That Summer in Sicily

That Summer in Sicily PDF Author: Marlena de Blasi
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345513339
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “At villa Donnafugata, long ago is never very far away,” writes bestselling author Marlena de Blasi of the magnificent if somewhat ruined castle in the mountains of Sicily that she finds, accidentally, one summer while traveling with her husband, Fernando. There de Blasi is befriended by Tosca, the patroness of the villa, an elegant and beautiful woman-of-a-certain-age who recounts her lifelong love story with the last prince of Sicily descended from the French nobles of Anjou. Sicily is a land of contrasts: grandeur and poverty, beauty and sufferance, illusion and candor. In a luminous and tantalizing voice, That Summer in Sicily re-creates Tosca’s life, from her impoverished childhood to her fairy-tale adoption and initiation into the glittering life of the prince’s palace, to the dawning and recognition of mutual love. But when Prince Leo attempts to better the lives of his peasants, his defiance of the local Mafia’s grim will to maintain the historical imbalance between the haves and the have-nots costs him dearly. The present-day narrative finds Tosca sharing her considerable inherited wealth with a harmonious society composed of many of the women–now widowed–who once worked the prince’s land alongside their husbands. How the Sicilian widows go about their tasks, care for one another, and celebrate the rituals of a humble, well-lived life is the heart of this book. Showcasing the same writerly gifts that made bestsellers of A Thousand Days in Venice and A Thousand Days in Tuscany, That Summer in Sicily, and de Blasi’ s marvelous storytelling, remind us that in order to live a rich life, one must embrace both life’s sorrow and its beauty. Here is an epic drama that takes readers from Sicily’s remote mountains to chaotic post-war Palermo, from the intricacies of forbidden love to the havoc wreaked by Sicily’s eternally bewildering culture.

That Summer in Sicily

That Summer in Sicily PDF Author: Marlena de Blasi
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345513339
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “At villa Donnafugata, long ago is never very far away,” writes bestselling author Marlena de Blasi of the magnificent if somewhat ruined castle in the mountains of Sicily that she finds, accidentally, one summer while traveling with her husband, Fernando. There de Blasi is befriended by Tosca, the patroness of the villa, an elegant and beautiful woman-of-a-certain-age who recounts her lifelong love story with the last prince of Sicily descended from the French nobles of Anjou. Sicily is a land of contrasts: grandeur and poverty, beauty and sufferance, illusion and candor. In a luminous and tantalizing voice, That Summer in Sicily re-creates Tosca’s life, from her impoverished childhood to her fairy-tale adoption and initiation into the glittering life of the prince’s palace, to the dawning and recognition of mutual love. But when Prince Leo attempts to better the lives of his peasants, his defiance of the local Mafia’s grim will to maintain the historical imbalance between the haves and the have-nots costs him dearly. The present-day narrative finds Tosca sharing her considerable inherited wealth with a harmonious society composed of many of the women–now widowed–who once worked the prince’s land alongside their husbands. How the Sicilian widows go about their tasks, care for one another, and celebrate the rituals of a humble, well-lived life is the heart of this book. Showcasing the same writerly gifts that made bestsellers of A Thousand Days in Venice and A Thousand Days in Tuscany, That Summer in Sicily, and de Blasi’ s marvelous storytelling, remind us that in order to live a rich life, one must embrace both life’s sorrow and its beauty. Here is an epic drama that takes readers from Sicily’s remote mountains to chaotic post-war Palermo, from the intricacies of forbidden love to the havoc wreaked by Sicily’s eternally bewildering culture.

Midnight In Sicily

Midnight In Sicily PDF Author: Peter Robb
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1466861290
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 484

Get Book Here

Book Description
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year From the author of M and A Death in Brazil comes Midnight in Sicily. South of mainland Italy lies the island of Sicily, home to an ancient culture that--with its stark landscapes, glorious coastlines, and extraordinary treasure troves of art and archeology--has seduced travelers for centuries. But at the heart of the island's rare beauty is a network of violence and corruption that reaches into every corner of Sicilian life: Cosa Nostra, the Mafia. Peter Robb lived in southern Italy for over fourteen years and recounts its sensuous pleasures, its literature, politics, art, and crimes.

Sicilian Summer

Sicilian Summer PDF Author: Brian Johnston
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1741157110
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Get Book Here

Book Description
I came to Sicily an idle bystander and found myself bewitched by its neglected grandeur, sad beauty and passionate intensity in the background I hear once more the cool fizz of lemons on a hot day, the demented click of cicadas and the spluttering of battered Fiats in narrow streets: the sounds of Sicily. This is a story of family honour, religion, tragedy, sex, bitter history and sweet pastries.' Travel writer Brian Johnston accepted an invitation to attend the confirmation of a friend's god-daughter in Sicily, naively expecting little more than the chance to immerse himself in some genuine southern Italian hospitality, while exploring the vibrant tastes, smells, flavours and rituals of Sicilian food. But Sicily has a way of getting under your skin, and as well as being seduced by the island's earthy and mysterious charms, he found himself unexpectedly swept up in flamboyant family dramas and dangerous village politics, eccentric personalities and age-old feuds. A delicious and wholly irresistible tale of passion, power, politics and pasta; This is the story of a summer in Sicily.

Seeking Sicily

Seeking Sicily PDF Author: John Keahey
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429990678
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Keahey's exploration of this misunderstood island offers a much-needed look at a much-maligned land."—Paul Paolicelli, author of Under the Southern Sun Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest and most mysterious island. Its people, for three thousand years under the thumb of one invader after another, hold tightly onto a culture so unique that they remain emotionally and culturally distinct, viewing themselves first as Sicilians, not Italians. Many of these islanders, carrying considerable DNA from Arab and Muslim ancestors who ruled for 250 years and integrated vast numbers of settlers from the continent just ninety miles to the south, say proudly that Sicily is located north of Africa, not south of Italy. Seeking Sicily explores what lies behind the soul of the island's inhabitants. It touches on history, archaeology, food, the Mafia, and politics and looks to nineteenth- and twentieth-century Sicilian authors to plumb the islanders' so-called Sicilitudine. This "culture apart" is best exemplified by the writings of one of Sicily's greatest writers, Leonardo Sciascia. Seeking Sicily also looks to contemporary Sicilians who have never shaken off the influences of their forbearers, who believed in the ancient gods and goddesses. Author John Keahey is not content to let images from the island's overly touristed villages carry the story. Starting in Palermo, he journeyed to such places as Arab-founded Scopello on the west coast, the Greek ruins of Selinunte on the southwest, and Sciascia's ancestral village of Racalmuto in the south, where he experienced unique, local festivals. He spent Easter Week in Enna at the island's center, witnessing surreal processions that date back to Spanish rule. And he learned about Sicilian cuisine in Spanish Baroque Noto and Greek Siracusa in the southeast, and met elderly, retired fishermen in the tiny east-coast fishing village of Aci Trezza, home of the mythical Cyclops and immortalized by Luchino Visconti's mid-1940s film masterpiece, La terra trema. He walked near the summit of Etna, Europe's largest and most active volcano, studied the mountain's role in creating this island, and looked out over the expanse of the Ionian Sea, marveling at the three millennia of myths and history that forged Sicily into what it is today.

A Thousand Days in Tuscany

A Thousand Days in Tuscany PDF Author: Marlena de Blasi
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345481097
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 370

Get Book Here

Book Description
They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany. Once again, it was love at first sight. Love for the timeless countryside and the ancient village of San Casciano dei Bagni, for the local vintage and the magnificent cooking, for the Tuscan sky and the friendly church bells. Love especially for old Barlozzo, the village mago, who escorts the newcomers to Tuscany’s seasonal festivals; gives them roasted country bread drizzled with just-pressed olive oil; invites them to gather chestnuts, harvest grapes, hunt truffles; and teaches them to caress the simple pleasures of each precious day. It’s Barlozzo who guides them across the minefields of village history and into the warm and fiercely beating heart of love itself. A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth–and tucked into its fragrant corners are luscious recipes (including one for the only true bruschetta) directly from the author’s private collection.

My Lemon Grove Summer

My Lemon Grove Summer PDF Author: Jo Thomas
Publisher: Review
ISBN: 1472246004
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Rich, warm and sunny. A story that stays with you long after the last page is turned' Milly Johnson Could the lemon groves of Sicily be the perfect place to start over? This irresistible novel from Jo Thomas, author of Escape to the French Farmhouse, will transport you to the island of mountains and sparkling blue seas. When life hands you lemons ... is it ever too late for a second chance? Zelda's impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best? But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can't hide the shadow hanging over Citta d'Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there's a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around... Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart?

A Thousand Days in Venice

A Thousand Days in Venice PDF Author: Marlena De Blasi
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 1616202815
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
De Blasi, a chef and food writer from St. Louis, begins a whirlwind romance with a man in Venice.

From Scratch

From Scratch PDF Author: Tembi Locke
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 150118766X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
Now a limited Netflix series starring Zoe Saldana! This Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller is “a captivating story of love lost and found” (Kirkus Reviews) set in the lush Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hours. It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance—an incredible love story that leaps off the pages. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. “Locke’s raw and heartfelt memoir will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones” (Publishers Weekly), but her story is also about love, finding a home, and chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and those who needed a powerful reminder that life is...delicious.

Made in Sicily

Made in Sicily PDF Author: Giorgio Locatelli
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062130382
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 621

Get Book Here

Book Description
From Giorgio Locatelli, bestselling author of Made in Italy, comes an exquisite cookbook on the cuisine of Sicily, which combines recipes with the stories and history of one of Italy’s most romantic, dramatic regions: an island of amber wheat fields, lush citrus and olive groves, and rolling vineyards, suspended in the Mediterranean Sea. Mapping a culinary landscape marked by the influences of Arab, Spanish, and Greek colonists, the recipes in Made in Sicily showcase the island’s diverse culinary heritage and embody the Sicilian ethos of primacy of quality ingredients over pretentiousness or fuss in which “what grows together goes together.”

Sicilian Carousel

Sicilian Carousel PDF Author: Lawrence Durrell
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1453261664
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 195

Get Book Here

Book Description
A moving account of friendship and discovery on the island of Sicily from the acclaimed travel writer and bestselling author of The Alexandria Quartet. Despite decades spent writing poetic evocations of the timeless pleasures of life in the Mediterranean, Lawrence Durrell had never set foot on the sea’s largest island: mysterious, impenetrable Sicily. For years his friend Martine begged him to visit her on this sun-kissed paradise, and though he always intended to, life inevitably interfered. It took Martine’s sudden death to finally bring him to the island’s shores. With Martine’s letters in his pocket, Durrell signs up for a tour group, hoping to learn the travel habits of those who aren’t obsessively devoted to island life. As he treks from sight to sight, dizzy with history and culture, Durrell finds echoes of his past lives in Rhodes, Cyprus, and Corfu.