Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt did it too…

According to the L.A. Times the Jolie-Pitt have bought a huge farm in Italy. The couple joined a long list of celebs who found in Italy that special place where to secure their own investments.

The Jolie-Pitt family have bought Villa Costanza, a 4.4 acres property in the Valpolicella, the renown wine-production area in the Veneto Region.





Villa Costanza - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie



At present the Villa is named after the founder (Costanza Caldera from Bergamo) of the Religious institution that owns the property since 1953, The Pious Mothers of Negrizia.

 

The Saibante family were the property owners since the end of 1500 until the beginning of the last century, when they left the property for the family's extinction. Eventually the Monga family succeeded. Today's visible structures are datable to the early decades of the 1600. The Palace is an upside-down U shape with two façades. The main one has an outstanding body and two aisles which are perpendicular to it; the one facing north looks at a fountain with a marble group. On the ground floor we find a porch that goes along the three sides of the building. The west wing, that already embodied some cottages,it was eventually uplifted, while in the late 700 it was probably used as stable. The noble floor windows are rectangular-shaped, while the center of the facade sticks out with three giant windows decorated by a nun from the institute. The courtyard is closed by a little wall in which are set 6 mythological statues preceded by two tuff-made lions. On the inside there's a well which origins goes back to 1623. Inside the buildings there are two large halls, one with a Cotto pavement and another with a Soffitto a Cassettoni (Lacunar ceiling). The other in its central body and stuck off on the courtyard has a stucco decorated ceiling and walls frescoed with landscapes. Today is used as Chapel. In the first hall, that is decorated with frescoes by Verona born painter Paolo Ligozzi (1629), high pedestals prop up two telamons (colossal marble male figures used as columns,) holding up two Ionic Capitals upon which the roof beams are based.

 

Paintings of army leaders and of continents are plugged into fake niches and in the overdoors. From the ancient garden there's not much left out: the fountain and an artificial grotto. The park was devastated by the Germans during World War II. There are still a few architectural pieces from the collection of Andrea Monga.

 

The area is a world famous enotourism spot, whose grow is of stellar proportions thanks to its Amarone and the Spumante. Let’s not forget Valpolicella is just a hour drive from Venice, what could be a better connection between the dolce vita and a great real estate investment?

A growing number of celebrities and big investors are choosing Italy and first of all Tuscany to invest their assets but other regions are entering the target list and Veneto is obviously one of them and not just because of Venice. 



 

Let’s not forget Veneto is the home of the Palladian Villas, a series of XVI century properties designed by Architect Andrea Palladio for the wealthy Venetian Merchants of the Renaissance period. As many of you certainly know, the Villa Rotonda (or Villa Capra) by Andrea Palladio was taken by Irish Architect James Hoban as model for the project of the White House in Washington D.C.

Indeed all the Palladian Villas are protected by UNESCO as part of a World Heritage Site.

Although here is not just a matter of cultural heritage. As a matter of fact the very first reason for buying here is beauty, the beautiful landscape, the beautiful architecture, the monuments, the Palladian Villas, then there’s the wine, and the delicious food…

All these elements are tourism attractions and tourism brings money. That’s why buying a property in Veneto is a very valuable investment, because it’s a tourist attraction, and any property lying in any tourist spot has an additional value to its square meters.

A property in an Art city can be considered like an AAA bond thanks to the economy linked to it and the many people who come see it and who work with its visitors. A Coffee shop in front of the Arena di Verona will always be in business, like any other travel and lodging business in any classical tourist site. Is this brick culture or culture of brick?

In this case it’s both. The connection between culture and brick as investment is very profitable. If we follow the cultural economy equation we’ll find out:

Unique Culture = Interest = Tens of millions of Tourists = retail businesses that work = properties linked to Culture that are crowded = properties that return value.

Obviously you don’t have to be a millionaire to be part of this high return business.

Luckily also those who only have €100G can be part of this investment plan and regarding the growth, the sky’s the limit.

Besides investing in Italy which is the nation with the 90% of the world art heritage and the highest number of UNESCO protected sites, it also means having the chance of enjoying yourself the value of culture by enriching your knowledge (that never hurts) and more important by investing in highly valuable cultural sites you give the local economy a contribution to preserve the world’s heritage.

In the end, if you think like the Jolie-Pitt family, that Culture is a great investment form, and that buying a triple A real estate bond can be a profitable choice, you re on the right page.

I personally invest in Culture-related properties and I find myself very comfortable with it.

Investing in Culture is the best investment you can do because it helps growing your pocket, your knowledge and your spirit too!!!

Luigi Foscale

A Real Retire Rich Story

 

This week I would like to submit you a very interesting case study that it was also showed on Discovery Channel’s “Europe’s richest people”. 

 

Indeed I think it’s extremely important to study rich people, how they did make their fortune and how did they manage to keep their wealth along the years.

 

I won’t reveal this person’s name for now but I can anticipate he’s a famous pop singer who went through some real hard times before he made it and who during his long career he collected something like 87 among gold and platinum discs. 

 

What’s interesting however is the fact that instead of squandering all of his money in a short time or living a losing life which would had ended in misery, like many people in the sport or in the show business, (among them even some American basketballer who at the latest London Olympics instead of focusing on his own job, tried to pick up another discipline’s gold medallist girl who was instead very smart and flatlined him).

 

During his whole career our singer saved up a fortune of about $110 million and he has been living with his wife for more than 40 years. Together they have four children, nine grandchildren and a beautiful dog.

 

I think it’s a great example of a Retire Rich story. 

 

How did he do it? 

 

Let’s study together the money psychology of this Retire Rich leader.

 

First of all he knew the show business was an erratic world and our singer was enough smart he knew money had to be invested in real estate.

 

With this simple-as-abc statement our singer managed to build a fortune along the years. 

 

It’s amazing to see how such a very simple statement may change a man’s destiny. He was convinced that in an erratic environment you needed financial stability. 

 

And he was right.

 

While you are reading these words, you understand you can adopt these beliefs too, you understand your financial destiny depends on what your beliefs are. Rich beliefs attract wealth.

 

In addition, our singer pronounced some words that could be considered as a real manifesto: “Always invest in the brick ‘cause it’s steady….it’s one of the best investments ever”. “Bricks can’t be spent, they’re there…. I am not a great businessman, my job is singing.”

 

“Always invest in the brick.“

 

”...it’s one of the best investments...”

 

“...Bricks can’t be spent...”

 

While reading these words, you understand that the right intuition about money can also lead you to wealth.

 

Attention and care over his fortune in the early years allowed this singer to keep his wealth. 

 

“How to handle money is very important in today’s world”.

 

“You have to be careful.”

 

“You could have made millions, and find yourself with your bank account empty.”

 

“Always look after your money.”

 

This is an entrepreneurial lesson. You have to learn how to manage your money.

 

Would you know what he invested on?

 

Our singer bought homes and hotels in different places: Las Vegas, Hawaii and Mexico. One of his best buy was the Pink Palace in Los Angeles, that he bought in the 70’s from a Hollywood diva for a knockdown price and which he sold in 2002 for $4 million. 

  

Don’t forget properties are the best investment as stated by a millionaire who has been accumulating properties for 40 years.

 

Our singer’s name is Engelbert Humperdinck.

 

He knows what life worth...

 

I really admire him and I wish to be an example like him one day. 

 

Luigi Foscale

The Wealth & Health Manifesto

 

I know many people whose only goal in life is to accumulate wealth. According to the common logic, a successful person is someone who owns a large luxury house, a sporting car, a basketball team…the list could go on and on.... and there are also many specialized magazines that keep their readers up-to-date about the latest must-have gadget.

 

However my personal experience taught me that despite many of these material things could satisfy our sensorial pleasure, I am deeply convinced that real success isn’t just about material things.

 

According to German Psychologist Erich Fromm there are two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing and in productive activity.

I don’t wan’t to debate here Fromm’s thesis but I think that after considering these two approaches it makes more sense “being” a person of success.

 

At this regard I would like to make a real example: there’s this man that we’ll call him “The Banker”. This is a real person but as this blog aims at being an inspirational source even from unsuccessful stories, we won’t report his name here and we’ll leave it anonymous.

 

The Banker graduated cum laude, he worked top jobs in a major financial consulting firm and eventually became the CEO of one of the major Financial Groups of the planet.

 

As a banker he made very audacious choices, and the market followed its gut. The media supported him and praised him for his great organizational skills. Afterwards he resigned from office and his stock option package was equal to an eight digit check.

 

From the professional point of view he did a great job. In addition, if you had to make a ranking about the most successful people on an European scale, our Banker would be mentioned among the first five.

 

However if I would tell you his son is a drug addicted and spend 6 months a year in rehab centers while his wife has an affair with her personal trainer, would you still judge him as a successful man?

 

What do you think he would feel when he’s about to go to bed at night... is he proud about what he created?

Will he be a happy man who’s accomplished about his own life?

I had the chance to meet him and I can say that nonetheless he’s an extremely powerful person, I think he’s hiding a deep sense of depression and frustration.

Why?

Because success, real success, it’s ALSO economic success but it’s not just that.

Can you define yourself a successful person if your affective life is a total disaster?

No.

Until the Western Civilization’s ethics would be exclusively founded upon material wealth, our civilization it can't be defined as really evolved.

Real success, in my opinion and on my life experience, it’s based on 5 areas that have to be in perfect balance:

1. Health
2. Love
3. Wealth
4. Social health
5. Entertainment

Let’s see them one by one:

First Wealth Area. Health

Ancient Romans used to say: “Mens sana in corpore sano”. [1]

I don’t think there’s a better expression than this.

In my opinion “Mens sana” means to be serene and mentally stable. Having no problems that take your sleep away.  Being what endocrinologist Hans Selye define as Eustress. Not too much loaded not too much down. A just mid-measure that allows you to be centered on your own being.

There are some techniques, I have been using for years and of which I can guarantee their effectiveness.

Every day, do 15 minutes of Meditation. You lie down in a quiet spot and you focus on your own breath. If your thought shifts to something else from your breath, you have to focus back on your breath. During the exercise you feel really light and quiet, often it might happen you enter the REM phase.

Another technique is to try visualizing yourself and your objectives as they were already accomplished. Our mind indeed doesn’t make a difference between a visualization that has been lived in first person and what happens in reality.

Another advice is to dedicate some of your daily time to an activity you like. For example you can listen to your favourite music, you can pat your pet or practice your favourite sport. This would help you to unplug your mind from the daily routine.

The "corpore sano", means to be perfectly fit. Practicing sport and following a healthy diet.

This means keeping yourself away from possible illness. Keep yourself in good shape and in good health is an activity that guarantees you the reach of other spheres of wealth, so it can take you one step closer to the real success.

Unfortunately it can happen you get sick, even in a serious way. As everyone of us, I happened to live very unfortunate moments. When I was a teen-ager my father had cancer and at the beginning, it was a real blow both for me and for my family.

However despite living a great state of distress, I did not let my downside get me down to the despair and since day one I tried to react to this thing by facing it with my interior strength, to which I relied on instinctively. Since the beginning I tried to transfer my inner energy to the other members of my family, first of all to my father who was the one who was physically suffering. The strength I tried to give him was to help him fight his disease.

I always faced difficult moments like this as a real personal challenge and I tried to not let myself be in despair. Nonetheless I was living a great state of suffering bur I never gave up, because deep in my heart I knew, I was sure I would had break through it because I wanted it with my whole being to be back living the life I had before. This way, even if going through an enormous suffering I made myself the way to overcome these difficult moments.

This experience provided me with the self-confidence that was necessary to face and to overcome any test that I would had undergone later in my life.

During my teen years my life was completely dedicated to sport. I played Rugby, Ice Hockey and Sailing.

I used to play in the Milan Rugby team and I joined the team in South Africa in 1995. There was the national World Cup.

Our first match in the calendar was with the Harlequins, a world famous team of the Premiership. Obviously it was a team that was way stronger than us under many points of view.  However since the first time I knew we had to meet them, I told myself: "don't be discouraged, do your best and you ll be ok with yourself and your consciousness".

The match was going really bad for us when I found myself in the typical "life dilemma" kind of situation. I had two chances, completely different from one another.

Option 1 I could have got rid of the ball and save myself from the tackle but it would have meant to give up the chance of scoring the try.

Option 2 I could have tried to keep the ball and running at full throttle targeting the try straight ahead. I had to consider though that by pointing the try I had to break through the defence line with a concrete chance to suffer a fracture somehow. Although it was a lifetime chance.

A real dilemma indeed.

Without hesitating I tried to break the defence line and after a number of physical adversities and a couple of headlong falls I scored the try but my shoulder cartilage was totally gone.

Our team had ended the changes because of the player accidents and I kept on playing despite the pain. We obviously lost the game but we gained the respect of the world champion team.

Today after a series of complex surgical operations I am still disabled and I had to give up both Rugby and Sailing, although as a consolation I have a story to tell, a story whose absolute protagonist is the strength to which we can turn to in those moments of difficult when we don't know where to grasp and the only thing we can rely on it's ourselves and our inner strength.


Second Wealth Area: Affection

Living without affection leads to loneliness, a grey area and a slow sense of emptiness.

Whoever you love, my suggestion is to harvest affection. In order to harvest affection you have to spend some of your active time with your loved ones.

For some people affection comes from their parents, for others it's their children, in many families even brothers and cousins are a source of affection so as pets they can be both source and the recipients of our affection.

My advice is to harvest your affection for what it's possible to yourself, because in the long term affection is the only element of strength in the life of everyone of us.


Third Wealth area: The economic wealth

For many people it's the main objective.

 

As I said before, material accomplishment is very important because money can allow you to do certain things they would be difficult or impossible otherwise.

Money is energy. If you possess it in great quantity it allows you to have a life with more chances.

Those who say money isn't important he lies and he knows he lies because our society and its mechanisms they are all based upon money since thousands of years ago.

Great amounts of money can assure yourself the best healthcare assistance, edgy cares and dedicated physicians. A number of American schools are private (even if they have scholarship programs for talented students, which I totally agree with).

However the real economic wealth isn't connected to possessing a certain status symbol.

I think instead that economic wealth is also a personal status of totally subjective nature.

"You are in the economic wealth range when you have automatic incomes which are higher than current spending". This is the wealth level I defined as Retire Rich.

To be at this level of wealth you have first of all to "feel rich".

It's absolutely crucial to convince yourself you live in a world of abundance and wealth. Even in a difficult moment as this, it's absolutely fundamental to see and feel yourself as rich. And if while you are reading these words you are thinking of your debts, you have to be aware that according to the law of attraction you are attracting even more debts.

According to the law of attraction you ll get what you think of today.

So it's absolutely crucial to see yourself as a rich man.

Although this isn't all. You also have to put in practice the tricks I explained in my latest post: The Survival Handbook. Do your Cashflow, set your goals and track them.

So you have to get busy in a constructive way in order to achieve your economic wealth and you will see you ll have the success you deserve.

Fourth Area. Social Wealth

In life you always have to seed.

The more you seed the more you pick up then.

If in your life you have been lucky, it's necessary to share what you have with those who don't have it yet.

At this point you could ask me. Are you asking me to do a sort of charity?

Absolutely yes.

I do charity and many people like me do it as well. Everyone of us has its own area. Everyone of us has his own skills. But it's very important to share what we have.

If you are too poor to share something economically, you just need to lend your work for a social cause. For example you can help out kids in an orphanage or go visiting elderly people who live in a perennial state of solitude.

Luckly we live in a world in which there are a lot of charities. You really can do a lot with very little. Believe me.

I personally help both little children who urgently needs surgical operations and abandoned dogs to find a home out from the Italian-shelter-lagers.

I have adopted three marvellous little dogs that were going to die. One is called Blacky. She's an interbred between and American Staffordshire and a Pintscher; it's a very sensitive pet. When she looks at me while I am eating I am able to read her eyes full of terror because of her past life starving fear, that she felt when she was in that shelter. I really feel shivers when I think of what she could have felt in her past.

Pilly is a foxy half breed which when I have adopted her she suffered pneumonia and was under-fed. After many intensive cares, she is now ok and she got strength and force. She always play with my 2 year old son and when she's with him she checks everything is cool. It almost seems she's working: when my son wakes up in the night or he's not well she comes to my bed to wake me up.

Princy is the latest she's been 7 years in a little cage that did not allow her to grow up. She's got her back legs broken and calcified so she cannot walk. She came at our home sick of every possible disease. She risked blindness and she was bleeding. After two months of antibiotics and highly specialized cares, now she's ready for a surgical operation in which they will put in place a prosthesis on her knees. The professor who is following her case he's the world number one, he said it's his second case so tragic but he's positive he's going to make her walk again.

Who knows how would she feel after seven years she didn't walk!

When I look in their eyes I read gratitude and sometimes I also see their sad memories, that are linked to the terrible past they lived. Although they know that now they are loved and protected.

I am an animalist and I am proud of it.

I know that when I come back home they re waiting for me.

It's not true that dogs don't talk. They talk with their eyes.

Fifth area. Entertainment and Culture

Time is a subjective variable of which anyone has a different perception.

In order to feel well, it's important to cut out so much time to feel satisfied from it.

Did you ever think how time flies away when you re doing something you like and how it does never flow when you re in line in the surgeon's waiting room?

If you like it time is the most important resource in your life.

You have to know how to manage it otherwise it would handle you.

Don't be afraid about cutting out some space for yourself. These bits of time are crucial because they allow you to feel better. Obviously abusing your free time can lead to perdition or to moral dissolution.

It doesn't matter how much time but the quality of the time you dedicate to yourself.

Free time is fundamental for any person who wants to define himself as a successful person.

Some economists say that wealth can be measured in months... in the number of months you are able to survive without working while keeping up with the same life tenure you are used to.

Obviously there are also other methods to calculate wealth level.

Time is fundamental and having free time isn't a luxury it's a necessity.

In one word: have fun.

As you had the chance to read we have been talking about health, affection, money, sociality and free time.

You don't think I did not suffer by leaving the sports I loved?

Very much.

However, in the past few years I have been thinking a lot about my life experiences, and I have tried to make a lesson, a moral lesson out of it, for myself and my children, something I could have transferred to my future generations. What I came up with was the idea that the real wealth and the real success in the end it's to have developed a formula that allows yourself to face any future challenge that the life presents you ahead.

 

I personally developed my formula upon my life experience and my formula is based upon inner strenght and the affection of my loved ones.

Once you got these two things you are ready for any challenge that can be ahead of yourself.

Have a nice journey
 

Luigi Foscale

[1] a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Europe expects Italy to speak only German

Italy’s government crisis

 

International media are widely covering the Italian crisis. The picture that comes out is a glowing image of political, financial and social uncertainty.

 

The scenario portrayed in the newspapers is not the best one. The banks are still reluctant to lend money. Businesses going bankrupt. Protests are planned across the country. Nobody knows when the elections will be held.

 

Being Italian I think we are in very troubled moment.

 

Luckily there is a “but”.

 

I would like to convince you to think in a different way. This blog’s mission isn’t that of supporting a certain political party, neither to back Italy to the detriment of other countries. My objective is You, my reader who by reading these words, You want to boost your income more and more, and I am here to help You in the creation of your wealth.

 

So the “but” is very simple.

 

 

The revealed scheme

 

In my precedent posts I have revealed some big investor’s trick. With their left arm they ditched Italy while with their right arm they had bought Italian TBonds. In less than 6 months these people made a 25% profit.

 

Now you have to consider how big is the Italian public debt...so you consider what kind of sky-high revenues they were able to make. 

 

The scheme is very simple. Through the help of the media I ditch a product (Italy) and in the meanwhile I buy at knockdown prices. Once I bought enough assets I stop my discrediting campaign and I wait for the market to normalize. Then I sell my assets. 

 

This scheme is totally risk-free because Italy wasn’t at risk before the crisis nor it was at risk after the crisis.  

 

A friend of mine who is a banker, used to say “knowledge is power”. He was right.

 

This is the time to invest in Italy. This is the best time to invest in Italy.

 

Why? Because Italy is strong.  

 

However now I would like to stimulate your brain with a question. Did you ever think to the reason why some publicly discredit Italy? 

Italy is a strong country that annoys some world big players

 

However Italy has also some faults that limit its economy a lot. These are Italy’s weak points that are usually criticized:

- Unstable system;

- Italian culture of kickbacks and stealing peanuts;
 

- Thinking small, parochialism. Everywhere there are opposite factions carrying atavic hate that is spread all over the country (think to the Palio di Siena’s contradas);

- Italy’s government is always in crisis;

- Government waste a filthy amount of money and newspapers publish detailed expense notes of public officials (champagne, caviar, lotteries, video-games, beauty salon...);

- Great private investments stuck by Bureaucracy;

- Private companies left at the mercy of themselves without an international economic policy aimed at supporting them worldwide;

- Lack of Tourism infrastructures;

- Corruption;

- Tax Brackets at 85%.

All these problems are widely covered by the media. All these problems make appear Italy like a Banana Republic.

However Italy has also some records:

- It’s the 5th country in the world for cultural tourism, just think to Rome, Venice, Florence, Romeo & Juliet’s Verona, Pompei, Sicily’s valley of temples;

- The food industry is incomparable, with the Pasta, the Pizza, the espresso ( did you know that the Starbucks concept was born during a trip to Milano?), The Chianti, the Sassicaia, The Ruffino wines, the Spumante, the Parmigiano Reggiano, the prosciutto, the best oils in the world are Italians. Italy is also a prime producer of Caviar with Agroittica Lombarda;

- Tourism industry is on a roll in terms of tourist presence in locations like Forte dei Marmi, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Porto Cervo, Portofino, Capri, Jesolo;

- The Italian heritage is the most important in the world: Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello Sanzio, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Garofalo, Coreggio, Tiepolo, the XX century De Chirico, Pellizza da Volpedo, Fontana, Rotella, Paladino and the contemporary art scene where the Venice Biennale is a world appointment, while among contemporary art Italy is in a leading position with artists like Francesco Vezzoli, Maurizio Cattelan, and many others;

 

- Religious tourism is also a very rich industry with the Vatican, San Giovanni Rotondo, the Loreto Sanctuary , San Francesco d’Assisi and many others;

 

- The motor industry has some excellences which speak for themselves: Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta bikes and Agusta helicopters;

 

- The nautical industry has the best shipyards: Benetti, Perini Navi, Riva, Baglietto, Cantieri di Pisa, Mochi, Crn Ancona, and many others;

 

- Design: Giugiaro and Pininfarina;

 

- Then the Theater and the Opera: Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, Torre del Lago, La Fenice di Venezia, il Nuovo di Milano, Teatro Verdi di Firenze; to mention some names in the music field: Verdi, Puccini, Bellini, Rossini, Vivaldi, and many others are still bringing the Italian language around the world;

 

- Sport: Ac Milan the world’s most titled club, Juventus FC, FC Internazionale, the Ferrari in Formula 1 and the Monza Gran Prix, the Giro d’Italia for Cycling;

 

- Weapons: According to the Sole 24 Ore the industry increased by 5%, major companies are: Fiocchi Ammos, Beretta, Tanfoglio, Franchi, Benelli e Fincantieri. Benelli and Beretta are Official Suppliers of U.S. Armed Forces;

 

- Fashion Industry: Armani, Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Prada, Cavalli, Boggi, Brioni, Kiton, Marinella, which are some of the major global player in the fashion field;

 

- Furnitures: Poltrona Frau, Chateau d’Ax, Natuzzi divani, Poliform and many luxury kitchen brands like Scavolini, Snaidero, Maistri, Varenna and many others. Then there are many other small companies that export their products all over the world; 

 

- At this rate, finishing such a list It would take forever;

- Italian families have savings that are averagely higher to those of any other European country.

 

However here the point is if in Italy there are so many strong points that support it even in moments of crisis, what’s the reason behind the international media campaign to ditch its economy so much? 

 

The reason is found in a simple manipulative technique operated by our market opponents, who focus on certain weak aspects of our economy to magnify them in order to distract the attention from our strong points. Also, Italy doesn’t possess any major global media to defend itself from any global media attack. 

 

The likelihood becomes real. This way Italy is globally known for all its scandals and not for all the things that really work here. Consequently House prices and company values drift lower. 

 

Italy is a very rich country and can be annoying to many big players.

 

If they ditch Italy these big players can buy Italy’s goods at knockdown prices while in the normal market they would worth much more.

So? 

 

Don’t believe those media that vilify Italy.

 

Come to Italy; there isn’t a better time than right now to invest in Italy. 

Luigi Foscale

The Black Sea: Crossroads of History

Once upon a time, the Black Sea was a huge freshwater lake. At the end of the last ice age, because of a sudden climactic warming, glaciers began to melt and consequently, the world’s oceans began to rise.

In 5,600 BC, the Mediterranean Sea broke through a natural land “dam” where today there is the city of Istanbul. This geological event created the Bosporus Strait, allowing vast amounts of seawater to flow into the previously fresh waters of the Black Sea. Carbon-14 radio-dating methods support this viewpoint.

Its ancient name was Pontus Exinus (the inhospitable sea).

The Black Sea was explored and colonized by the Greeks in the 8th century B.C. and later by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C. Its commercial importance grew from the Greek dominance to the Byzantine Empire, when the capital of the Roman Empire became Costantinople.

When the Ottomans invaded Constantinople and changed it into Instanbul, the Black Sea was closed to foreign commerce until 1856 when the Treaty of Paris which settled the Crimea War and made the Black Sea a neutral territory, closing it to all warships and prohibiting fortifications and the presence of armaments on its shores. The treaty marked a severe setback to Russian influence in the region. However since then, the Sea re-opened for business to all nations interested in commerce.

The Black Sea is home to some of humankind’s most intriguing legends like Jason’s Gold Fleece and Noah’s Ark.

Maritime explorer Bob Ballard mostly known for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985 and of the battleship Bismarck in 1989 he is combing the floor of the Black Sea in search of the remains of ancient dwellings, which would buttress a new theory that a cataclysmic flood struck the region some 7,000 years ago—swelling the sea and eventually becoming the basis of the Noah story.

Ballard’s research has been extensevely featured through a special programming on National Geographic Channel. 

Troy, Constantinople, Istanbul, Sevastopol, Odessa, and Yalta are just a few of the names in this coastal area that have been carved in world history.


From the Christian Crusades to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Black Sea has witnessed major religious and political changes which greatly influenced human history.

Today, the Black sea is a melting pots of cultures, traditions, religions and historical memories. It’s still a vital trading crossroads, with major ports along its coast, the commercial fisheries, a diversity of marine life, beautiful tourist beaches and unique archaelogical sites.

The recent discovery of ancient wooden ships in the floor of the Black Sea has grown a renewed interest in its underwater treasures and history. In 1976, Willard Bascom suggested that the deep, anoxic waters of the Black Sea might have preserved ships from antiquity because typical wood-devouring organisms could not survive there. At a depth of 150m, the Black Sea contains insufficient oxygen to support most familiar biological life forms.

The Black Sea has six bordering countries: Bulgaria and Romania on the west, Ukraine on the north, Russia and Georgia on the east, and Turkey on the south.


Bulgaria

The Bulgars were a Caucasian-turkish tribe which formed the first Bulgarian nation in the 7th century. In 1389, the Ottoman Turks took over Bulgaria and nearly 500 years later Bulgaria regained independence with the help of Russia.

Eventually Bulgaria fell under the Soviet influence and in 1946 became a People's Republic.

The Communist regime ended in 1990, when the country held its first free elections since World War II and began its path towards democracy.

In 2001, Simeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg, the former king of Bulgaria who was forced from his throne after World War II, returned to power as Prime Minister.

Bulgaria is a unique mix of ethnic groups: Bulgars, Slavs, Thracians, Armenians, Greeks, Romans, and Turks. Some villages have a church, some have a mosque, and some have both. Bulgaria is a peaceful nation which is a pretty rare quality in the Balkans area.

Bulgaria relies on the Black Sea for fishing, commerce, and tourism with its major beach resorts. Varna is the country's largest seaport and second-largest city. Bourgas and Sozopol are the primary fishing ports, Tsarevo is a major touristic hub.

Did You Know That? — About Bulgaria

-   In Bulgaria, shaking your head from side to side means "yes," and nodding your head up and down means "no."

-   Sofia's Alexander Nevski Church is the largest Orthodox Church in Europe.

-   The Cyrillic alphabet was developed in Bulgaria by the saints Methodious and Cyril.

-   Orpheus, the great musician of Greek myth, whose songs could charm wild beasts and coax even rocks to move, was said to have been born in the ancient land of Bulgaria.

-   Bulgarian food uses minced or grilled lamb, beef, veal, pork, pickles, lamb's cheese, and yogurt. Ayran, a yogurt thinned with water, is a popular drink that looks like milk. Traditional Shopska salad is made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers and topped with feta cheese.

 

-   The most important commercial port is Bourgas.

 

-   The Corporate Income Tax in Bulgaria is 10%.

 

-   More than 80% of households own the home free from mortgage.


Romania

The name Romania comes from the Latin word “Romanus” that means Roman, however the nation’s current name has been in use only since the second half of the XIXth century.

Before that time its name was Wallachia or Moldavia.

In Romania there are both strong European and Turkish influences, as Romania was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1877.

Romania's political history of the past century has been marked by political instability and violent revolutions: after World War II, King Mihai was forced to abdicate, forced by the Communists, and Romania became a "People's Republic."

In the 1960s, Nicolae Ceausescu took over the Communist Party leadership and instituted increasingly oppressive measures. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989.

Currently, Romania is a democracy and recently joined the European Union.

Romania has a chain of resorts, a "string of pearls," along the Black Sea coast. The largest urban center and seaport is Constanta. The sun, air, Black Sea water, and thermal mud treatments at these resorts are said to have restorative powers.

Did You Know That? — About Romania

-   The Roman poet Ovid was exiled to the Romanian coast by Emperor Augustus in 8 A.D. He wrote some of his most important work there, such as Tristia, which expresses his sadness at being far from home.

-   Romania's Lake Rosca is home to Europe's largest pelican colony.

-   Famous Romanians range from Count Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) in Transylvania to the modern sculptor Constantin Brancusi.

-   Zakuska is a traditional spread made from roasted eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Almost all Romanian.

 

-   The Corporate Income Tax is 16%.

 

-   More than 80% of households own the home free from mortgage.

 

 

My Private Banking in Real Estate

 

Dear Friends,

This week’s op-ed is a letter, because I d like to share with you the reasons that led me to conceive the Real Estate Private Banking not only is effective but is actually necessary to overcome this moment of crisis.

First of all let’s see how this idea was born.

Since the end of the 90’s I began to manage my fortune. When I began I told myself: “if I lose, I lose my money, so you should do it the good way”. For this reason I did all I could, to work out the best possible outcome. 

After many analysis and in-depth studies, I had sensed that properties could provide continuous cash flows to uphold the living standards and a protection against Inflation.

And even if before the crisis, rental properties were almost boring for many financiers, I had taken my decision.

Today, after 4 years of persisting crisis, I have seen many of those financiers go bankrupt. In these years of crisis, I have seen many Hedge Fund ending belly up.

What’s weird is before the crisis, these people were like Einstein.

 

Likewise I have also seen that rental properties (if were good deals), they toughed it out.

Obviously real estate values went down too, however those who invested for the rental income in a time that was not the highest ever, nonetheless today is still very respectable.

As i said, 14 years ago, I started to manage my fortune. After a while some of my relatives came to me asking for advice and eventually even the management. In the meanwhile I organized myself and I have grown up until when, in 2006 I decided to quit my job as employee to start my own business. Since then an always growing number of people did contact me to be advised on real estate investment or to solve their financial problems.

If you want to contact me you can write to retirerichbyluigifoscale@yahoo.com

A dear greeting with the deepest respect and admiration,

Luigi Foscale