What is it about Tuscany that has made it one of the well-known places in the popular imagination today? In an effort to try and find an answer and maybe some of the essence of the Tuscan people and their spirit, in March of 2005 Roberto Bechi of Asciano and I began a video interview project and during the 2 months we were in Siena we videotaped nearly a dozen individuals from all walks of life in Tuscany, talking about their lives, their jobs and their thoughts about what the future of Tuscany may be. You can listen to excerpts from the taped interviews. Just click here!

• Bartolo, a former office worker in his thirties turned rancher who raises the prized Chianina beef near Asciano; in Italian.
• Romano, a true "Renaissance man" in his seventies, proprietor of an exquisite fabric shop and the last true "bottega" in Firenze; in English.
• Giancarlo, in his sixties, is the colorful and loquacious owner of an old-fashioned greengrocers' store in little Serre di Rapolano; in Italian.
• Ilaria, retired publishing executive from Milan in her sixties now living in Rigomagno;
• Elise, an energetic lawyer and politician in her thirties who runs an agriturismo near Asciano; in Italian.
• Mauro, a crystal glass etcher in his sixties, carrying on a family tradition of crystal workmanship traditional to his native Colle di Val d'Elsa; in Italian.
• Andrea and Tatiana, a couple in their forties, she's a vibrant architect and he a descendant of one of the most prestigious noble families of Siena; in Italian and English.
• Giordano, a passionate lover of Etruscan culture in his seventies who, retired, serves as a volunteer curator of the superb archeological museum in Chianciano; in Italian.
• Pino, in his thirties, one of Siena's most imaginative and innovative chefs; in Italian.
• Araldo, over eighty years old, owns and operates a small grocery store and eatery, and is one of the remaining 14 people living in the tiny village of Lucignano d'Asso. in Italian.
• Alessandra, a young woman working as a wine consultant in Siena, she also worked for a hotel in the Chianti and once owned and operated her own travel business; in English.
  

Travel notes from Tuscany is a series of podcasts of uneven quality and random musings about wandering around aimlessly in Tuscany. To get started just click here!

If you still haven't gotten your fill of Siena I have not one but two you weblogs that might be of interest to you. On Siena is Tuscany you will find dynamic information and occasional news items of interest to the traveler in Italy, as well as my latest reviews.

At my Siena to florence to Paris to who-knows-where-next blog you can follow our travels as we search the horizon for the American dream (or at least our version of it).