Author: John Petralia
Publisher: Chartiers Creek Press
ISBN: 9780615762531
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipate -- about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.
Turning Tuscan
Author: Sam Hilt
Publisher: Tuscany Tours Book, A
ISBN: 9780985147921
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
"Turning Tuscan" is a story about what it's like to fall in love with Tuscany in your mid-life years, to buy a home there, to change around your work, and, finally, to leave the San Francisco Bay Area and move with your wife and children to a tiny Tuscan village. That's the first part. The second part tries to share what it's like living here once you've made the move: learning the language, becoming part of a village community, running a tour company, understanding the political scene, getting an internet connection, enjoying Renaissance art, spending time in the hospital, appreciating the bureaucracy, and enduring customer service at The Phone Company. It has been written in a way that will make you feel like an honored guest invited into the cockpit as we transfer from America to Tuscany and set up shop. And, in case you are wondering what kind of crazy person does such a thing, and whether you might be one, I try to share enough personal history and detail about our lives on both sides of the ocean to satisfy your curiosity. As a foreigner who enters into another culture, there is a limited window of time available to you to see these things and to try to record them in some way. You have to become Italian enough to play the game, but not so Italian yet that it all becomes invisible. If you wait too long, you are no longer in a position to reflect or comment on cultural differences because what people are doing seems totally normal to you. Ripeness is all, as the poet said, and hopefully I've managed to capture for you some of the subtler aspects of living here that travel photos, even high resolution ones, can never reveal.
Publisher: Tuscany Tours Book, A
ISBN: 9780985147921
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 260
Book Description
"Turning Tuscan" is a story about what it's like to fall in love with Tuscany in your mid-life years, to buy a home there, to change around your work, and, finally, to leave the San Francisco Bay Area and move with your wife and children to a tiny Tuscan village. That's the first part. The second part tries to share what it's like living here once you've made the move: learning the language, becoming part of a village community, running a tour company, understanding the political scene, getting an internet connection, enjoying Renaissance art, spending time in the hospital, appreciating the bureaucracy, and enduring customer service at The Phone Company. It has been written in a way that will make you feel like an honored guest invited into the cockpit as we transfer from America to Tuscany and set up shop. And, in case you are wondering what kind of crazy person does such a thing, and whether you might be one, I try to share enough personal history and detail about our lives on both sides of the ocean to satisfy your curiosity. As a foreigner who enters into another culture, there is a limited window of time available to you to see these things and to try to record them in some way. You have to become Italian enough to play the game, but not so Italian yet that it all becomes invisible. If you wait too long, you are no longer in a position to reflect or comment on cultural differences because what people are doing seems totally normal to you. Ripeness is all, as the poet said, and hopefully I've managed to capture for you some of the subtler aspects of living here that travel photos, even high resolution ones, can never reveal.
Not in a Tuscan Villa
Author: John Petralia
Publisher: Chartiers Creek Press
ISBN: 9780615762531
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipate -- about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.
Publisher: Chartiers Creek Press
ISBN: 9780615762531
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipate -- about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.
Tuscan Rose
Author: Belinda Alexandra
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0857208799
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 692
Book Description
A mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the one clue to the child's identity … When Rosa turns fifteen, she must leave the nuns who have raised her and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed, and Rosa - blessed with gifts beyond her considerable musical talents -- is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions. Meanwhile, the hand of Fascism curls around beautiful Italy, threatening her citizens. In the face of unimaginable hardship, will Rosa's intelligence, intuition and her extraordinary capacity for love be enough to ensure her survival? A compelling and beautiful tale about sacrifice and reward, of beauty and horror, and of redemption.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0857208799
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 692
Book Description
A mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the one clue to the child's identity … When Rosa turns fifteen, she must leave the nuns who have raised her and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed, and Rosa - blessed with gifts beyond her considerable musical talents -- is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions. Meanwhile, the hand of Fascism curls around beautiful Italy, threatening her citizens. In the face of unimaginable hardship, will Rosa's intelligence, intuition and her extraordinary capacity for love be enough to ensure her survival? A compelling and beautiful tale about sacrifice and reward, of beauty and horror, and of redemption.
Jefferson and Monticello
Author: Jack McLaughlin
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429936797
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 703
Book Description
A National Book Award nominee in 1988, Jack McLaughlin's biography tells the life of Thomas Jefferson as seen through the prism of his love affair with Monticello. For over half a century, it was his consuming passion, his most serious amusement. With a sure command of sources and skilled intuitive understanding of Jefferson, McLaughlin crafts and uncommon portrait of builder and building alike. En route he tells us much about life in Virginia; about Monticello's craftsmen and how they worked their materials; about slavery, class, and family; and, above all, about the multiplicity of domestic concerns that preoccupied this complex man. It is an engaging and incisive look at the eighteenth-century mind: systematic, rational, and curious, but also playful, comfort-loving, and amusing. Ultimately, it provides readers with great insight into daily life in Colonial and Federal America.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429936797
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 703
Book Description
A National Book Award nominee in 1988, Jack McLaughlin's biography tells the life of Thomas Jefferson as seen through the prism of his love affair with Monticello. For over half a century, it was his consuming passion, his most serious amusement. With a sure command of sources and skilled intuitive understanding of Jefferson, McLaughlin crafts and uncommon portrait of builder and building alike. En route he tells us much about life in Virginia; about Monticello's craftsmen and how they worked their materials; about slavery, class, and family; and, above all, about the multiplicity of domestic concerns that preoccupied this complex man. It is an engaging and incisive look at the eighteenth-century mind: systematic, rational, and curious, but also playful, comfort-loving, and amusing. Ultimately, it provides readers with great insight into daily life in Colonial and Federal America.
Simply Tuscan
Author: Pino Luongo
Publisher: Broadway
ISBN: 9780385492904
Category : Cookery, Italian
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Renowned restaurateur, bon vivant, and armchair philosopher Pino Luongo presents a year of Tuscan menus, with recipes for living the good life. Pino Luongo is Tuscan to his toes--by birth, in sensibility, philosophically, and in the way he lives his life. To be Tuscan, Pino says, "is to honor all your senses." And he believes that everyone would benefit from having a little bit of Tuscany in his or her life, which is why he has written Simply Tuscan. Welcome in the spring with a menu of quintessentially seasonal recipes, such as Artichoke, Romaine, and Pea Soup, followed by Roasted Veal with Lemon and Sage, and sweetened with Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar. Or welcome your in-laws with a meal they'll never forget: Zucchini Soup with Mint, Ricotta Ravioli with Osso Buco Gremolata, and Upside-Down Warm Apple Tart. Follow Pino to the seashore in summer, where, as he says, "the beach makes us wild with energy," to partake of a Summer Night Seafood Extravaganza--Crispy Fried Shrimp with Summer Vegetables in Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette, Trout Roasted Porchetta-Style, and Lobster and Cannellini Beans in Guazzetto. Celebrate Thanksgiving Tuscan-style and, Pino promises, it will give you something else to be thankful for. Start the meal with Farro, Swiss Chard, and Butternut Squash Soup. Follow it up with Goose with Vineyard Stuffing instead of the usual turkey. Try Mashed Potatoes with Leeks in place of the candied sweets, and finish with Spiced Poached Pears with Vin Santo Sabayon. Winter means comfort food all over the world, and in Tuscany this might mean Oven-Baked Leg of Pork Glazed with Chestnut Honey, a Carrot and Apple Puree, and Caramelized BabaScented with Orange. All of these recipes and many more, accompanied by Pino's wise and witty commentary on the occasions for which they were devised, are intended, in his words, to "convert you to Tuscanism...once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that. Some of the recipes, such as Cacciucco, a fish and shellfish stew, or the Easter Torta with Cheese, are totally, typically, traditionally Tuscan; others, like Crabmeat Ravioli in Ginger-Scented Vegetable Broth and the Bay Scallop and Asparagus Risotto are modern interpretations, which, nevertheless, remain truly Tuscan in spirit. SIMPLY TUSCAN is intended, in Pino's words, to "convert you to Tuscanism--once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that. -->
Publisher: Broadway
ISBN: 9780385492904
Category : Cookery, Italian
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Renowned restaurateur, bon vivant, and armchair philosopher Pino Luongo presents a year of Tuscan menus, with recipes for living the good life. Pino Luongo is Tuscan to his toes--by birth, in sensibility, philosophically, and in the way he lives his life. To be Tuscan, Pino says, "is to honor all your senses." And he believes that everyone would benefit from having a little bit of Tuscany in his or her life, which is why he has written Simply Tuscan. Welcome in the spring with a menu of quintessentially seasonal recipes, such as Artichoke, Romaine, and Pea Soup, followed by Roasted Veal with Lemon and Sage, and sweetened with Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar. Or welcome your in-laws with a meal they'll never forget: Zucchini Soup with Mint, Ricotta Ravioli with Osso Buco Gremolata, and Upside-Down Warm Apple Tart. Follow Pino to the seashore in summer, where, as he says, "the beach makes us wild with energy," to partake of a Summer Night Seafood Extravaganza--Crispy Fried Shrimp with Summer Vegetables in Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette, Trout Roasted Porchetta-Style, and Lobster and Cannellini Beans in Guazzetto. Celebrate Thanksgiving Tuscan-style and, Pino promises, it will give you something else to be thankful for. Start the meal with Farro, Swiss Chard, and Butternut Squash Soup. Follow it up with Goose with Vineyard Stuffing instead of the usual turkey. Try Mashed Potatoes with Leeks in place of the candied sweets, and finish with Spiced Poached Pears with Vin Santo Sabayon. Winter means comfort food all over the world, and in Tuscany this might mean Oven-Baked Leg of Pork Glazed with Chestnut Honey, a Carrot and Apple Puree, and Caramelized BabaScented with Orange. All of these recipes and many more, accompanied by Pino's wise and witty commentary on the occasions for which they were devised, are intended, in his words, to "convert you to Tuscanism...once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that. Some of the recipes, such as Cacciucco, a fish and shellfish stew, or the Easter Torta with Cheese, are totally, typically, traditionally Tuscan; others, like Crabmeat Ravioli in Ginger-Scented Vegetable Broth and the Bay Scallop and Asparagus Risotto are modern interpretations, which, nevertheless, remain truly Tuscan in spirit. SIMPLY TUSCAN is intended, in Pino's words, to "convert you to Tuscanism--once you get a taste for it, there's no turning back." And this beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated, deliciously tempting book of recipes is certain to do just that. -->
From Tables Tuscan Women
Author: Anne Bianchi
Publisher: Ecco
ISBN: 9780880014250
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
A Tuscan cookbook with a difference, From the Tables of Tuscan Women turns its gaze away from the overly familiar areas of Florence and Siena, and looks westward to the less familiar province of Lucca. Tuscany's most diverse province geographically, Lucca spans mountains and forests, olive groves and terraced vineyards, with a pristine coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The cuisine of Lucca reflects both the richness of this diversity and the wealth of ingredients it provides -- from fritto misto di pesce, an assortment of fish battered and fried in olive oil, to cacciucci, a soup made entirely of fish and served on thick slices of toasted bread rubbed with garlic, to castagnaccia a sweet cake made with chestnut flour. Integral to the way of life there, Lucchesian food is inextricably bound up with the character of its people and their "uniquely Mediterranean lifestyle that mixes marvelous climate, a relaxed attitude, and an unrelenting passion of sitting down at the table," as Anne Bianchi says in her introduction. So, in order to most fully give the flavor of the cuisine of Lucca, Anne Bianchi, who has spent much of her life in Tuscany, introduces us to the spirit of the province and the soul of any Tuscan meal: its people. "No people anywhere in the world are more dramatic, outspoken, or riotously arrogant," she writes. In these pages we meet nine amazing Tuscan women, "hear their stories, stroll through their towns, and sample the best of their recipes." These virtuoso chefs share their secrets and opinions on everything from sauces to politics, spicing their conversation with witty and revealing anecdotes of life in their rural villages. Accompanied by lively photos, From the Tables of Tuscan Women gives intimate access to the culinary recipes and traditions of Lucca while offering an incomparable Tuscan experience. The voracious reader and adventurous cook will find new roads down which to travel, as well as sumptuous dishes to sample -- whose recipes can be easily replicated in American kitchens.
Publisher: Ecco
ISBN: 9780880014250
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
A Tuscan cookbook with a difference, From the Tables of Tuscan Women turns its gaze away from the overly familiar areas of Florence and Siena, and looks westward to the less familiar province of Lucca. Tuscany's most diverse province geographically, Lucca spans mountains and forests, olive groves and terraced vineyards, with a pristine coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The cuisine of Lucca reflects both the richness of this diversity and the wealth of ingredients it provides -- from fritto misto di pesce, an assortment of fish battered and fried in olive oil, to cacciucci, a soup made entirely of fish and served on thick slices of toasted bread rubbed with garlic, to castagnaccia a sweet cake made with chestnut flour. Integral to the way of life there, Lucchesian food is inextricably bound up with the character of its people and their "uniquely Mediterranean lifestyle that mixes marvelous climate, a relaxed attitude, and an unrelenting passion of sitting down at the table," as Anne Bianchi says in her introduction. So, in order to most fully give the flavor of the cuisine of Lucca, Anne Bianchi, who has spent much of her life in Tuscany, introduces us to the spirit of the province and the soul of any Tuscan meal: its people. "No people anywhere in the world are more dramatic, outspoken, or riotously arrogant," she writes. In these pages we meet nine amazing Tuscan women, "hear their stories, stroll through their towns, and sample the best of their recipes." These virtuoso chefs share their secrets and opinions on everything from sauces to politics, spicing their conversation with witty and revealing anecdotes of life in their rural villages. Accompanied by lively photos, From the Tables of Tuscan Women gives intimate access to the culinary recipes and traditions of Lucca while offering an incomparable Tuscan experience. The voracious reader and adventurous cook will find new roads down which to travel, as well as sumptuous dishes to sample -- whose recipes can be easily replicated in American kitchens.
A Republic in Time
Author: Thomas M. Allen
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807831794
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
The development of the American nation has typically been interpreted in terms of its expansion through space, specifically its growth westward. In this innovative study, Thomas Allen posits time, not space, as the most significant territory of the young
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807831794
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
The development of the American nation has typically been interpreted in terms of its expansion through space, specifically its growth westward. In this innovative study, Thomas Allen posits time, not space, as the most significant territory of the young
Bella Tuscany
Author: Frances Mayes
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767916301
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 295
Book Description
Frances Mayes, whose enchanting #1 New York Times bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun made the world fall in love with Tuscany, invites readers back for a delightful new season of friendship, festivity, and food, there and throughout Italy. Having spent her summers in Tuscany for the past several years, Frances Mayes relished the opportunity to experience the pleasures of primavera, an Italian spring. A sabbatical from teaching in San Francisco allowed her to return to Cortona—and her beloved house, Bramasole—just as the first green appeared on the rocky hillsides. Bella Tuscany, a companion volume to Under the Tuscan Sun, is her passionate and lyrical account of her continuing love affair with Italy. Now truly at home there, Mayes writes of her deepening connection to the land, her flourishing friendships with local people, the joys of art, food, and wine, and the rewards and occasional heartbreaks of her villa's ongoing restoration. It is also a memoir of a season of change, and of renewed possibility. As spring becomes summer she revives Bramasole's lush gardens, meets the challenges of learning a new language, tours regions from Sicily to the Veneto, and faces transitions in her family life. Filled with recipes from her Tuscan kitchen and written in the sensuous and evocative prose that has become her hallmark, Bella Tuscany is a celebration of the sweet life in Italy. Now with an excerpt from Frances Mayes's latest southern memoir, Under Magnolia.
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767916301
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 295
Book Description
Frances Mayes, whose enchanting #1 New York Times bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun made the world fall in love with Tuscany, invites readers back for a delightful new season of friendship, festivity, and food, there and throughout Italy. Having spent her summers in Tuscany for the past several years, Frances Mayes relished the opportunity to experience the pleasures of primavera, an Italian spring. A sabbatical from teaching in San Francisco allowed her to return to Cortona—and her beloved house, Bramasole—just as the first green appeared on the rocky hillsides. Bella Tuscany, a companion volume to Under the Tuscan Sun, is her passionate and lyrical account of her continuing love affair with Italy. Now truly at home there, Mayes writes of her deepening connection to the land, her flourishing friendships with local people, the joys of art, food, and wine, and the rewards and occasional heartbreaks of her villa's ongoing restoration. It is also a memoir of a season of change, and of renewed possibility. As spring becomes summer she revives Bramasole's lush gardens, meets the challenges of learning a new language, tours regions from Sicily to the Veneto, and faces transitions in her family life. Filled with recipes from her Tuscan kitchen and written in the sensuous and evocative prose that has become her hallmark, Bella Tuscany is a celebration of the sweet life in Italy. Now with an excerpt from Frances Mayes's latest southern memoir, Under Magnolia.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Author: Frances Mayes
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767917456
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved memoir of self-discovery set against the spectacular Tuscan countryside that inspired the major motion picture starring Diane Lane—now in a twentieth-anniversary edition featuring a new afterword “This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.”—USA Today For more Frances Mayes, including a tour of her now iconic Cortona home, Bramasole, watch PBS’s Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special! More than twenty years ago, Frances Mayes—widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer—introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole. Under the Tuscan Sun inspired generations to embark on their own journeys—whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’s signature evocative, sensory language. Now with a new afterword from Frances Mayes, the twentieth-anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun revisits the book’s most popular characters.
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767917456
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved memoir of self-discovery set against the spectacular Tuscan countryside that inspired the major motion picture starring Diane Lane—now in a twentieth-anniversary edition featuring a new afterword “This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.”—USA Today For more Frances Mayes, including a tour of her now iconic Cortona home, Bramasole, watch PBS’s Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special! More than twenty years ago, Frances Mayes—widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer—introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole. Under the Tuscan Sun inspired generations to embark on their own journeys—whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’s signature evocative, sensory language. Now with a new afterword from Frances Mayes, the twentieth-anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun revisits the book’s most popular characters.
The Tuscan House
Author: Angela Petch
Publisher: Bookouture
ISBN: 9781800193901
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
Corbello, Italy, 1947. A woman and a little boy stagger into the ruins of an old house deep in the forest, wild roses overwhelming the crumbling terracotta walls. Since the war, nowhere has been safe. But they both freeze in shock when a voice calls out from the shadows... For young mother Fosca Sentino, accepting refuge from ex-British soldier Richard - in Tuscany to escape his tragic past - is the only way to keep her little family safe. She once risked everything to spy on Nazi commanders and pass secret information to the resistenza. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, Fosca's best friend Simonetta disappeared without trace. The whole community was torn apart, and now Fosca and her son are outcasts. Wary of this handsome stranger at first, Fosca slowly starts to feel safe as she watches him play with her son in the overgrown orchard. But her fragile peace is shattered the moment a silver brooch is found in the garden, and she recognises it as Simonetta's... Fosca has always suspected that another member of the resistenza betrayed her. With Richard by her side, she must find out if Simonetta is still alive, and clear her own name. But how did the brooch end up at the house? And with a traitor hiding in the village, willing to do anything to keep this secret buried, has Fosca put herself and her young son in terrible danger? An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking page-turner that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, The Nightingale, and anyone longing to lose themselves in the mountain landscapes and olive groves of rural Tuscany. Read what everyone's saying about Angela Petch: 'Fantastic read... I loved this book... will grab you and hold onto you long after you put it down... an amazing story.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Loved it!!!... Beautiful... heartbreaking... The ending of the book was perfect... Definitely recommend... Loved everything about it.' Goodreads reviewer
Publisher: Bookouture
ISBN: 9781800193901
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
Corbello, Italy, 1947. A woman and a little boy stagger into the ruins of an old house deep in the forest, wild roses overwhelming the crumbling terracotta walls. Since the war, nowhere has been safe. But they both freeze in shock when a voice calls out from the shadows... For young mother Fosca Sentino, accepting refuge from ex-British soldier Richard - in Tuscany to escape his tragic past - is the only way to keep her little family safe. She once risked everything to spy on Nazi commanders and pass secret information to the resistenza. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, Fosca's best friend Simonetta disappeared without trace. The whole community was torn apart, and now Fosca and her son are outcasts. Wary of this handsome stranger at first, Fosca slowly starts to feel safe as she watches him play with her son in the overgrown orchard. But her fragile peace is shattered the moment a silver brooch is found in the garden, and she recognises it as Simonetta's... Fosca has always suspected that another member of the resistenza betrayed her. With Richard by her side, she must find out if Simonetta is still alive, and clear her own name. But how did the brooch end up at the house? And with a traitor hiding in the village, willing to do anything to keep this secret buried, has Fosca put herself and her young son in terrible danger? An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking page-turner that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, The Nightingale, and anyone longing to lose themselves in the mountain landscapes and olive groves of rural Tuscany. Read what everyone's saying about Angela Petch: 'Fantastic read... I loved this book... will grab you and hold onto you long after you put it down... an amazing story.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Loved it!!!... Beautiful... heartbreaking... The ending of the book was perfect... Definitely recommend... Loved everything about it.' Goodreads reviewer