A Small Place in Italy (Audible Audio Edition) Eric Newby HarperCollins Publishers Limited Books
Download As PDF : A Small Place in Italy (Audible Audio Edition) Eric Newby HarperCollins Publishers Limited Books
This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb re-creation of a bygone era.
In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife, Wanda, fulfilled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where they first met during World War II. But this fulfillment would not come easy. The dream materialised in the form of I Castagni ('The Chestnuts'), a small, decrepit farmhouse with no roof, an abandoned septic tank and its own indigenous wildlife reluctant to give up their home. But in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the border of Liguria and Northern Tuscany, this ramshackle house would soon become a hub of love, friendship and activity.
Whether recounting dangerous expeditions through Afghanistan or everyday life in a country house, Newby's talent shines through as one of the foremost writers of the comic travel genre. Full of Newby's sharp wit and good humour, A Small Place in Italy returns, 20 years later, to the life of Newby's much-cherished classic, Love and War in the Apennines. It lovingly recounts the quickly disappearing lifestyle of the idiosyncratic locals and the enduring friendships they forge, whether sharing in growing their first wine harvest as novices or frying poisonous mushrooms for a feast.
A Small Place in Italy (Audible Audio Edition) Eric Newby HarperCollins Publishers Limited Books
I suspect that this will be my favorite re-reading book from this author. The title made me a little cautious as I have read some of the sometimes rather twee books about someone buying a wreck in Tuscany and converting it to a charming rose-covered cottage. In essence though, this is precisely what Eric and the ever indomitable Wanda did - however, the actual book also turns out to be charming. Interlaced with recalls of Eric's wartime experiences in the region - he was sheltered by many of the characters in the book and region when on the run as an escaped POW (Love and War in the Apennines) - the work includes many of the author's wonderful descriptions and flashes of pure wit. Wanda, as usual, plows through the expected difficulties that arise from realizing their joint dream of resurrecting (as the building required far more than remodeling!) an ancient farm and creating a home for both themselves and a somehow acquired resident friend and local guide. There are several instances when poor Eric get the reminder many of us married men need from time to time - that no man is a hero to his wife or secretary!The sadness described in the final chapter his other work; On the Shores of the Mediterranean, of about eventually having to part with I Castagni, the farm, becomes readily explained in this adventurous and engaging yarn.
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A Small Place in Italy (Audible Audio Edition) Eric Newby HarperCollins Publishers Limited Books Reviews
I love it!!
great book, a must follow on for those who read his Love and War in the Apennines but also stands alone well.
Superb !
EXCELLENT !!!
I read Love and War in the Apennines, and just completed A Small Place in Italy. No doubt the villages and the people have have changed. And there's something endearing about knowing your neighbors, and being a part of their lives. I did enjoy this book, and the other. But I can't help but feel that there is still a void to this whole series. I really want to know about Wanda. She must really me a fantastic woman.
A lovely, slow paced book about a British couple who bought a rural house in Tuscany in the early 1970's. This is not a "supercharged" action thriller, but is an honest (and humorous) look at life's experiences in a rural Italian community. I do recommend this book, but for special people who have an interest in cultures and especially Italy.
In 1967, British travel editor Eric Newby and his wife, Wanda, bought a primitive farmhouse in the hills between Liguria and Tuscany, the region where they met during World War II, Newby a soldier on the run between POW internments, Wanda a relief worker. They are the first foreigners to come live in their neighborhood, which remained unchanged from the time of the War; in fact, the country people, contadini, probably lived pretty much as they had for a couple of centuries or more. In the 25 years that the Newbys stayed, using the farmhouse as a second home but tending the land seriously, they were accepted and came to know the people and area well. A SMALL PLACE IN ITALY is a profile of their neighbors, their work, customs and the surrounding area. He offers up historical notes and chronicles the arrival of the late 20th century and loss of old ways.
This book has everything going for it. Newby is honest, a truthful writer. He never sells out his subject for entertainment or sentimentality. He does not go the route of portraying the noble savage, he does not paint the peasantry as buffoons or children, he does not go over the top to prove that he is one of them. It is obvious that he and Wanda were quickly accepted into the community because they were hard workers who respected the land and were happy to share. There is a fine wit and spirit at hand. Newby has to be the most resilient person on earth (see A SHORT WALK IN THE HINDU KUSH for more evidence).
Other virtues of this book the pages whip by because Newby is brilliant at ordering his information. He also translates the Italian phrases and words that pop up routinely, so that those of us unschooled in Italian, particularly northern Italian expressions, are not at a loss.
I suspect that this will be my favorite re-reading book from this author. The title made me a little cautious as I have read some of the sometimes rather twee books about someone buying a wreck in Tuscany and converting it to a charming rose-covered cottage. In essence though, this is precisely what Eric and the ever indomitable Wanda did - however, the actual book also turns out to be charming. Interlaced with recalls of Eric's wartime experiences in the region - he was sheltered by many of the characters in the book and region when on the run as an escaped POW (Love and War in the Apennines) - the work includes many of the author's wonderful descriptions and flashes of pure wit. Wanda, as usual, plows through the expected difficulties that arise from realizing their joint dream of resurrecting (as the building required far more than remodeling!) an ancient farm and creating a home for both themselves and a somehow acquired resident friend and local guide. There are several instances when poor Eric get the reminder many of us married men need from time to time - that no man is a hero to his wife or secretary!
The sadness described in the final chapter his other work; On the Shores of the Mediterranean, of about eventually having to part with I Castagni, the farm, becomes readily explained in this adventurous and engaging yarn.
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