MAPPING TUSCANY

Patty Smith just isn't the type of woman, who'd be eager to appear on Italian television. If she does, you know something big is in the air.  Patti Smith performing "I, as a Person" the English version of Gabers' "Io Come Persona" This week, Italian national television broadcast Rai Tre dedicated a whole evening to singer songwriter Giorgio Gaber, who died 10 year's ago (he would have celebrated his 74th birthday on the 25th of January).  Milan born Gaber has become a solid part of Italy's cultural heritage over the years. The singer came to early fame as a young man when working for the Italian television, often performing together with Mina, Italy's most beloved female singer. Even though Gaber's performances as a young artist belong to the stellar moments of Italian television, he actually never loved the medium too much.  Gaber and Mina:  When Italian television was still fun to watch

The man is one of Italy's best known pop stars. He's talented, good looking and has sense of humor. And... he's Tuscan. Which is just one more good reason why he's taking up all that space on this blog. Tensione Evolutiva  (evolutionary tension) is Jovanotti's latest hit. The video has been filmed by Gabriele Muccino, the Italian filmmaker who's made his way to Hollywood thanks to his admirer Will Smith. The song is part of Jovanotti's latest album "Backup 1987-2012 IL BEST" (album cover designed by Maurizio Cattelan), which - as the title says - looks back on 25 years of success in Italian rap and pop music.  Last but not least, from   golden shoes   to batik suits, the man knows how to dress. It must be all that Tuscan blood.  See Jovanotti's website for the dates of his BACKUP tour (June and July 2013). No better way to meet the man himself than live in Italy this summer! 

It's true,  Obama drinks Brunello (or at least likes to hand it out to the Republicans). But if you thought Brunello di Montalcino is an emblem for the posh, an upper-class beverage or just another status symbol for the rich and beautiful - you are wrong. Or at least partly wrong. Brunello is all of the above (just see the prices of the latest  Italian wine auction in Hong Kong ), but Tuscany's prime wine is also becoming more popular with quite a different crowd.  Praising Brunello di Montalcino  Italian rapper Marracash feat. Co'sang

Tuscany is wine and Renaissance art to some and medieval hilltop villages and cypress trees to others. Obviously there is much more. For an example a vivid folk music scene. But no, Tuscany's traditional folk songs aren't played in every pizzeria around the world. O Sole Mio  and co. have their roots in Naples.  Maremma Amara may not be an international seller, but most Italians will have heard one or another version of the lovely tune. The song describes the hardship of life in Maremma in a time when the Malaria and Saracen pirates were ravaging the coast and drinking water was a rarity in the swampy countryside. Many a poor Tuscan who went to the Maremma to make his fortune or to earn some money for his family never returned. My favorite interpretations of the song is by the Cardellini , one of Southern  Tuscany's great folk music choirs. 

Madonna and Italy is an evergreen. She's got plenty of Italian blood running through her veins, likes crucifixes and is best friends with Dolce & Gabbana.  But who would have paired the hip pop star with Tuscany's famous cypress trees? I just couldn't see it coming. Those skintight 80s outfits just didn't seem to ask for a room with a view.  But always good for a surprise, here she is taking in the Renaissance city and the rolling Tuscan hills from the back of a convertible.  Madonna in the back of a car with the boys (or girls) isn't really a novelty. And I can see her doing it anytime in Las Vegas, Miami or Los Angeles (see her Music video ). But in Florence? Just to think of the traffic. Give that woman a vespa!  The official version of the video can also be seen on the website of the national newspaper la Repubblica,  Madonna in Florence - turn up the radio  (which contributed some material) or on  Madonna's official youtube chan...

Lucio Dalla has been a prime ingredient in Italy's singer/songwriter scene for the last 40 years. On the first of March Dalla died on tour in Switzerland. When the news got to Italy, millions of Italians skipped a heartbeat. Dalla's famous interpretation of Ron's Attenti al lupo Lu cio Dalla's voice is probably my first Italian memory. A tape of his Viaggi Organizzati record was running in my mother's car all through the 80ies. I can't remember whether it was stuck in there due to a mechanical defect or whether my mother just chose to keep it there. Whatever the reason, neither I nor any of my three brothers ever complained. Astounding, if you consider the music taste of four Swiss teenagers in the mid 80ies. Our gene pool covered everything from Alan Parsons Project and Abba (no, that wasn't me) to jazz legend Bill Evans , Hüsker Dü and Duran Duran. Yes, Simon Le Bon is where I come in. After Rio came o...

I t's all snow over Tuscany: schools are closed, highways are in a mess and airports are total no goes. If you happen to be stuck in Siena you'll be able to kill time with a few  life events . Not so if you happen to sit on a Tuscan hill, cut off from the rest of the world  - nightmare or bliss? I'd say enjoy the forced winter break in Tuscany: put another log on the fire, open a bottle of wine and get those dusty records out... Paolo Conte Vieni via con me -  live in Amsterdam 

I never thought I'd have to this one day - but here we go, I'm in for a rain dance. Whilst friends and family from abroad keep asking us whether we are okay (having heard of the terrible floods in Northern Tuscany and in other parts of Italy), we seriously haven't seen a drop of rain in months in our area of Southern Tuscany.

I'm in a muddle: I held the firm belief that autumn starts on the 21st of September - at least in this part of the world. But I'm not on my own. So did the DJs of the famous Italian  Radio Deejay  radio station. Thanks to their listeners I've finally learned that autumn is supposed to start on the 22nd and sometimes (this year) on the 23rd of September (it must be the Italians - arriving late as always) . I love autumn in Tuscany - my favorite season down South. But the stupid nostalgic I am I also already miss the Tuscan summer. Therefore let's stretch that summer feeling just a tiny bit more with what has become over the last years one of the biggest Italian summertime standards. 

What can I say? This video just makes me laugh so much, even more as it's taken on a rooftop in Milan. But remember Jovanotti is pure Tuscan at heart:  JOVANOTTI & MICHAEL FRANTI UNPLUGGED And 'The Sound of Sunshine' is just the tune to listen to, if you want to teach your kids (or yourself) some Italian, whilst dancing merrily through the living room. Repeat: 'Il battito del sole, il battito del sole...'.  In case the link above doesn't work in your country watch the official video on Youtube bellow. I prefer the unplugged rooftoop version above, but this one is still fun to watch.

Did you say famous? He may not have hit the US big time yet - but Tuscany's hot shot Lorenzo 'Jovanotti' Cherubini has been rocking the Italian music scene for more than 20 years. There is a reason why he has collaborated with people like Bono, Ben Harper, Sergio Mendes and the Beasty Boys.   So if you were planning to cruise the Tuscan hills with Lady Gaga and Madonna on your playlist - forget it! You can get closer to Italian music than that - even in the US. Read about Jovanotti's smooth move into the American music scene on his  website