life. But who knew that all the traditional foods I grew up with (such as bruschette, crostini, rustic bread soups, home-made salumi and sautéed beans) would end up being featured in the trendiest of U.S. restaurants?

It seems I cannot drive more than a few minutes from home without seeing a “Tuscan” or “Tuscany” restaurant, hotel, condominium building, cooking school or billboard. Even the Olive Garden Restaurants have joined this trend with their Culinary Institute of Tuscany and their latest television commercials featuring Tuscan menu specials.

Perhaps my favorite Tuscan tidbit of the last few weeks was the following from The Onion:

Area Woman Will Eat Anything With 'Tuscan' In Name
MARCH 2, 2009 | ISSUE 45•10

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, NJ—Veterinary assistant Lauren Millardi, 27, will eat any dish prefaced with the word "Tuscan," sources reported Monday. "Tuscan shrimp, Tuscan garlic chicken, it doesn't matter," said Millardi's boyfriend, Tim Vernacini. "I'm not really sure if she even knows what makes food Tuscan, but there's something about that region-specific culinary modifier that she finds inordinately appetizing." Vernacini added that Millardi likely would have loved the 2003 movie Under The Tuscan Sun had it not failed to meet her strict film criterion of having taken place between the years of 1743 and 1919.

It’s wonderful to see this passion for Tuscany and I enjoy everyone’s enthusiasm for all things Tuscan. My one suggestion is this: if you really love Tuscany and Tuscan food, try your best to actually travel to Tuscany. Nothing compares to the real thing!