Life-Changing Secrets from an Italian Goddess - Donna DeRosa

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!Life-Changing Secrets

!from an

!Italian Goddess

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Well, more than one goddess actually. !

I’ve culled together the beauty, happiness, and life secrets from famous Italian women past and present.

!Follow their advice and you’ll be living La Dolce Vita quicker

than a Ferrari can go from zero to 60 mph. !!

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http://DonnaDeRosa.com

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Welcome to the

La Dolce Vita Lifestyle by

Donna DeRosa Coaching !!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Diana Goddess of the Hunt, the Moon, and Childbirth

origins in ancient Rome !

The most beloved of all Italian goddesses is Diana, the huntress. Not only was she an empowered single woman, she was also known for her beauty, resourcefulness, and unwavering support of other women. !She was the goddess of the hunt, the forest, and wild animals. She was also the goddess of the moon. And women called on her for support in childbirth and for fertility. !She is all that is the essence of woman. !It’s no wonder that Italian women are so strong and passionate. They were raised with Diana as an example, and led by generations of mothers and grandmothers. !When Italian women get married they keep their maiden name. They don’t become simply the wife of a man. They are equal partners. For hundreds of years they have been property owners and business owners. Italy, and Rome before it, have always held women in high esteem. Women are the true rulers of the family. And they know it. !Let’s hear from some modern Italian Goddesses: film goddesses, authors, chefs, mothers, philanthropists, and poets. All are renowned beauties with lifetimes of experience to share. They are listed alphabetically. !!



!Monica Bellucci

actress, model, mother born 1964 in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy

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On Aging… !“I wouldn't want to be 20 again for anything.”

!On Beauty… !“I know many beautiful people and their lives are just so terrible. They feel so uncomfortable with themselves. Being comfortable is not about what you look like, but how you feel.” !“I have always loved lipstick. For women, that love comes from our mother and grandmothers. It's so natural for a woman to open up her mirror and apply lipstick.” !“If you want a man to notice you, just wear red lipstick.” !“My body is so important to me…my face, my arms, my legs, my hands, my eyes, everything. I use everything I have.”

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On Career… !“We all need illusions. That's why we love movies.” !“I don't feel the need to prove myself to others, but to prove myself to myself.” !!On Family… !“In Italy, the concept of the family is very important.” !“I'm a lucky person because I've been loved a lot. I have a great family.” !“The most important thing with children is to give them your time. Actually, that's all that matters.” !!On Health… !“Wherever I go, I am Italian. The way I talk, the way I eat, the way femininity is important to me. The way I love Italian food.” !“Instead of going to the gym, I dress in black - a lot more practical and much more fun.” !!On Life… !“When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy my life.” !“Usually, I'm only sad when something sad happens. I am not a melancholic person. I like to live very much in the present. If I was an animal, I'd be a little cat. They like to live life.” !



“I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there's something I believe in, it's a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings.” !!On Love & Relationships… !“Personally, I find it romantic not to be with someone all the time; you don't get used to someone or take them for granted.” !“When a relationship doesn't work anymore, it's terrible to stay with someone that you don't love.” !“My career, at the moment, is very exciting, but love comes first because it balances me.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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Claudia Cardinale actress, activist

born 1938 in Tunis, French Protectorate Tunisia, parents from Trapani, Sicily, Italy

!!!On Aging… !“What’s incredible is that I’m 75 and still working.” !!On Career… !“I’ve never felt scandal and confession were necessary to be an actress. I’ve never revealed myself or even my body in films. Mystery is very important.” !“To do this kind of work, you have to be very strong, otherwise you lose your personality, your identity.” !On Life… !“It is with passion and dedication that I will be attentive to the needs of women and fight relentlessly for their rights.”



!Giada De Laurentiis

chef, author, mother born 1970 in Rome, Lazio, Italy

!!!On Aging… !“I was so nervous to turn 40, but the last year and a half has been the most fun I have ever had.” !On Beauty… !“I keep my skin - especially on my face and neck - out of the sun. My brother died of melanoma…and I've got SPF on all the time, 24-7. It makes you realize, the sun is a wonderful thing, but it can be a very devastating thing. So sunscreen is key, and a lot of laughter, too.” !“Yoga has trimmed my body in a way that the gym never could. I used to be a gym rat, but I switched to yoga and am now almost 10 pounds lighter. One important thing I've gotten from yoga is breathing. When I'm cooking, the top part of my body collapses down. It cuts off my diaphragm.” !!!!



On Career… !“My grandfather gave me inspiration to cook, and love food and flavors. My Aunt Raffie, gave me creativity and the inspiration to create new things. My mother inspires me to find simplicity in food.” !“My goal is to make Italian food clean and accessible and beautiful and tasty, with simple ingredients that people can find at a local grocery store, because people don't want to go to a gourmet shop in search of items that will sit in their pantry for years after they use just a teaspoon or pinch of them.” !!On Family… !“My family truly believes they are better cooks than I am. They see me as Giada, not as a celebrity chef. To them I'm just me - their granddaughter, niece, etc., and they're older and wiser. I like that because it keeps you grounded.” !“I grew up in the kitchen, mostly with my grandfather, my mother and my aunt Raffie.” !!On Food… !“Food brings people together on many different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love.” !“I eat a little bit of everything and not a lot of anything. Everything in moderation. I know that's really hard for people to understand, but I grew up in an Italian family where we didn't overdo anything. We ate pasta, yes, but not a lot of it.” !!!!!



Veronica Franco

poet, courtesan, mother born 1546 in Venice, Veneto, Italy

!!On Beauty… !“Ha, the sumptuary laws! How else would these gentle men suggest courtesans to entertain them if not by our good looks, impeccable and luxurious attire? Of course, I add to all of these my wit, and knowledge of letters but who would listen to a poorly decked woman no matter how bright she is?” !!On Family… !“My first concern was always to provide for my immediate family. But I never forget other unfortunate women. I would secure a dowry to this or that young girl or to donate money to Casa delle Zittelle, a charitable institution founded to shelter poor, unmarried girls, in order to prevent their loss of chastity and the ensuing loss of the possibility of marriage.” !



On Life… !“When we too are armed and trained, we can convince men that we have hands, feet, and a heart like yours; and although we may be delicate and soft, some men who are delicate are also strong; and others, coarse and harsh, are cowards. Women have not yet realized this, for if they should decide to do so, they would be able to fight you until death; and to prove that I speak the truth, amongst so many women, I will be the first to act, setting an example for them to follow.” !!On Love & Relationships… !Certain qualities concealed within me, I will reveal to you, infinitely sweetly, which prose or verse has never shown another, on this condition: that you prove your love to me by other means than compliments, for I take care not to be fooled by them; please me more with deeds and praise me less, and where your courtesy overflows into praise, distribute it in some other way. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Gina Lollobrigida actress, photojournalist, sculptor, philanthropist

born 1928 in Subiaco, Lazio, Italy !!On Aging… !“A woman at 20 is like ice, at 30 she is warm and at 40 she is hot.” !!On Beauty… !“Glamour is when a man knows a woman is a woman.” !!On Life… !“We are all born to die—the difference is the intensity with which we choose to live.” !!On Love & Relationships… !“Love - the best cosmetics.” !



Sophia Loren

actress, author, cook, entrepreneur born 1934 in Rome, Lazio, Italy

!!!On Aging…

!“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” !“I've never tried to block out the memories of the past, even though some are painful. I don't understand people who hide from their past. Everything you live through helps to make you the person you are now.” !!On Beauty… !“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” !



“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.” !“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” !“Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got.” !“Any woman can look her best if she feels good in her skin. It's not a question of clothes or makeup. It's how she sparkles.” !“If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful.” !“The right hairstyle can make a plain woman beautiful and a beautiful woman unforgettable.” !“I think the quality of sexiness comes from within. It is something that is in you or it isn't and it really doesn't have much to do with breasts or thighs or the pout of your lips.” !!On Career… !“There's no pleasure in working if you don't do the things you want to do." !“It's a mistake to think that once you're done with school you need never learn anything new.” !“I have never judged myself by other people’s standards. I have always expected a great deal of myself, and if I fail, I fail myself.” !

!On Health…

!“I walk, walk, walk, walk. That's very good for your heart.” !



“I eat a lot of salad, a little meat, and some fruit. That's all. But I like sweets.” !!On Life… !“After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.” !“You have to enjoy life. Always be surrounded by people that you like, people who have a nice conversation. There are so many positive things to think about.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Anna Magnani

actress born 1908 in Rome, Lazio, Italy

!!!!On Aging… !“Please don't retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them.” !!On Life… !“It's so unfair that we should die, just because we are born.” !!!!!!!!!!



Isabella Rossellini

actress, model, mother, filmmaker, author, philanthropist born 1952 in Rome, Lazio, Italy

!!On Aging… !“If you look at most beauty advertisements, you would think that makeup is only for beautiful women in their early twenties.” !“Market research shows that older women like seeing older women in ads, and that younger women do, too - because they see them and are not frightened of growing older.” !“I don't look at 'Vogue' to ask what I'm going to wear. Because it's something on a body too young. I have to look at the social pages to see women my age. To see how Amanda Burden is dressed and say, Hmmm. Maybe I should try that.” !“I always encourage women to let their individuality show by not covering up what they perceive as flaws. When I see a woman with the natural wrinkles of time on her face, I do not see the wrinkles at all, but when I see a woman trying to cover them up with too much foundation or concealer, all I see are her wrinkles.” !



“I've had a lot of 'aha' moments, but the big 'aha' about growing older is the mental freedom.” !!On Beauty… !“The reason of my life is not to be the most beautiful woman in the world.” !“Women who stay true to themselves are always more interesting and beautiful to me. Women like Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe and Anna Magnani, women who have style, chic, allure and elegance. They didn't submit to any standard of beauty. They defined it.” !“True elegance for me is the manifestation of an independent mind.” !“A lot of the advertisement is done by saying: first of all, have a complex about who you are.” !!On Food…

!“Food is a big part of my culture, so everyone knows how to cook. When I came to America and asked a babysitter to softboil an egg for my son and she didn't know how, I was shocked.” !“When I grew up in Italy in the 1950s, it was still very agricultural. Food was very important; produce was very important. Everyone made their own olive oil. It took me a long time after I moved here to understand that Americans are much further away from their food.” !“I always have parmigiano-reggiano, olive oil and pasta at home. When people get sick, they want chicken soup; I want spaghetti with parmesan cheese, olive oil and a bit of lemon zest. It makes me feel better every time.” !!!!



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Monica Vitti actress

born 1931 in Rome, Lazio, Italy !

!On Career… !“My whole family went away to America to live. They said "How can you stay alone in Italy?" But I used their absence to become an actress. That's how I became Monica Vitti.” !On Life… !“They say that the world belongs to those who get up early. It's not true. The world belongs to those who are happy to stand up.” !!!!!!!!

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La Dolce Vita Lessons Learned !

On Aging… !Life gets better with time. Experience — whether it be hardships or happiness — shape us into the people we are today. You live, you learn, you collect data on life, on the things you love, on the things you don’t love, and a time comes when you learn to make your own decisions, regardless of what others think.

!On Beauty… !There is more to beauty that a pretty face and a shapely calf. True beauty radiates from within — in the way we treat ourselves, the way we treat others, and how we allow ourselves to feel. A good haircut and lipstick never hurt anyone, but they are only icing on the cake. !!On Career… !We spend so much of our lives working, you might as well work at something you are passionate about. And when you find your passion, work never seems like work. Work become life. They go hand in hand. Look to your past for what your interests are, look to the lessons learned from family. You will find your answers. !!On Family… !There is nothing more important than your family. If is from them we learn our first lessons in life. They love you and support you unconditionally. If you don’t have family, or have one that isn’t supportive and understanding, create your own by surrounding yourself with friends who love and care for you. !!



!On Food… !Food is life. The old saying “we are what we eat” is true. Eat for nourishment. Eat for beauty. Eat for pleasure. Cook with the freshest, most natural ingredients you can find. Nothing is forbidden as long as you eat in moderation. That’s the Italian way. And a little red wine is a beautiful thing. !!On Health… !Follow a Mediterranean diet. Take walks. Dance. Move your body in whatever way is fun for you. Make it a habit. You’ll live longer, and stay healthier longer. !!On Life… !Sharing a good meal with family and friends, with lots of pleasant conversation and a little wine, that’s what life is all about. !There will be challenges in life. There will be times when we are not so happy. Don’t deny those feelings. Feel them. Live through them. Things will always get better. !!On Love & Relationships… !Live with passion. Be generous in love. Be open to love, but not needy. It’s lovely to be wanted. It’s stifling to be needed. When you find love, give it your all. There are times when you’ll need to be vulnerable, but that’s the only way to let someone in. Don’t let your career stand in the way of your life. !!!



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About the Author !

Donna DeRosa author, actress, life coach

born in Philadelphia grandparents from Apuglia, Italy

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“My dream is for you to live the sweet life, ripe with passion, good health, beautiful food, surrounded by love.

That’s La Dolce Vita.” !

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Life-Changing Secrets from an Italian Goddess - Donna DeRosa

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