Maybe it is because it is cold here in Miami and I have torn through my entire closet in the past few days to prepare and manage the cooler temperatures, none the less, I am going to share some of my favorite Italian Dressing styles with you this week. All of my closet clothes hunting tactics of the past few weeks has inspired me!
In a country where police uniforms are designed by Armani, it isn't surprising that the women take dressing very seriously. If you are planning a trip to Italy soon, and don't want to be pegged as a tourist, there is one important thing to remember. The objective of Italian dressing is NOT to blend in. Italian women take great pride in putting themselves together - "la bella figura". To show off your best features is the idea, so to blend in you must strive to stand out. So, where do you begin to acquire that special Italian flavor? In short, this week I will share a few of the key ingredients. We begin with Step One: Shoes! And I just love shoes!
Shoes: Nothing makes or breaks a look like footwear. Leave the tennis shoes for tennis and the walking shoes for the gym and park. Spice comes from style not comfort. The hottest designs incorporate pointed toes and high heels in the same shoe for maximum style and some discomfort.
More tips and tricks over the next few days! Stay tuned! - Rita
Italian is a Romance language, which means that Italian, just like Spanish, French, and Portuguese, is a child of Latin. Latin was once the official language in a large part of Europe because the Romans ruled so much of the area. Before the Romans came, people spoke their own languages, and the mixture of these original tongues with Latin produced many of the languages and dialects that are still in use today.
If you know one of the Romance languages, you can often understand bits of another. Just as members of the same family can look similar but have totally different characters. You find the same contradictions in the dialects (regional or local language differences) in Italy and in other countries.
If you visit Italy, you’ll hear various accents and dialects as you travel the country. Despite the number of dialects, you may be surprised to discover that everybody understands your Italian and you understand theirs. (Italians don’t normally speak in their dialect with foreigners.
What with all this interest in tall buildings and the world’s highest skyscrapers, I thought it would be interesting to discover how Italy measures up on the tall buildings front. It turns out that Italy has quite a way to go to compete with the Dubai Tower. Quite a long way, actually. If you’d like to find out what the tallest building in Italy is, and where it can be found, then read on, curious reader.
Technically, the tallest building in Italy today can be found in Naples - and it is the Torre Telecom Italia which is 129 meters (423 feet) in height. This 33 floor structure, however, is about to be beaten by a building in Milan, which is already being listed as Italy’s tallest building on Wikipedia. The successor to the Italy’s Tallest Building title will be 161 meters (528 feet) high with 39 floors, and it will house Lombardy regional authority personnel . However, at a measly 161 metres, it’s not much of a threat to the record breaking 818 meters of the Dubai Tower.
Other tall buildings are on Italy’s horizon though, twenty seven of them, including one which will snatch the Italy’s tallest building title from the Lombardy council skyscraper – I Dritto – the Straight (or maybe ‘upstanding’ would be a better translation).
As I ponder what to write about today, I can not help but think about the change and renew a brand new year brings. It is a chance to start fresh, reset our mindset and push for better things. Personally I have been doing a lot of goal setting, some for business and a lot for family. 2009 was a tough year for many, and most certainly my business. We made a lot of progress and faced some serious challenges - all amidst a changing economy and a changing America. Since I am from Italy, and now live in the USA I have noticed a great deal of change. I think above all, we now live in a Global economy and a world where cultures will continue to collide, develop, share and eventually thrive together. I wish everyone a great new year, and I wish us all peace harmony and growth, both in our professional lives, home life as a people.
What are you goals for 2009?
