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Author Archives: Stonecom Interactive

Under the Tuscan sun with Frances Mayes

In 1990, American professor and poet Frances Mayes felt an irresistible urge to buy a derelict 300-year-old property. She transformed it into one of the most famous villas in Tuscany, attracting a constant stream of tourists, thanks to her bestselling memoir about restoring the house, called "Under the Tuscan Sun." The book spent more than two-and-a-half years on the bestseller list, and later became a popular film. Mayes talks with correspondent Rita Braver about her unexpected success, her adopted village of Cortona, and her latest book, "See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy." Read More »

A perfect cup of espresso

The vibrant southern Italian city of Naples seems to run on espresso. Seth Doane explores the Neapolitan love of coffee with tour guide Marcello Uzzi at Caffè Gambrinus, and attends lessons at the Italian coffee powerhouse Illy’s own University of Coffee in Trieste, where the highly-calibrated method of preparing the perfect cup of espresso is taught. Source Read More »

Turning street signs into art

In Florence even the street signs are pieces of artwork. Playful, funny, irreverent, hundreds of them dot the landscape, thanks to street artist Clet Abraham, a Frenchman who saw an opportunity to do something different in a place imbued in history. Jane Pauley reports. Source Read More »

Treasures of the Uffizi

Seven years before America’s Declaration of Independence, the Uffizi opened its doors to the public. Containing perhaps the greatest collection of artwork in the world, including masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Botticelli, the Florentine museum holds treasures at every turn. Jane Pauley reports. Source Read More »

Trafficking in art

In Florence the hottest new art pieces are Clet Abraham’s doctored street signs – playful, funny and irreverent Source Read More »