Tod's introduces leather motorcycle and scooter helmets.

Featuring a microfiber lining, stainless steel hardware and flip-up plexiglass eye shields, the helmets are priced at about $1,000 and come in glove soft, saddle stitched black, white and vacchetta leather.

The helmets are made by hand entirely in Italy, in a painstaking process ensuring their quality and durability, and adhere to rigorous road-going safety standards in a marriage of timeless style and contemporary luxury.

Tod’s has been expanding its offerings of late and also recently introduced its first line of sunglasses. Meanwhile, the firm’s dapper owner Diego Della Valle just published a book titled Italian Touch extolling the virtues of the stylish lifestyle embodied by the brand.

Ray-Ban Craft genuine leather collection.

Made in Italy they feature Ray-Ban’s trademark Crystal lenses for optimum optical clarity. The leather is designed to improve and beautify with age and use. The Outdoorsman is priced at $216 and a slimmer, more contemporary model, the Caravan, is priced at $171.

Both are now available in either gold with brown leather or silver with black leather combos and matching cases from haute online eyewear boutique Eyegoodies.

Brabus GLK is world's fastest street legal SUV.

With a whopping 750 hp 12-cylinder twin turbo engine, the vehicle set a new speed record of 200.3 mph at Italy’s Nardo test track in October and can do 0 – 62 mph in 4.2 seconds.

Other upgrades include air intakes, carbon fiber spoiler lip on the front apron, a four-pipe sports exhaust system, fender flares, a rear roof spoiler. The interior is done in full leather interior with Alcantara elements, an ergonomically shaped sport steering wheel and wood or carbon fiber trim for the dashboard, doors and center console.

Custom consoles for the backs of the vehicles front seats contain multimedia devices in case the passengers get bored between neck-snapping accelerations.

Oh yes, and the price will set you back a cool $570,000.

MV Agusta Launches New Models For First Time In A Decade

HD’s purchase of MVA for $10M was a strategic move to broaden HD’s presence in Europe. While many mistakenly believe that most HD’s are sold in the U.S., this market actually accounts for less than 50% of new HD sales as the majority are in foreign markets.

There are two new bikes which are geared towards an affluent younger demographic of rider. The new versions are from the Brutale sport bike family and great for those that enjoy a sporty ride.

The 2010 Brutale 990R has a 990 cubic-centimeter engine and will be priced at $15,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. at the end of this year or early next year.

The 2010 Brutale 1090R has a more powerful engine and will cost $18,000.

~~ Raine Devries

Ferrari F458 Italia.

So Ferrari has brought us the 458 Italia. It’s the first all-new mid-engined production Ferrari in a decade, replacing the F430 which itself was based on the 360 Modena. It’s set to debut at the Frankfurt auto show in a couple of weeks, but Ferrari’s already given a sneak peek at this gorgeous beast.

The 458 Italia represents a significant step forward from the already blindingly fast F430, adopting the latest lessons gleaned from Ferrari’s campaigning in the Formula One world championship. Under its curvaceous bodywork lies an all-aluminum chassis, powered by a new 4.5-liter V8 with direct injection, producing 562 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque, revving all the way up to 9000 rpm and driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

This is enough power to accelerate from 0-60 in under 3.4 seconds en route to a top speed of 202 mph. Inside the all-new interior features controls centralized on the steering wheel, from which the driver can control everything, and a warning system that alerts the driver when his ride is ready to roll.

~ Raine Devries

Imagine the sensation of driving a legendary sports car through the winding roads of the Italian countryside.

The Elise SC sports a compact Toyota-sourced 1.8 liter four cylinder with a supercharger which produces a decent 218 horsepower; however, it has a curb weight of less than 2k pounds so it can blast to 60mph in less than 4.3 seconds which will help immensely as you come out of a mountain curve and drive on to tackle a straightaway before you.

To celebrate its much-anticipated opening of the 570-acre beachfront resort, Verdura is offering guests visiting between August 1 and December 31 complimentary benefits including green fees for unlimited golf play on its three world-class courses, dinner every evening at any of its four superb restaurants and thalassotherapy spa treatments as well as a 50% discount on a second family room. Starting rates for a three-night stay range from $1,399 for a December visit to $2,967 for a visit in August.

About nine months ago, Aston Martin started taunting performance car aficionados with teaser shots of its upcoming One-77 supercar.   Now, with much fanfare, the first completed vehicle has made its way out of the marque’s factory in the United Kingdom and over to the shores of Lake Como in Italy where it took part in the Concorso d’Eleganza, where it received rave reviews.

Aston’s brutally-styled beauty took home the Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes, garnering 30% of the total number of votes cast at the event in the process. Not only were the event’s attendees the first to gaze upon a fully assembled One-77, they also got to hear it run for the first time ever.

Watch the car in slow action here and check out the sound of that sweet motor!

The masks which are traditionally worn during Carnivale in Italy are rich with elegance and history and they draw upon Commedia dell’arte characters for the design inspirations.

It’s an amusing yet touching sight to see a man sitting and looking with love at his handmade shoes much with the same look of love he bestowed upon his first million dollar$.

In today’s world, it doesn’t get much better than Stefano Bemer shoes.

Bemer, who once worked for Gucci, is an Italian master cobbler who hand-makes truly unique shoes. Using materials such as toad and camel, his bespoke shoes take about three months to produce and start at around $2,000.  Considering these shoes will last a couple decades with good care, they are an absolute bargain.