In This Issue
As I was driving on the motorway to work recently I suddenly had a moment of clarity - I have a chronic case of 'Hurry Sickness' (a new malaise I just coined). I am always looking for the fastest lane on the motorway, getting frustrated with slow drivers and even people blocking my hurried sprint around the supermarket aisles. This brought to mind how life in rural Italy is at a different pace and it's SO nice. I now understand why the 'Slow Food' movement started in Rome in response to McDonalds opening an outlet near the Spanish Steps.
Life, I've decided, is NOT a race to the finish line, it is about enjoying each day and each moment as it unfolds. Our quest for more of everything drives us at a pace so different from life in rural Italy! Time for some time out from Hurry Sickness!
So, this month's newsletter theme is about Slow Food, Slow Travel and some new ways of experiencing life for some of us!
New Shipments!
Since our last newsletter, we have had a large shipment in from Florence, including a huge shipment of Pewter Warriors and some new statuettes of young women playing various musical instruments that are really beautiful (one of them is featured in our 'Product of the Month' in the right column).
Over the next few days we are expecting a new shipment of Florentine wooden trays. These are beautiful and very popular!
Italy!
Later this month we are off to Italy for some Slow Travel! We will be updating our Facebook page regularly with our adventures, so 'Like' our page to keep up to date with what Slow Travel actually is like in practice! I suspect I may find it challenging to slow down!
Cheri wins $100 Gift Voucher!
 Last month we invited you to send in photos of any Dream of Italy photos of our products in use. The winner was Cheri with this fantastic photo of her wearing a Dream of Italy mask and Venetian cape at an event. She won the prize on the night for the best dressed!
Congratulations Cheri and also thanks to everyone else who sent in photographs - it is fantastic to see how beautiful things from Italy are finding their way into so many places!
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 Special offer to you only!
This month we have some great specially discounted prices for you, including Murano Glass Ornaments, Murano Glass Necklaces and some lovely Italian Ceramic cereal bowls - ALL REDUCED BY 40% OVER NORMAL PRICES
Just click on the links to see these great offers, just for you our customers on our database.
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This month our story has been adapted from a story on the Matador Network entitled 'Slow Food, Slow Travel: Italy'.
 Halfway from Florence to Arezzo, the train came to an unexpected halt. It was late August and steamy outside and the train was not air conditioned. We sat there for at least half an hour, but no one uttered a word of complaint.
Instead, folks took the opportunity to eat lunch. Passengers chatted, mostly about the food. The unexpected setback turned into a pleasant afternoon reprieve. Here was Italy in a nutshell: enjoying the moment and not worrying about the destination. And of course, always, 'mangia'!
Follow these five tips on travelling and eating slow all over Italy and you will do it Italian style: nice and easy, piano, piano, slowly......
 This month's recipe comes from Alessandra Zecchini, Alan's Italian teacher. Alessandra is also an active member of the Slow Food movement in New Zealand and this recipe is definitely aligned to that way of living.
Alessandra has a great blog full of genuine Italian recipes and this is a great one for some of these cold winter days and nights.....
This is real 'cucina povera', a simple dish made with humble ingredients and leftovers.
Chop two red onions and sauté with a couple of table spoons of olive oil and some fresh thyme......
Feedback
We would love to hear back from you and get your thoughts on our products or services! Any ideas on how we could improve our service to you our customers would be welcomed too!
  After making this personal discovery about "Hurry Sickness" I did some research and found that the 'Slow' movement has been around for years! I was just catching up. I discovered this excellent talk on TED Talks (which are videos of world class short lectures) by Carl Honoré. It has had 830,000 views, so can't be that bad, but it is a few minutes long, so if you don't think you have time to watch it, you probably need to!
 Have you been to a masquerade event lately and worn one of our masks? Got some great photos of you wearing one of our masks to share? Either tag 'Dream of Italy NZL' on your Facebook photo(s), or send us your photos. We will put you into a draw for a $100 gift voucher for any product from Dream of Italy. Any photo sent to us via email will not be published anywhere without your permission.
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