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.

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What is happening: Patching, Painting, Flooring, OH MY!

I forget how insane it can get when redesigning a space. But it all returned to me on Tuesday when the painters occupied my new house. They covered everything (I mean everything) in plastic in a matter of hours. I stepped out for a few hours and returned to my new house, which was utterly uninhabitable. But my new roll-with-it attitude has been constructive. I gathered the pups and headed to my daughter’s home for the day. Problem solved.

Everything in the past four months hasn’t rocked me. I always say when the worst thing you can imagine happens, other crises or challenges pale in comparison. I fly off to Italy for a week on Tuesday. Fingers crossed, the house will be in some semblance when I return after a week.

Be sure to follow along next week when I write from Italy—my happy place.

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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

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La Fortezza Kitchen on YouTube: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

This week, we are preparing my favorite Cauliflower recipe. It’s a fun episode for a formidable side dish. Have you subscribed yet? I share biweekly recipes from my Italian kitchen. Enjoy!

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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