Vanilla Beans and Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany [Lingua Inglese] - Rilegato

Dusi, Isabella

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0743209346 ISBN 13: 9780743209342

Casa editrice: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2001

Riassunto

Foreign writers living in Italy frequently treat the local people as an exotic species to provide amusing stories for their readers. Sipping cappuccino and supping pasta, rarely do they perceive what is going on around them, nor understand the complexity of life for today's Italians. Isabella Dusi, a native Australian, settled in Montalcino, a beautiful mountain eyrie famous for its wine and the proud nature of its inhabitants, five years ago. Her acceptance into this close-knit community was a hard-won thing and has inspired Isabella to capture the true spirit of Montalcino. Vanilla Beans and Brodo tells of the bloody history of this mediaeval village which has lefts its mark on the character traits of the Montalcinese, but also offers a rare insight into the anxiety, joy, fun and pressure of daily life as it unfolds with the seasons. An evocative story of the rivalry between village neighbourhoods, of football fever and festival pageantry, Isabella Dusi destroys the myth that Tuscan villages are tranquil places and instead reveals a life infinitely rich and full of dramas. This moving, often humorous journey will change forever the cliched image of Tuscany and bring real understanding of the fierce passion of today's Tuscans for their ancient village, their fertile land and their life in Montalcino.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Enticing' - TIMES on Saturday
'Vivid' - DAILY EXPRESS
'Communicates well the rhythm of time-honoured activities in a close-knit community, which, over the centuries has defended itself against the Florentines, Sienese, Spanish and French.' SUNDAY TIMES
'The subtitle of VANILLA BEANS AND BRODO is 'Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany' and it jolly well is. She actually describes the village in magnificent terms and it makes me want to go there. I know when I get there she actually talks you through this wonderful walk on a Sunday morning through some secret gardens. This is a place that she points out gets four lines in a guidebook - she manages to fill an entire book and really gives you a sense of the place. I feel I could go there, walk into the right cafe, order the right thing and feel completely at home'
Simon Calder, reviewer at the Independent talking on Front Row (12/04/2001)
'Her chronicle of life there throughout the seasons displays detailed observation and understanding' SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH
'The best book on Tuscany I have ever read' MARY PACHNOS
'Dusi does far more for Tuscany than Peter Mayle did for Provence in her fascinating look at day-to-day life in the Italian hills' LANCASHIRE EVENING POST
'Deeply satisfying' DONCASTER STAR
'Suffused with humility and detail so that it is the Montalcinesi who assume the highest profile' SOUTH WALES ARGUS
'Dusi's account of her assimilation into the customs, people and food of her new home in Tuscany is the stuff of daydreams' WOMAN & HOME
READERS REVIEWS:
E. Graeme Henry, Lawyer, Melbourne. Australia.
"Excellente, magnifico, fantastico! I've just read your book. I knew it would be good, but not this good! Your descriptive writing skills and word pictures you paint are so graphic, so vivid. On the walk to pick jonquils I felt as if I was watching from close by - if you had seen me, I was smiling!."

Karen Bergeson
California USA
This is a book I will read time and again - it will be a while before I lend this one out! My favourite passage is about meeting Karen and Eddie and musing about what exactly Italy does to travellers. It's exactly how I feel - thanks for putting it into words.

Jane Williams
New Zealand
What a delight! I'm glued to it - it just flows as I turn every page and the history seems part of the day to day life in Montalcino in the 21st century. My days at work seem so long when I only want to get back home and into the next chapter.
'It is, without doubt, a joy' DORSET ECHO
'Dusi tells the story of 12 months in this remarkable world, and does so with such evocative and glowing prose that she transports the reader to her new found home' WIGAN EVENING POST
'Another tale of outsiders making a new life in Italy would need to be something special. Luckily, Isabella Dusi's account of her acceptance of the proud, warm-hearted natives...is absolutely captivating. IRISH TIMES
'Makes our mouths water....brings tears to our eyes...In short, she makes us want to book a flight immediately.' IRISH TIMES
'Full of the passions and pleasures of life in the midst of a warm-hearted and proudly independent community in the Tuscan Hills' DAILY EXPRESS
''Well researched and is clearly written from the heart' NEW BOOKS MAG

L'autore:

After many years working in Australia in interior design, Isabella Dusi decided to move to Italy with her husband Luigi. They now run a travel business based in Montalcino. This is her first book.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0743209346
• ISBN 13: 9780743209342
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 467