My Beautiful Fortress in Italy.
Thanks for stopping by. This space is devoted to my life in the Italian countryside. In the furthest northern part of Tuscany. A region known as Lunigiana. I am a photo/prop stylist and author.
What is happening: Back at La Fortezza
I am back at La Fortezza for a few days, but I realize it is too few to cram everything into 5 days. I am here to renew my residency. I get asked a lot about getting a residency. Even though I am an EU citizen, I still maintain residency status in Italy. If I lived in Hungary, I would not need a residency. I have been doing this for a long time, and it’s pretty routine at this point. But it is a complicated process at the beginning. It went very smoothly, and now I am seeing a million friends in 4 days. I'm not sure how that is going to work. Hahaha. I am heading to the Parma Antiques Fair with my friend Kim, who has just bought a house near me, which will be a significant renovation. Maybe you saw the YouTube video we made; there will be more. My two wonderful girlfriends, Verity and Cornelia, will also be joining us in Parma. It should be a very fun day. When I arrived, my wifi was down. It’s always something…
Luckily, I have an excellent company that I work with, and they were here pretty quickly. I was not sure I could get this newsletter out this morning. Whew! Everything at La Fortezza is in order otherwise. I have a few projects that I will work on. Small ones, and the fence is up on the retaining wall; now Gianluca just has to plant it. It looks amazing. Being here has been a salve for my soul. It’s been a rough four months. But I am starting to feel more like myself; Italy has always been my place—more on Italy in next week’s newsletter.
Think about your retreat in 2026!
Start planning your 2026 retreat experience at La Fortezza. We are completely sold out for this year. Check out the menu of experiences from which you can choose for your custom retreat. Consider a corporate retreat. Please bring your friends and family and celebrate with us—birthday anniversaries, or simply the sweet life in the Italian countryside.
We look forward to hosting your perfect Italian holiday next year. Please feel free to email Gen with any inquiries or general questions. For more in-depth information, please visit the retreats page.
Menu of Experiences:
● Cooking Classes from my cookbook, At the Table of La Fortezza - Learn to create authentic Italian dishes from the Lunigiana region*
● Cocktails and Charcuterie board lesson*
● Yoga by the pool - Start your day with yoga taught by a local teacher in Italian and English*
● Truffle Hunting with lunch (seasonal - Fall only) - Forage for truffles with an experienced truffle hunter, then linger over a four-course truffle-infused lunch. Moderate difficulty hike
● Foraging and Flower arranging*
● Styling and Photography lesson*
● Olive Mill/Flour Mill - Tour our local olive oil or fl our mill, learn about the process of pressing oil or grinding flour, and sample the freshest ingredients
● Amaro Factory Tour and Tasting - Learn about the famed Italian digestivo and enjoy a tasting
● Tour of Fivizzano - Tour this lovely historic town, including one of Annette’s favorite local cafes
● Tour of Sarzana - Tour a medieval town and fortress
● Tour of Modena - City tour and balsamic vinegar tasting with lunch at an artisan purveyor
● Tour of Parma - Tour the city and experience a tour and cheese tasting at a parmesan cheese factory
● Winery with Wine Tasting - Learn about biodynamic winemaking, followed by lunch with wine tasting
● Slow Food Lecture and Cooking Class - Visit the town of Fivizzano and learn about the slow food movement, followed by a cooking class at a local shop
● Panagacci Dinner - Experience this delicious specialty of the Lunigiana region at a local restaurant
● Pizza Party* a must
● Day at Cinque Terra, Portovenere (seasonal - Fall only) - Enjoy a day taking in the sights, sounds and flavors of the Italian Riviera
● Lunch or Supper at a Farm to farm-to-table winery
● Hiking, caving, rafting, mountain climbing, biking
● Flea Markets
● Tour of Pietrasanta - Tour this historic town famous for its artistic contributions to Italian culture
● Private Carrara Mine Tour with Lunch at the top of the mountain
● Private Castle Tour and art collection
● Testaroli Maker - Discover this ancient pasta, prepared by a local food purveyor
● Forte dei Marmi Market (seasonal - Summer only) - Experience this vibrant open-air market and enjoy a day at the beach
● Harvest at our Vineyard, dependent on the harvest timing
● Private boat rental; cruise the Bay of Poets with friends and have a picnic lunch on board.
*Indicates an experience personally hosted by Annette on-site
We have loads of choices and options for excursions and experiences. This is just a sample. You’ll get to know a little-known beautiful part of Italy. My special place. ~Annette x
La Fortezza Kitchen on YouTube: Pantry Pasta
This week, I am making what I like to call a ‘pantry pasta.’ You got it: pasta made using things you most likely have right in your pantry. I love this dish, especially when it’s a little cold outside. Although it’s great anytime. Chef Leo tells us he’s not a fan of anchovies, but I LOVE them. Let me know how you like the recipe in the comments below the video. Thanks for watching and subscribing. If you have not subscribed yet please do I am trying to get to 1K subscribers by the end of the year.
MY LATEST REAL-ESTATE YouTube VIDEO:
All About Annette YouTube: I was so excited to tour this fantastic home in the most charming village above Fivizzano in this week's episode. I have always loved this village; we have been here before, but this time, it’s a home that I walked by and asked Federico why he could not find these types of homes for sale. Much to my surprise, he answered that this house was for sale. So we set up a tour. It’s a lock and leaves with the most charming outbuilding for guests and a pool with a beautiful garden. It is an elegantly styled home and is well-priced. Have a look. Maybe it’s for you.
Check it out, and please like and subscribe to keep this crazy adventure going.
Thanks so much for watching my YouTube Channel, All About Annette. Please share my channel with your friends.
The channel has almost 11.4K + subscribers! I'm trying for 20K this year; thanks for the support! Love you guys x
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to My Beautiful Fortress in Italy to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.