Tuscany Villas

Tuscany Villas offers the finest in luxury senior living in a controlled access environment and convenient location. Homes are designed with a unique Italianate theme: stucco exteriors, tile roofs, side entries, extensive use of tile, pavers, natural stones, glass block and many other decorative features. Sidewalks are separated form the streets by a 6-foot landscape planter providing an appealing tree canopied street-scape. Tuscany Villas is a three phased planned development of 79 single family homes on a 19.1 acre site with 5 acres of open space. Homes range from approximately 1570 to 2000 square feet, 2 & 3 bedroom floor plans with 10 foot ceilings, crown moldings, covered patios, 2 car finished garages with carriage style doors, and driveways that are adequate for off street parking. Amenities include a clubhouse, pool, spa, and walking trails with sitting areas throughout a botanical preserve in the Open Space. The architecturally consistent recreation facilities provide both indoor and outdoor gathering areas while providing a sense of arrival and identity.

Source link :- http://www.tuscanyvillasredding.com/about.html

Tuscany villas ranked 3rd in the world for wine tourism

Wine aficionados may be tempted to consider holidays in Tuscany villas after hearing that the region has been voted the third best wine destination in the world.

In a TripAdvisor list of the top ten locations for wine tourism, based on the web community's editors and traveller popularity, Tuscany villas was ranked behind Bordeaux in France and the Napa Valley in California.

TripAdvisor described Tuscany villas, which is well known for producing red wines such as Chianti and Montalcino, as "a delight for the senses".

One of the main benefits of the region, the travel site said, is that it offers opportunities to combine good wine with excellent local cuisine.

Unsurprisingly, France was well represented in the top ten, with the Champagne-Ardenne region ranked fourth owing to its popular sparkling white wine and its "neatly-tended vineyards amongst a picturesque natural landscape".

People looking to combine their Holiday Villas Tuscany with a wine tour could also consider Spain – the Rioja region was sixth on TripAdvisor's list of the world's top wine destinations.

Vacation Rentals Tuscany

Source link:- http://www.villacentre.co.uk/news/articles/Tuscany_ranked_3rd_in_the_world_for_wine_tourism.aspx

Community mourns Antioch school board member

Family and community members are mourning the death of Joyce Seelinger, a 25-year veteran teacher, avid volunteer and three-term member of the Antioch Unified School District board of trustees.

Seelinger, 74, died Sunday surrounded by family members after being diagnosed in October with a relapse of cancer. She had previously battled the disease in 2005.

"She was a fantastic woman. She had principles, and she stuck to them," said Joe Olenchalk, a former school board member and longtime friend of Seelinger's. "I thought she really exemplified people who want to do things for their community."

Seelinger was born in Benton Harbor, Mich., and had lived in Antioch for 50 years. She taught for 25 years at Park Middle School, and served 11 years on the school board. She was a longtime member of the Mello Roos district board and volunteered with the Junior Achievement literacy program, said daughter Allyson Holminski.

Seelinger was a substitute teacher in Antioch for 10 years before becoming a full-time teacher. Her late husband, Lee Seelinger, taught mathematics at Antioch High School.

Her son, Pittsburg teacher Dennison Seelinger, called her a "staunch advocate of children," and said she used education as her main outlet for influencing lives.

Mary Allen, a friend and retired teacher, said Joyce Seelinger distinguished herself on the school board with her active, helpful presence in the district's classrooms, becoming a

meaningful link between teachers and the board.

"She was just a dear," Allen said. "People really knew she was there for them."

Seelinger's work in schools and as a volunteer earned her many kudos, including the 2007-08 Association of California School Administrators Partners in Educational Excellence award.

"You could always expect if there was anything worth doing, Joyce was there," Antioch school board President Walter Ruehlig said.

Seelinger loved live theater and opera, traveled around the world, and usually had a tale to tell about her most recent journey. Of her array of destinations — Japan, Peru, Brazil and Scotland, to name a few — her favorite was Italy, where she and friends once rented a Tuscany Villa, Holminski said.

Photographs of her adventures adorn her home office — such as the diminutive Seelinger atop an elephant — and art she collected overseas fills the rooms of the Antioch home her husband designed.

Seelinger celebrated Thanksgiving at home with her extended family, including grandchildren Trevor, 14, and Allie, 17, gathered around her in the family room for the holiday meal. She officiated with precision over the house's holiday decorations, and was delighted to see the Christmas tree put up, said son-in-law Frank Holminski.Allyson Holminski said her mother would want loved ones to celebrate her life, not mourn her passing.

Friends agreed, and are remembering her accordingly.

Said Olenchalk: "The way I look at it, God needed a school board member and a lady, and she was both."

Vacation Rentals Tuscany

Source Link:- http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_11113712?source=most_emailed

Italian Town and Country Wins Top Honors in Business Competition

Italian Town and Country,has been recognized by StartupNation as one of the top businesses in its annual Home Based 100 competition under the category of Most Glamorous.

Many of the StartupNation Home-Based 100 submissions revealed that business owners are bucking the current economic downturn and finding business success in these tight times. Historically some of today's most well known businesses started in a downturn, including Microsoft and General Electric.

"The 2008 ranking shows that the home-based business is more relevant than ever. The current recession has spurred a new wave of home based businesses as a response to loss of jobs, the need for supplemental income and the sheer passion for blazing your own trail and running your own show," said Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.com, one of the leading small business networking and advice websites. "Home based businesses are the biggest block of all businesses in existence and we expect numbers to grow ever greater as extra bedrooms, kitchen tables, basements and garages become host to the innovative thinking and pursuit of success by millions of Americans."

A few years back, Italian Town and Country was born from a passion for travel to Tuscany. After almost 20 years in the construction management, John Ferrari suddenly realized that he was not passionate any longer about construction. He quit and he and his wife, Michelle, decided to create a Tuscan villa rental agency together.

"It was a real honor to be in the top 10 winners in our category" said co-owner Michelle Ferrari

"It shows you how important home based businesses really are"

"There has never been a better time to plan your Tuscany get away" said John Ferrari co-founder of Italian Town and Country Tuscany Villas property rentals. "The dollar is stronger than its been in years, and we are offering discounts for early bookings" John also says, "A group of friends can rent a 3 or 4 bedroom Villa and spend around Fifty dollars per night, with the added bonus of cooking amazing meals with the freshest ingredients in your own kitchen, (something you wont find in a hotel, at twice the price."

Vacation Rentals Tuscany

Source Link:- http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-153699