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By turns romantic and sensual, joyous and celebratory, touching and humorous, Marlena de Blasi's account of moving with her husband, Fernando, to Orvieto, the largest city in Italy's Umbria, will appeal to anyone who delights in travel and shares the fantasy of beginning a new life in a very different place. It is a tale of the couple's search for the right home-which turns out to be the former ballroom of a fifteenth=-century palazzo-and the right balance in their lives, in this case making friends of cooks, counts, shepherds, and a lone violinist. It is a tale, too, of an American woman finding her niche in a society bound by tradition and seemingly closed to outsiders.
With a voice full of wonder, de Blasi brings to life these engagingly quirky people and the aloof, almost daunting society that exists in Umbria. Not since Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence has a writer so convincingly captures the essence of a singular place and created a feast for readers of all stripes.
"Vivid writing and an affectionate appreciation of the sounds, scenes and flavors of Italy."—Publishers Weekly
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 1, 2007 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781400123438
- File size: 278518 KB
- Duration: 09:40:14
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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De Blasi's book, set in Orvieto, Italy, is about her effort, with her Venetian husband, to find, renovate, and, at last, move into the ballroom of a splendid but dilapidated palazzo of uncertain vintage. At the same time, listeners will enjoy Laural Merlington's down-to-earth, expert narration of the vivid Italian and English phrases that describe the life of the town and its inhabitants. Merlington reads clearly, seamlessly blending the two languages. She pours emotion into the dialogue as her exuberance and American disregard of Italian class distinctions at times distress her new friends and her husband. Merlington's presentation inspires a love of Italy and caresses its language. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine -
June 1, 2007
Shelves creak with the weight of books written by English or American expatriates who discover the often subtle charms and always overpowering problems encountered in the "Italian Riviera," primarily the areas of Tuscany and Umbria. Titles such as Ferenc Mate's "The Hills of Tuscany" and Lisa St. Aubin de Teran's "A Valley in Italy" recount efforts by the authors to cope with the obvious beauty of these regions while battling bureaucracy, deceptive real estate agents, and insects that threaten their crops. De Blasi has eloquently written about her experiences in Tuscany and Venice as a cook, travel guide, and young bride ("A Thousand Days in Venice"). Now, she and her temperamental Italian bank manager husband, Fernando, are searching for a home in Umbria and, after a few false starts, find their dream house in Orvieto, a "hill town" where the local versions of the Hatfields and the McCoys have made life interesting for new residents. Like most people writing about Italy, de Blasi lets fly with the adjectives, similes, and metaphors, but it all works to produce a delightful account of the discovery of what Orvieto is really like behind the quaintness and festivals. Laural Merlington handles the Italian language with skill, presenting the trials and tribulations of de Blasi and her husband with humor, understanding, and love. Recommended for medium and large public libraries.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CACopyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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September 25, 2006
Following A Thousand Days in Venice
and A Thousand Days in Tuscany
, de Blasi's new book, set in Orvieto, is ostensibly about her effort, with her Italian husband, first to find, then to renovate and at last to move into the ballroom of a splendid, dilapidated medieval palazzo. The renovation becomes an engrossing portrait of the town and some of its inhabitants. Nothing goes according to plan or schedule, but de Blasi uses the years (literally) of waiting to explore the life of the town, centering on the home-based caffé
-kitchen of her friend Miranda and the caffé
's patrons. De Blasi's exuberance and her American disregard of Italian class distinctions at times distress her new friends and also her husband, but eventually, almost by accident, she pulls off a coup of diplomatic détente just after they finally set up housekeeping in the palazzo. Vvid writing and an affectionate appreciation of the sounds, scenes and flavors of Italy, as well as of the somewhat eccentric Umbrians she meets, will charm lovers of that country.
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