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Wine Lovers Tours Announces Two Italian Wine Tours to Southern Italy in Fall 2009

Anyone planning a wine tour in Italy should consider the two destinations selected by Wine Lovers Tours for this fall. Lovers of Italian wine can now visit wineries in Puglia and Sicily.

Wine lovers and tourists looking for a wine tour of Southern Italy, the beacon for the Italian wine industry, now have two new touring options from Wine Lovers Tours: Puglia and Sicily. All of the major players in Tuscany and Piedmont have established, or are in the process of establishing, wineries in Italy’s meridian, and with the addition of these new destinations, wine aficionados can experience not only the Italian wines, but the landscape and culture where they are created.

“Puglia and Sicily epitomize what we love to do on our tours: combine wine, food and culture,” said Vin Marottoli, President of Wine Lovers Tours. Visits to Puglia’s Baroque gems in Lecce will be combined with unique winery visits and culinary experiences chosen to highlight local cuisine.

And Sicily’s Greek ruins are the perfect backdrop to a stage of wine and food visits. There are few regions in Italy that can match what Puglia and Sicily offer for wine, food and culinary experiences at such great value.

Each tour features 8 nights and breakfast and lunch or dinner each day. The Puglia tour will spend 4 nights in Bari and 4 nights in Lecce. Sicily will feature 3 nights in Palermo, 2 in Agrigento, 1 night in Siracusa and 2 nights in Taormina.

Some of the highlights in Puglia will be visits to the unique trulli of Alberobello and the Baroque splendor of Lecce. And Sicily offers Greek ruins that rival anything found in Greece.

The word value needs to be emphasized. The all inclusive Italy wine tour costs are among the lowest in the industry featuring top hotels, VIP visits and superb meals.

Vin’s wine tours are intended for people who don’t normally like group tours. “We try to create an atmosphere of a family or group of friends traveling together,” said Marottoli. Over 80% of his tour participants come back, so he must be doing something right! The “secret” is well-organized unique visits that combine wine, food and culture at an all inclusive cost.

For more information about the upcoming Italian wine tour of Puglia and the wine tour of Sicily offered by Wine Lovers Tours, visit www.wineloverstours.com.

About Wine Lovers Tours:
Vin Marottoli of Wine Lovers Tours has over 25 years experience organizing and leading wine tours to the world’s most popular wine destinations. Vin has a Ph.D. in French and is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian.

Contact information
Vin Marottoli, President
Wine Lovers Tours
203-469-4218/800-256-0141
e-mail: info@wineloverstours.com

• Gunnar New blog post: Trinacria http://sicilian.net/sicily/2009/04/trinacria/. http://ff.im/-2eYDa #
• Gunnar New blog post: The weather in Sicily http://tinyurl.com/cvf4q5. http://ff.im/-2fbYx #
• Gunnar New blog post: Traces of Roman Offshore Navigation on Skerki Bank (Strait of Sicily)… http://ff.im/-2kont #

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Happy Earth Day!
We are celebrating Earth Day with the release of a new video – ‘Inspiring Action’ – which we would like to share with you as part of our thanks for your continuing support of Greenpeace.

When you’ve finished watching the video we are also hoping that you’ll be inspired and help us to share its message of action on behalf of our environment by taking some online action yourself … and helping us recruit 3 million people to become climate activists. Yes, you read it correctly. 3 million. It’s a big number because the Earth needs big action this year.

Here’s what you can do:

First: Enjoy the video. Click on the YouTube logo at the end to rate it and leave a comment!

Second: Share it with your friends and family

Third: Take action for the climate this Earth Day by signing our online petition: ask our world leaders to take personal responsibility for the future of the climate and attend the UN Climate summit at the end of the year. But not just attend, they need to ensure a good deal for the climate.

Here’s to a future that’s green and peaceful. Together we can make it happen.

All of us,
Greenpeace International
http://www.greenpeace.org/climate
http://www.twitter.com/Greenpeace_Intl
http://www.greenpeace.org/facebook
Greenpeace International

Let’s talk about the weather in Sicily:

It’s not just raining, it’s pissing cats and dogs..

Trinacria

Trinacria

Trinacria is both an alternative name for Sicily and a synonym for its national symbol, the triskelion, which also appears on the flag of Sicily.

Historically, the name Trinacria was used after the Peace of Caltabellotta (1302) to distinguish between the two Sicilies that became a reality after the War of the Sicilian Vespers. Frederick III of Sicily was recognised as king over Sicily, with the title of “King of Trinacria.”

Charles of Anjou was recognized as king over the southern portion of the Italian peninsula, with the title of King of Sicily, usually rendered by historians as “King of Naples,” for such was his capital.

Mythology

The Medusa in the center of the triskelion implies the protection of the Goddess Athena, the patron Goddess of the Isle. In early mythology, Medusa was the destructive aspect of Athena. Later, she was a monster slain by the hero Perseus, whose head then adorned Athena’s shield.

The flag of Sicily, featuring the revived triskelion symbol

• Gunnar New blog post: Antarctic ice-bridge snaps just as Obama offers a chance for climate action… http://ff.im/-1W7fj #
• Gunnar New blog post: Bomba al Cioccolato http://sicilian.net/sicilia/2009/04/bomba-al-cioccolato/. http://ff.im/-1Wqq2 #
• Gunnar New blog post: Buona Pasqua 2009 http://sicilian.net/sicilia/2009/04/buona-pasqua-2009/. http://ff.im/-1WQHh #
• Gunnar New blog post: Earthquakes in Italy’s recent history (AP via Yahoo! News)… http://ff.im/-1WStQ #
• Gunnar New blog post: Pranzo di Pasqua al Bird Pub http://sicilian.net/sicilia/2009/04/pranzo-di-pasqua/. http://ff.im/-1WWrR #
• Gunnar New blog post: MG Boat Show – V. Edizione http://sicilian.net/sicilia/2009/04/mg-boat-show-v-edizione/. http://ff.im/-1X3Qc #
• Gunnar New blog post: Chronologie: Schwere Erdbeben in Italien (SZOn)… http://ff.im/-1Xbpe #
• Gunnar New blog post: Climber takes climate change message to the top of the world… http://ff.im/-1XGfd #
• Gunnar New blog post: (AFX UK Focus) 2009-04-07 13:08 Sicily bridge to go ahead as planned – Berlusconi… http://ff.im/-1Yhny #
• Today I was the first time swimming in the sea this year.. Superb !! #
• Gunnar Oggi ho fatto il primo bagno al mare !! Bellissimissimo !! http://ff.im/-1Ykeh #
• Today I was the first time swimming in the sea this year.. Superb !! http://ff.im/-1Ykei #
• Gunnar New blog post: Chronik der schlimmsten Erdbeben Italiens (ARD Tagesschau) http://tinyurl.com/dz4euq. http://ff.im/-1YDbm #
• Gunnar New blog post: Indonesian palm oil industry takes step towards sustainability http://tinyurl.com/dh7pzp. http://ff.im/-1Zkbf #
• Gunnar New blog post: Sizilien – Sonniges Erbe der Antike (Morgenweb) http://tinyurl.com/d3cgxt. http://ff.im/-203jz #
• So many things happens here in Terrasini, Sicily in theese days.. Would you where here.. http://www.sicilian.net #
• Gunnar So many things happens here in Terrasini, Sicily in theese days.. Would you where here.. http://www.sicilian.net. http://ff.im/-21obT #
• So many things happens here in Terrasini, Sicily in theese days.. Would you where here.. http://www.sicilian.net http://ff.im/-21rbP #
• Pranzo di Pasqua al Bird Pub
  http://tinyurl.com/csznkk
  Auguri Buona Pasqua #
• Gunnar Pranzo di Pasqua al Bird Pub http://tinyurl.com/csznkk Auguri Buona Pasqua. http://ff.im/-23tvh #
• Pranzo di Pasqua al Bird Pub http://tinyurl.com/csznkk Auguri Buona Pasqua http://ff.im/-23tvi #

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Massive earthquake strikes Italy, leaving dozens dead -
The last major earthquake in central Italy was in the Molise region in October 2002, when 28 people died, including 27 children who perished when their..

Times Online

Rich heritage: Sal Stassi has a rich culinary heritage. His extensive recipe collection can be traced to the turn of the last century, when his grandparents emigrated from Contessa Entellina, a town south of Palermo, Sicily, to settle in San Francisco.

His grandparents, along with six siblings, later relocated to New Orleans, where the family enjoyed Italian and Creole cooking.

Stassi was raised by his grandparents, who cared for him while his mother worked, and their home was a place where food was always cooking — first Italian, then a combination of Italian and Creole. But the world virtually came to a standstill every Sunday at 2 p.m., when the extended Stassi family would gather for “meals that were like the Last Supper, with spaghetti and 15 other dishes,” he recalled.

The memories and scents of those times, sitting with his grandmother as she cooked “a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” encouraged Stassi to develop his own flavors and recipes. Now a husband and father, he has adapted his grandmother’s recipes, like Ligurian Fish Stew. Add some French bread, and the meal is perfect for any occasion.

Vinny Tumminello enjoys working with his family and sharing old Italian family recipes.
About a year ago he opened Little Sicily Trattoria in the Fountain Shoppes at 814 S.W. Pine Island Road.

The quaint eatery, which seats around 30 people, with an open kitchen giving off a family view, was a dream of Tumminello’s come true. He wanted to open an Italian restaurant with his family. Tumminello even did some of the construction work inside the restaurant. Walls are decorated with black-and-white family pictures from when they lived in Italy.

Tumminello’s family came to the United States from Palermo, Sicily, and settled in the Bronx and later moved to Cape Coral.

“I grew up in the business,” Tumminello said. “My mother was a seamstress and cook and my father was a pastry chef.”

The restaurant’s motto is “Bringing tradition to the table,” and offers everything from pasta to pizza to appetizers (contorni), wedges, parmigiana, soup (zuppe), salads (insalata) and dolci (sweets).