My Beautiful Fortress in Italy.

Thanks for stopping by. This space is devoted to our 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’s happening at La Fortezza this week?

Our Artist in Residence has arrived, and Melinda Beck has taken over the La Fortezza studio.

Since our first-ever artist-in-residence landed here (Steve Mackenzie), I have wanted to invite another artist. However, circumstances made this difficult, namely Covid. So finally, finally, my book cover illustrator, Melinda Beck, and I were chatting, and she seemed interested in taking a few weeks during the summer and painting a collection inspired by Italy and La Fortezza. Melinda is a very talented illustrator; she has illustrated two of my books, My Italian Guestbook and my latest thriller, The Killer Menu. I love the covers, and her work is beautiful. I can’t believe she’s here. As I write this, she is working in the studio. There will be an opening party on July 27th. I am so excited to reveal the collection. It will be for sale and available to purchase online. I will share the link once it’s up. The idea of having someone here creating original art pieces is something that is so spectacular. It creates a fabulous energy and makes this place what it was meant to be: a place to be inspired. Stay tuned for loads of updates. You can follow Melinda here. I will be sharing her progress on my Instagram as well.

NEXT WEEK: Watch stories next week as my friend Lizz starts working on her cottage project in Fivizzano. Of course, we will film everything for my YouTube Channel. More details will be provided in next week’s Friday newsletter. We will post LIzz’s dream cottage videos on YouTube by the end of this month.

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ARE YOU BOOKING A LA FORTEZZA RETREAT IN 2025?

PICK YOUR DATES!

WE ARE NOW taking reservations for 2025 Custom La Fortezza Retreats: If you’re interested in planning your custom retreat in 2025, please email our guest liaison, Gen, and she will get you started.

Check the calendar and start planning. Every retreat comes with a pasta cooking lesson and a custom itinerary!

*Remember that the earlier, the better! So you can get your desired dates next year.

Contact Gen to reserve your place in 2025: Gen is our La Fortezza Guest Service Liaison: genesis.carlina@gmail.com

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MY LATEST YOUTUBE VIDEO:

All About Annette YouTube, This week on Move to Italy: We are back to recipes from my cookbook At the Table of La Fortezza. Bavette Pasta with Anchovies is the perfect pantry recipe. Find out what Chef Leo thinks of it.

Thanks so much for watching my YouTube Channel, All About Annette. Please share my channel with your friends.

The channel has 7000+ subscribers! I am beyond thrilled! Now, let’s get to 10,000 by the end of this year…Please like and subscribe, and ring the bell to be notified when new videos are released.

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