The Tuscan Influence

Kissimmee, Florida is home to the Solivita retirement community – a master-planned neighborhood that features homes with award-winning, Tuscan-inspired designs. The Tuscan architectural style comes from a region in central Italy known as Tuscany, which is also home to the beautiful city of Florence. Known for its pastoral scenery, traditions, and artistry, Tuscany, indeed, has had a strong influence on art, architecture, wine, food, and culture.

The Community of Solivita

The retirement community of Solivita certainly exemplifies the Tuscan style, with its temperate climate, lush grounds, and inviting, if not relaxing, atmosphere. The name, Solivita, translates to “Sun” and “Life,” all which aptly describes this eco-friendly environment. Solivita, again, is located in the city of Kissimmee, close to Walt Disney World (about 20 miles south). Comprised of 4,300 acres, the community boasts two 18-hole golf courses, wooded nature preserves, and glistening lakes.

An Award-winning Place to Live

Again, you have to take note of Solivita’s Tuscan-inspired homes as Solivita has been given consecutive awards for its home designs as well as its use of eco building materials. Home sites in Solivita are made up of attached and detached single-family residences that are showcased in one of 16 different floor plans. Residents experience modern conveniences yet Old World elements in the homes in the community.

The Tuscan Style

The Tuscan style, itself, makes use of custom crafted stones such as travertine, marble, and limestone. Terracotta colored floors and roof tiles are frequently used to provide antique charm. Tuscany architecture replicates the wood beams used in the Tuscan farm houses in Italy.

Tuscan Materials

Marble fireplaces, fountains, and gates made of wrought iron are also used in Tuscany architecture. Elegant Tuscan homes in Italy feature wrought iron gates and ancient stone walls adorned in vines along patios and terraces. Travertine cobblestone entrances and paths of stone and brick are standard fare when paving a Tuscan-style landscape.

A Touch of Tuscany

Residents in the Solivita community often add plants that enhance the architecture. Antique pots and jars containing rosemary, lavender, and sage can be found on patios or sitting in a sunny spot inside the tastefully furnished homes.

Warm Hues and Tones

Tuscan architecture promotes the use or warm hues and tones, all which represents the subtle earthiness of a shaded hillside. Tuscan decorating styles also showcase rich textured walls and ceilings. Ceilings are often vaulted in the framework for the design.

Tuscan Flooring

The Tuscan home displays floors made of tile, stone, or glass, all which work well within the color palette. Terrazzo floors featuring stucco, crushed rock, or chips also add to the richness of this themed decor.

Solivita Home Styles

So, when you view the homes in Solivita, you’ll experience the aforementioned influences in all the homes styles. Inspiring warmth and sunniness, these kinds of designs add to the value of the real estate and the aesthetics of the community.

Elegant Yet Simple

Because of the Tuscan theme, you’ll be able to decorate your home accordingly. A Tuscan décor is elegant yet simple and uses colors, as indicated, that are earth-toned. Treatments and upholstery often feature such colors as pale yellows, oranges, or dark-hued reds or greens.

A Few Decorating Tips

Add antique-looking baskets or pots that are copper-colored and make use of ivy and dried flowers to fill the baskets and containers you select. Terracotta plants featuring lots of green are nice additions to any patio or deck. Once more, glass is a decorating staple of the Tuscan design, whether you use it for embellishing paintings or for the doors and drawers of cabinetry. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer or crafter, leather strips can be used for framing prints or serve as edging on upholstery.

Tuscan Foods

You can also add to the Tuscan theme with dishes from this section of Italy. Again, when you think of “Tuscan,” you think of the earth – where food, in the form of olives and grapes, are abundant. Unlike other parts of Italy, where meals use meat as a flavoring, Tuscan cuisine features farm-fresh cured meats, home-made sausages, and game in its entrees.

A Suggested Entrée

One of the famous Tuscan entrees is steak Florentine, also called Bistecca alla Fiorenta. The Porterhouse, which is marinated in garlic and olive oil, is grilled and served over vegetables. The steak and vegetables is the ideal cuisine to serve out on your patio in your new Solivita home. Add Bruschetta to the fare. Grill the bread and coat it with garlic and olive oil before topping it with such complements as basil, cheese, tomatoes, or mushrooms.

As you can see, Tuscany has a strong influence in the Solivita community. Solivita in Kissimmee then is the ideal place to reside if you want to live a life that, like the Tuscan design, is as inspired as it is creative.

About Author: Thomas M. Bird is a writer who writes about retirement real estate in Florida. For more information about the Solivita retirement community in Orlando, FL, visit the Solivita website at vitaliahomes.com/communities/solivita or give the community a call toll-free at 1-877-899-7060.