A Thousand Days in Tuscany

A Thousand Days in Tuscany
Author: Marlena de Blasi
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2005-09-27
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0345481097

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.

The Tuscan Secret

The Tuscan Secret
Author: Angela Petch
Publisher: Forever
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2022
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781538706206

This sweeping historical novel from a bestselling author follows the lives of two generations of women, the secrets they keep, their sacrifices for love, and the heartbreaking betrayals they encounter--perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer and Natasha Lester.​ Il Mulino. An old crumbling mill, by a winding river, nestled in the Tuscan mountains. An empty home that holds memories of homemade pasta and Nonna's stories by the fire, and later: the Nazi invasion, and a family torn apart by a heartbreaking betrayal. Anna is distraught when her beloved mother, Ines, passes away. She inherits a box of papers, handwritten in Italian and yellowed with age, and a tantalizing promise that the truth about what happened during the war lies within. The diaries lead Anna to the small village of Rofelle, where she slowly starts to heal as she explores sun-kissed olive groves, and pieces together her mother's past: memories of homemade pasta, Nonna's stories by the fire, and happy days spent herding sheep across Tuscan meadows cruelly interrupted when World War II erupted and the Nazis arrived. Her mother fleeing her home to join the Resistenza and risking everything to protect an injured British soldier who captured her heart. But Anna is no closer to learning the truth . . . What sent Ines running from her adored homeland? When she meets an elderly Italian gentleman living in a deserted hamlet, who flinches at her mother's name and refuses to speak English, Anna is sure he knows more about the devastating secret that tore apart her mother's family. But in this small Tuscan community, some wartime secrets were never meant to be uncovered . . .

A Thousand Days in Venice

A Thousand Days in Venice
Author: Marlena De Blasi
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2013-01-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1616202815

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

Secrets on the Italian Island

Secrets on the Italian Island
Author: T.A. Williams
Publisher: Canelo
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2021-07-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1800320841

Her work has got in the way of relationships before – but never like this Anna’s job as a geologist takes her all over the world, including to the beautiful island of Elba, where she’s sent to look for precious metals. And the island isn’t the only thing that’s gorgeous – she can’t believe her luck when she meets windsurfer Marco and sparks fly. But Anna must keep her role on Elba a secret to avoid upsetting the locals, which means lying to Marco even as they grow closer. When her old friend Toby visits, Anna suddenly finds herself torn between the attentions of the two men. However, Anna’s not the only one keeping secrets. Is Marco being entirely honest with her? And why did Toby really come to visit? A fun and escapist romance, perfect for fans of Lucy Coleman and Alex Brown.

Murder in Chianti

Murder in Chianti
Author: Camilla Trinchieri
Publisher: Soho Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2020-07-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 164129180X

Set in the heart of Tuscan wine country, Camilla Trinchieri's new mystery introduces Nico Doyle, a former NYPD homicide detective who's just looking for space to grieve when he finds himself pulled into a local murder investigation. Mourning the loss of his wife, Rita, former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle moves to her hometown of Gravigna in the winesoaked region of Chianti. Half Italian and half Irish, Nico finds himself able to get by in the region with the help of Rita’s relatives, but he still feels alone and out of place. He isn’t sure if it’s peace he’s seeking, but it isn’t what he finds. Early one morning, he hears a gunshot and a dog's cries near his new home and walks out to discover a dead body in the woods, flashily dressed in gold tennis shoes. When the police arrive, Nico hastily adopts the fluffy white dog as his own and wants nothing more to do with the murder. But Salvatore Perillo, the local maresciallo, discovers Nico's professional background and enlists him to help with the case. It turns out more than one person in this idyllic corner of Italy knew the victim, and with a very small pool of suspects, including his own in-laws, Nico must dig up Gravigna’s every last painful secret to get to the truth.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Author: Lori Nelson Spielman
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2020-11-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1984803166

An International Bestseller! A LibraryReads and Indie Next Pick! A trio of second-born daughters sets out on a whirlwind journey through the lush Italian countryside to break the family curse that says they’ll never find love, by New York Times bestseller Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List. Since the day Filomena Fontana cast a curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not one second-born Fontana daughter has found lasting love. Some, like second-born Emilia, the happily-single baker at her grandfather’s Brooklyn deli, claim it’s an odd coincidence. Others, like her sexy, desperate-for-love cousin Lucy, insist it’s a true hex. But both are bewildered when their great-aunt calls with an astounding proposition: If they accompany her to her homeland of Italy, Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all. Against the backdrop of wandering Venetian canals, rolling Tuscan fields, and enchanting Amalfi Coast villages, romance blooms, destinies are found, and family secrets are unearthed—secrets that could threaten the family far more than a centuries-old curse.

The Tuscan Child

The Tuscan Child
Author: Rhys Bowen
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-02-20
Genre: FICTION
ISBN: 9781503951815

Thirty years after her British bomber pilot father parachuted from his stricken plane into German-occupied Tuscany, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to learn about her father's hidden wartime past.

Antonia and Her Daughters

Antonia and Her Daughters
Author: Marlena de Blasi
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2012-05-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1742695256

The next volume of memoir from the author of the international bestseller A Thousand Days in Venice introduces the extraordinary Antonia, imperious matriach of four generations of strong-willed Tuscan women The renovations to 34 via del Duomo now complete, Marlena de Blasi, the bestselling international author and "the woman with the fairy-tale life" needs to find time and space to finish a book. Lured by the offer of a simple stone cottage in the remote, mountainous region of western Tuscany, distant from the distractions of her everyday life with Fernando in Orvieto, she sets off for some much-needed solitude. But her plans to live simply, in peace and quiet, are overturned when she meets the imperious, tempestuous Antonia, the still-stunning, elderly matriarch of a large, complicated family of four generations of beautiful blue-eyed Italian women, all with stories and ideas of their own. Antonia dislikes tourists and outsiders, and so Marlena at first spars and clashes with her before they reach an understanding. Over feasts and family dinners, walking in the dark before sunrise to harvest wild lettuces, preparing meals and exchanging recipes, the two women joust, joke, exchange confidences, and grow closer and closer until finally Antonia reveals the terrible secrets behind the vivid beauty of Il Castelleto. Evocative, powerful, and haunting, this is a compelling insight into Italy's recent past and a revealing glimpse into one extraordinary woman's story and her kitchen.

The Tuscan House

The Tuscan House
Author: Angela Petch
Publisher: Bookouture
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2021-04-07
Genre:
ISBN: 9781800193901

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

The Mystery of the Tuscan Hills

The Mystery of the Tuscan Hills
Author: Morris M. Weiss M. D.
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2006-12
Genre: Etruscans
ISBN: 1425930603

Dean Daniel Allen''s Friday afternoon trip to Jackson''s Hardware in downtown Jeffreysville for the mundane purchase of a deadbolt lock for his kitchen door becomes the prelude to ten days of momentous events. Several members of the faculty as well as a number of students at DeMott University will never be the same after Dean Allen finds the beautiful Jeanette de Lorien in a piano practice room in the tower of the University Library, finds her very dead indeed. An unlikely detective, only Dean Allen''s sense of duty will keep him cooperating with the Campus Security and the Jeffreysville police. Sometimes he will find himself caught in the crossfire between these two unacknowledged rivals in enforcement of the law. At other times he will seem almost to be thwarting the police investigation when his loyalty to his faculty colleagues prevents him from telling the whole truth. He also will find himself going out on his own in questionable attempts to follow his secretary''s advice to solve a crime by "knowing your victim." Not only will he end up knowing the victim, but he will learn a great deal about the lives of a number of the suspects, and there are a surprising number of these in the quiet Midwestern town and on the conservative campus of DeMott University! He also will find out a bit about himself, leaving him surprised and quite pleased. This book is not so much a typical murder mystery as it is a study of the people encountered in the story. The basic premise of the author is that people''s behavior is the result of the totality of the experiences of their lives. Such behavior may not be condoned, but it can be understood. And a campus in a small Midwestern town can be the scene of just as much irrational, aberrant, or immoral behavior as may a more urban environment. The setting gives the author opportunity to give the reader some insights into academic life on such a campus.