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Il Castello Ristorante-Certaldo
When Americans travel to Italy, they often need clarification about the practice of tipping.
In the States, it's common to tip anywhere between 15 and 30% when at a restaurant, bar, or cafe. The standard is 20%. Total Tuscany Podcast hosts Travis Justice and Pat Campagna have been to Italy several times, even they are somewhat confused about when and when not to tip in Italy after all this time. It's hard to believe we have been doing this podcast for almost nine years now, and we are getting closer to our 100th episode and have never spent a serious amount of time talking about the subject of gratuity.
When discussing such an important issue, we bring in the experts. Linda Sorgiovanni fromItaly Customized joins us again on the podcast. Operating a boutique travel company, Linda is asked by clients to factor in a tip to the cost of services. That's more challenging than it sounds, as it is not customary to tip for some services, but it is for others.
After listening to this podcast, you will be able to travel to Italy with complete confidence on when to tip or not to tip!
If you have a quick question about traveling to Tuscany, a recommendation, or even travel planning and a full-service itinerary, email us, totaltuscany@gmail.com.
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Piazzale Michelangelo-Florence, Italy
Omaha, Nebraska, Mayor Jean Stothert had never been in Tuscany. Recently the three-term Mayor found an opportunity to visit Sicily and Tuscany.
Mayor Stothert and 80 other Omahans visited Carlentini, Sicily. The two cities share a friendship agreement that will eventually become a Sister City agreement. The bond between Omaha and Carlentini goes back to the early days of mass immigration to the United States. Sicilian families, many from Carlentini, found employment working for the railroad in Omaha.
Emanuele Giannelli's "Mr. Arbitrium."
Firenze dall’alto
What a summer in Florence! Ungodly heat, a government in shambles, and the tourists have returned in the full flock! The streets of Florence are jammed packed, and business seems to be booming again for those who suffered so much during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ahead to what is coming up in the coming months! Additionally we disucss the study abroad programs in Florence and the positive impact they have on Florence and the region.
About the Florentine: The Florentine is published 11 times a year. There are over a thousand subscribers worldwide and a circulation of 10 thousand copies per month. You can find the magazine for free at over 150 locations in Florence.
Do you want to go to Tuscany but don’t know where to start? We are here to help. Drop us an email, total Tuscany at Gmail dot com. That last thing you want or can afford is to be stressed out about where you will stay. Can you really do it all in a short amount of time? We work with some of the best Italian-based Travel Planners and guarantee you are going the time of your life. Start planning your Tuscany trip today, email us at totaltuscany@gmail.com.
Make sure to follow The Total Tuscany Podcast on whatever platform you listen on. This way, you know right away when a new episode is out. If you have time, give us a five-star rating and write a review, we love to see your feedback. Follow Total Tuscany on Social Media. Just search Total Tuscany on: 
Italian America
Andrew Cotto has worn many hats in his career. Teacher, novelist, freelance writer. He’s written about his love for Italian food and travel in magazines for years. You are never too old to reinvent yourself, right?
Italian America magazine is a full-color quarterly in English. It is the official publication of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America®, the nation’s largest and oldest organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. According to the Organization, the magazine is the most widely read quarterly for people of Italian heritage in the United States.
Andrew is trying to grow the magazine outside just Italian heritage. You don’t have to be Italian to enjoy all things about Italy. It’s probably why you are listening to this podcast. The country and the culture are so appealing to many of us who don’t have family that comes from the old country. We can be Italian without actually being Italian.
Make sure to follow The Total Tuscany Podcast on whatever platform you listen on. This way, you know right away when a new episode is out. If you have time, give us a five-star rating and write a review, we love to see your feedback.
Follow Total Tuscany on Social Media. Just search Total Tuscany on: 
Commonwealth Wine School
You are never too old to go back to school. Now with online learning, it’s easier than ever. What if we could tell you can start your journey to becoming an Italian wine expert from the comfort of your own home? You can because the Commonwealth Wine School makes dreams come true.
Located in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Commonwealth Wine School is dedicated to providing you with the best in wine, spirits, and sake education. Whether you are a beginner, connoisseur, or industry professional, their dedicated and knowledgeable instructors share their expertise and passion for providing you with a fun and engaging experience. Classes are in-person and online.
and Rhone Valley, have partnered with Jo-Ann to provide educational programs for staff and customers of retail stores and restaurants. An avid traveler to wine destinations, Jo-Ann always brings this firsthand appreciation of a region’s wines to her multi-sensory presentations. With over 30 years of professional speaking experience, she delights wine industry professionals, as well as corporate and private audiences at numerous venues. One of her lifelong goals is to visit all 20 of Italy’s regions; she’s been to 15!
We will be in the online classroom in October, we hope you will join us!
We will be in the online classroom in October, we hope you will join us!
Make sure to follow The Total Tuscany Podcast on whatever platform you listen on. This way, you know right away when a new episode is out. If you have time, give us a five-star rating and write a review, we love to see your feedback. Follow Total Tuscany on Social Media. Just search Total Tuscany on: 
Italy's Finest
Italy attracts all kinds of travelers. Those who visit on a fixed budget. Those who vacation and spare no expense. And those who fall somewhere in the middle.
Imagine if you will that you have unlimited funds and you could do and buy whatever you want in Tuscany. Sounds like a dream, right? As you are about to hear in this edition of the Total Tuscany Podcast, dreams do come true!
Villas are once again in high demand and if you want one you are going to have to wait. 2023 is the earliest you can grab one and those are filling up fast!
Please give this podcast a “like” and share it on your social media channels. If you have time, please write a review. The more engagement we have the more people will hear the stories we are telling.
If there is someone you would like us to interview or a place in Tuscany you want us to checkout, send us an email at, TotalTuscany@gmail.com. Please like our Facebook and Instagram pages and follow us on Twitter and Tik-tok.  Italian Passport
As human beings, it’s only natural to have a curiosity about where we came from. The United States is a nation of immigrants. The nation was founded by people from different countries and cultures. Between 1882 and 1954, an estimated 12-million immigrants went through the immigration portal at Ellis Island.
According to the Library of Congress, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States by the 1920s. Are you ready for this? That represented more than 10-percent of the foreign-born population in the United States at the time. Unfortunately, over time a lot was lost in the moving process. Names changed to sound more American. Families separated far and wide across the country to make a better life for themselves and live the American dream. A connection to family and culture was not as prevalent in the states as they were in the homeland.  Nick Gibilisco
Thanks to DNA tests like23 & Me and services like Ancestry.com it’s easier to pinpoint our heritage and trace our family tree back hundreds of years.
Nick Gibilisco wanted to take it a step further. Not only did he want to know more about his ancestors and where they come from (more so than stories passed down by his father and grandfather), he wants fully connect by becoming an Italian citizen. Not just for him, but his three children as well. The process was long, tedious, and sometimes frustrating. However, today Nick holds dual citizenship in the United States and Italy and has his Italian passport. What he learned along the way gives him a renewed sense of pride about his heritage and a closer connection to his family going back several generations in Carlentini, Sicily. As Nick was going through the process of getting his Italian citizenship, he met others who wanted to do the same things. He helped them. And then he helped another, and another, and another. It didn’t take long for Nick to figure out he provides a unique service so he started a company. In true Italian fashion, it’s called, I know A Guy: Citizenship and Genealogy Research. After listening to this podcast episode, you too will know a guy who can help you down the path of dual citizenship, or find out if you even qualify.
NIck does not have a website, but he does have Facebook Page andInstagram Page, and you can email him directly to find out more about his services and the processes involved, iknowaguy@gibilisco.org.
Please give this podcast a like on whatever service you are listening to and if you have time, write a review. You can really help us out by sharing this episode with a friend. The pandemic has given us all a lot of time to think about our past and our future. You might just know someone who’s ready to take a leap of faith and move back “home” so to speak to try a different life, much like our ancestors did over 100-years ago.
Italy can be therapeutic. People from all walks of life flock to Italy for all sorts of reasons. We've never met a person who left the country and didn't say to themselves, wow! That's the way life should be.
Andrew Cotto recently returned from Italy, where he was on a three-week "work" trip drumming up stories. Andrew is a fantastic journalist; one of his stories from this trip will be coming out in Italy Magazine. He will be pitching several more articles to other travel sites and publications.
Please take the time to give this podcast a "like," share it with friends, and follow us on your favorite podcast platform, so you know when new episodes are released. Click the social media icons below and or search Total Tuscany and join our community.
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Total TuscanyTravis Justice & Pat Campagna have been traveling to Tuscany since 2009. They produce the Total Tuscany Podcast and all the content on this website. Categories
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