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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 31, 2007 - 27 Artscene Oakville Beaver · WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 Artist and author team up for An Adventure in Tuscany By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Talking about Anghiari, a small town located in the region of Tuscany, doesn't do it justice. As Giuseppe Dini says, "You need to discover it." The native of the Italian town has combined with Oakville artist Dawn Angela Seeley to produce a book to show people just how. It's called An Adventure in Tuscany, In and Around Medieval Anghiari ­ a complete vacation guide for families, groups and individuals. This isn't your run-of-the-mill tour book. "There are quite a few books on Tuscany out there, but most of them focus on either wine or food," said Seeley, who has visited Anghiari and the surrounding area six times on artist trips she organizes. "We wanted to do something different." The pair combined their experience, Seeley providing the visuals with her paintings of the area, and Dini filling in the history of growing up in the region through his own experiences ­ told by a wolf named Beppino, illustrated in the book. Restaurant recommendations, travel tips, activities for kids, sketch pages, maps and even an audio CD of the legend of Beppino, the friendly Tuscan wolf, is included in the book. Its Oakville launch is set for Thursday, Nov. 22, and includes a four-course meal at Ristorante Julia and a performance by Tuscan singers. Seeley and Dini hope their effort ­ printed in both Italian and English ­ increases tourism to the area. "It's just a perfect little unknown, unspoiled treasure," said Seeley, sitting in front of two of her paintings showing the region's beauty. "It's an absolute jewel." The medieval town houses chapels used by St. Francis of Assisi for prayer during his travels, many churches, castles and other historic buildings. Seeley has captured many of these through various mediums, including watercolour, acrylic, oil and pastel. RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER TEAMWORK: Giuseppe Dini and Oakville's Dawn Angela Seeley are seen here with their recently-published book and one of the works of art published in it. The pair joined forces to write and illustrate a tour book about Anghiari, a small Italian town in the region of Tuscany, where Dini grew up. An Adventure in Tuscany will be launched Nov. 22 at Ristorante Julia in Oakville. Anghiari, she points out, is also well situated for travelers ­ within an hour and a half from Florence, Assisi, Perugia, Siena and other popular Italian destinations. While one of the reasons Seeley and Dini enjoy Anghiari is for its small-town charm ­ the population is just 6,000 ­ bringing more people to enjoy the area, they agree, won't spoil it. "There are not many hotels," Dini explained. "What I would like to do, because there are so many country houses abandoned, I would like to restore those country houses so we can get the population back up to 8,000 through tourism." "Tourism would bring jobs back to the city," Seeley added. Dini manages several homes owned by Canadians in the area, which is how he met Seeley six years ago. She was interested in publishing some of her paintings in a book along with day-today tours and day-long excursions she had organized for other artists, while Dini wanted to publish his story of growing up in the area in the 1950s and 60s. "When you come to the area, you see the beauty of the country, but you need to also understand now the beauty is cultivated," Dini said. "You need to understand the feeling of those farmers who worked." He explained how farmers had to give half of what they produced to the owner of the land in the '50s and '60s. "They had to work so hard to maintain the land, to give them food," Dini said. "Especially young kids, they can't even imagine how it was, life just a few years ago. "It could be helpful for them to understand what was the life then and how hard it's been for their parents and grandparents." That's part of the story told by Beppino the wolf. "Weaving this legend through the day trips gives people the historical background," said Seeley. The story is striking a chord with readers so far, judging by the reaction to its release in Italy on Canada Day. "We sold a lot of books to tourists, and also a secondary market we weren't expecting," Seeley said. "The grandparents, the nonnos and nonnas. "The grandparents were starting to say, this is how I grew up, buying a book to show their grandchildren." The opening in Anghiari was welcomed by its mayor Danilo Bianchi, who will also be attending the launches in Canada. Dini and Seeley will be launching their book in Canada in Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa and Oakville. The Oakville launch is Thursday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. and includes a dinner theatre event at Ristorante Julia. Dini has organized the appearance of special musical guests from Italy, the Tuscan Ricomposti Singers. The book launch and signing in Oakville will include a draw for a week's accommodation for two in Anghiari, Tuscany. To purchase tickets tickets, which cost $80 plus tax, contact Joanne at info@artyfactspublishing.com. Moreopportunity You want your business to succeed. We want to help. 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