Meet Rising Tuscan Winemaker Elena Pozzolini

In today's blog Travel ItalianStyle's team member Jessica Risolo tells the story of Italian winemaker Elena Pozzolini!

Pic courtsey Tentuta Sette Cieli  

31 year old Tuscan native Elena Pozzolini is not only an accomplished winemaker, she is also one of the few women working in a very male dominated industry. As the winemaker  and CEO of Tenuta Sette Cieli ("The Estate of the Seven Skies") she is considerably younger than many of her colleagues, the majority of which are male.

            According to the Napa Valley Wine Register, Elena initially planned to study agriculture in college but her interest in wine was sparked by a viticulture class. She graduated from the University of Pisa where she majored in viticulture and enology.

Together, these two disciplines incorporate all aspects of wine making. She has extensively studied vineyard diseases as a part of her work, in order to figure out why diseases occur and how to produce the best grapes and wine possible.

In addition to her extensive experience working for Italian vineyards, Ms. Pozzolini has also traveled and worked internationally, in places such as California, Argentina and Australia.

Picture courtesy of Tentuta Sette Cieli

She initially worked in Argentina because it was difficult for her to find a job in Italy, after a few years and lots of success and experience, she returned to Italy where she recieved job offers from every vineyard she applied to. She has been with Tenuta Sette Cieli since 2013.  Under her leadership, is an all female team of workers who are responsible for the wine that the vineyard's patrons and clients enjoy so much. 

            The vineyard's website boasts gorgeous pictures of lush fields and hearty looking grapes and wine. It even suggests foods to enjoy with the specific types of wine that they produce.

The vineyard provides a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the green forestry. It provides a perfect location for wine tasting or even site seeing of beautiful Southern Tuscany.

Picture courtsey of Tenuta Sette Cieli 

Wine is an incredibly important part of Italian commerce and culture, and traveling to this idyllic vineyard is a must when you need a break from the bustling, tourist dense cities, or just a great glass of vino created by Elena and her team!

 If you are dreaming of wine tasting in Italy, especially at women focused wineries then you are going to love our Discovering Tuscany Women's Tour coming up this Fall 2015! Find out more here

 

Meet Jessica!

Jessica Risolo is attending Manhattan College studying English and Women and Gender Studies. She comes from a large, loud Italian and Brazilian family that has inspired her desire to travel the world. An avid lover of Italian culture, feminism, iced coffee, pugs and all things cheetah print, she is very excited to be working with Travel Italian Style to coordinate research on Italian women and culture. 

A Story of My Italian Family

In celebration of our upcoming Italian-American Heritage Tours, Travel Italian Style team Member, Francesca Panzariello tells the story of visiting her family's home town in Italy for the first time.

  Mom’s Home in Bisaccia

            My mom’s childhood home was left as if they had emigrated the previous day rather than 30 years ago. Children’s schoolbooks filled dusty drawers and glasses remain stacked in the kitchen. Bisaccia is one of those small towns in Italy that you wouldn’t necessarily visit unless you had family there. Quietly resting on a hill above the stretching green countryside outside Avellino, I can easily see the soft-spoken Casarella clan inhabiting such a place, especially my Nonno. Always the reserved, observing type, I understood why he craved the tranquil days of his birthplace over the busy suburban lifestyle.

            In contrast, arriving further south along the coast to Castinatelli in the province of Salerno, I realized why my Papa would have never been able to live there. Always the loudest, liveliest presence in a room, my Papa needed more space to thrive. He was simply too big for the confines of his small town. Of course he had to leave his mark on the town before he left.

          Although he was perfectly content in his new life in America, my Papa wanted his children to experience the Italian way. In the early 70s, about the time my mom was leaving for a new beginning in America, the Panzariellos arrived in Avellino. After roaming the Avellino streets, I can visualize my dad and his crew of troublemakers strutting around town looking for the next adventure. Creating stories that are still retold over bottles of wine when they reunite by their old stomping grounds.

Avellino

Those closest to me stress the importance of my Italian heritage. However, I didn’t fully come to appreciate it until I saw it for myself. Now some of my most treasured memories are from learning about my family’s time in Italy. Whether its walking along the route my dad used to take to school, stopping every two minutes in hopes of finding a familiar name on a door, or eating gelato with my mom overlooking the place she once called home. I now know where my family comes from and, furthermore, I know where I come from. 

Interested in finding your family? Check out our Customized Italian Heritage Tours. We actually work with professional genealogists on finding information about your ancestors and then create an amazing tour to celebrate your family's history! 

Meet Francesca

Francesca is an Assistant Travel Consultant for Travel Italian Style and is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations with a concentration in European Systems at SUNY Geneseo.  She highly values and maintains close ties with her Italian heritage. As a longtime traveler, Francesca wants people to have the opportunity to experience the real Italy to the fullest.  The Italy that takes place around a large dinner table with homemade pasta and Limoncello surrounded by people who are filled with humor and passion for life. Francesca joined Travel Italian Style to be part of a company that gives people the chance to experience that authentic Italian lifestyle. 

Italian Hand Gestures: What does that mean anyway?!

A repost by popular demand: The G-Rated Italian hand gesture chart!

The Italians are famous for being loud, passionate and throwing their hands in the air to show their emotions ( little more than many other cultures).

I believe when you are start understanding and using these cultural expressions you are one step closer to being considered a 'local' traveler.

While I can not take credit for creating this well put together illustration and there are still many more to learn (including the non G-Rates versions), I would still like to pass this on to save you guide book research time during your next trip to Bella Italia.