Photo: Rachael Ray in Season
Rachael Ray has officially achieved what she describes as her “life’s goal” — purchasing a home in Tuscany, Italy!
The Food Network star, 52, shares the news for the first time in the Fall 2021 issue ofher magazine,Rachael Ray In Season, which has been dubbed “The (Mostly) Italian Issue,” on newsstands this week. PEOPLE got a sneak peek at the exciting story, and can exclusively share the first-ever photos of the stunning villa Ray now shares withher husband, John Cusimano.
“I’m writing this just before I go to Italy for the first time in three years,” the cookbook author begins her editor’s letter in the issue. “I love it there and have missed it. My mother’s family and both of John’s parents' families hail from there. My husband and I got married there. And three years ago, I achieved my life’s goal of buying a property there, in Tuscany.”
Ray goes on to explain that the villa they now call home was simply “two structures” in dire need of repair when they purchased it, lacking plumbing and electricity and housing some small critters inside.
Rachael Ray in Season
“My husband called it a war zone,” she jokes. ‘“Honey, don’t you want to look at a…house?’ he asked. But I fell in love with the fields and the views and I thought for the money we’d pay for a house, we could build something that’s really, truly ours.”
A year after they purchased it, they were finally able to begin renovating, Ray says, but they were soon stopped in their tracks for three reasons: A&E and Facebook offered to create a show based on their adventures,their dog Isaboogot sick and passed away, and then the pandemic hit, closing the Italian borders and halting life as they knew it. Their belovedhome in upstate New York burned downsoon after the pandemic began, complicating things even further.
The New York native explains that Tuscany has always felt special to her — she fell in love with the landscapes, people and food — so selecting the region as a second home was a no-brainer.
“In Tuscany, the air smells different from any other place on earth I’ve visited. It’s sweet and filled with the scent of agricultural wonder,” Ray writes. “The olive trees, vineyards, fecund gardens, incredible landscapes and views…it overwhelms you and it’s what I’ve missed the most — the air! The first time I went, 20 years ago, I felt it as soon as I touched the ground.”
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Now, she’s excited to bring the magic of Tuscany to fans, starting with sharing bits and pieces of the culture and cuisine in her magazine.
“I’ve always said that cooking and eating food from a certain region or place can transport you. So whether or not you can go to Italy, you can have a Tuscan night. Or French. Or Moroccan,” she says.
“That’s why I love what I get to do for a living, to bring that message to so many people,” she continues. “You don’t have to be rich to live a rich life, and to me, taking time to prepare and enjoy food at a communal table with the ones you love is the best way to live richly.”
The Harvest issue ofRachael Ray In Seasonis available now on newsstands, on Amazon, and online starting August 13.
source: people.com
