Italy - BOOKS Expat memoirs about living in Italy

[Roz]

Annie Hawes has also written two sequels to Extra Virgin: The first was Ripe for the Picking and then Journey to the South: A Calabrian Homecoming. I enjoyed all of them.

 

[Dana]

Another good one that I just remembered is Mary Taylor Simeti's On Persephone's Island, written after she spent 20 years living in Sicily. Pauline, you might want to read it before you go!

 

[italian excursion]

So glad to have all these "reviews". It saves me what looks like a lot of wasted reading. I wish my friend Alison, in Civita Castellana would write about her 10 years + there. She's living an authentic life there and doesn't like bs, so it would be an accurate, interesting account. Will have to mention something to her……..

Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com

 

[Pauline]

Another good one that I just remembered is Mary Taylor Simeti's On Persephone's Island, written after she spent 20 years living in Sicily. Pauline, you might want to read it before you go!

I read it years ago and liked it, but have forgotten everything. I will look for it to read again.

 

[Krista]

I went through a phase of reading expat memoirs about living in Italy, too, and I think I burned out for the same reasons. It might be time to revisit with some of the new ones mentioned here. I also remember liking As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein. And I like Frances Mayes' second book Bella Tuscany.

 

[Marcia]

We will be in Montepulciano in May, so I have just added Jennifer Criswell's memoir to my reading pile. Thanks.

 

[Marcia]

Since we will be in southern Tuscany in early May, I just read Jennifer Criswell's book. Now I can "see "Montepulciano. For the most part I enjoyed the book but like you, Pauline, I was surprised by how unprepared she was, in both language and finances, for a move like this. Guess she is supporting herself as a writer by now one can only hope?

 

[Rebecca]

Marcia, I read Jennifer Criswell's blog to catch up on what she's been doing and to get my Montepulciano fix.

 

[Marcia]

I actually found the blog Rebecca, did a Google search, because I was curious for an update. Good reading.

 

[PokeyMindy]

Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo by Tim Parks

I got this from the library yesterday and so far I'm loving it! A few laugh out loud moments already! thanks so much for the recommendation.

 

[artnbarb]

I finally remembered the name of the memoir I found so difficult to read: "The Diary Of A Single Parent Abroad" by Jill Pennington. I was so frustrated by her actions that in the end I didn't even care how it all worked out, and didn't even finish the book.

 

[Pauline]

Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo by Tim Parks

I got this from the library yesterday and so far I'm loving it! A few laugh out loud moments already! thanks so much for the recommendation.

I finished it yesterday. I like all his books, but this is my favorite. Wonderful descriptions of train travel and life in Italy.

 

[Marcia]

Well this is interesting. Based on Pauline's recommendation, and because we were going to spend a week near Montepulciano, I read Jennifer Criswell's book. And then somehow forgot that fact once we got here. This afternoon a friend in Piemonte saw we were here, and mentioned that we should contact a friend of his for a winery tour. So I did and we are going tomorrow. The name sounded familiar, so I googled it. Yep, Jennifer Criswell will be our tour guide. Small world, and now of course I do remember her book, and her story.

 

[Pauline]

Nice coincidence Marcia!

 

[ItalophileNJ]

David Yeadon, "Seasons in Basilicata". I don't remember much about it except that it was great and actually described life in the area rather than being the Peter Mayes "dealing with persnickety tradesmen" ilk. And he's a good writer.
Agreeing that "On Persephone's Island" is wonderful, a lovely book about a favorite part of Italy.

 

[Marcia]

Well this is interesting. Based on Pauline's recommendation, and because we were going to spend a week near Montepulciano, I read Jennifer Criswell's book. And then somehow forgot that fact once we got here. This afternoon a friend in Piemonte saw we were here, and mentioned that we should contact a friend of his for a winery tour. So I did and we are going tomorrow. The name sounded familiar, so I googled it. Yep, Jennifer Criswell will be our tour guide. Small world, and now of course I do remember her book, and her story.

Just popping in to say that Ms. Criswell was an excellent tour guide, and a charming woman, too. Pleasure to meet her today. She says she is 50 pages into the sequel to her memoir.

 

[Rebecca]

Just popping in to say that Ms. Criswell was an excellent tour guide,

We have her booked for June!

 

[Pauline]

I am gathering all the recommendations (and non-recommendations) and adding them to the first post, so we have a good list. Please keep posting with more recommendations.

 

[Pauline]

I recently read "A Footpath in Umbria: Learning, Loving and Laughing in Italy" by Nancy Yuktonis Solak and I really liked it. I love books that give you the details of how someone moved to a new country and this one does that.

My Amazon review: I liked this book. It was well written and enjoyable to read. Ms Solak goes into good detail about why she and her husband decided to spend a year in Italy and how they were able to do it. They had a strict budget, figured out how to have their house looked after in the US, her husband was newly retired and she took a leave of absence from her job. I liked all the details about daily life and the differences with her US life. She also writes about her emotional state and how this year in Italy affects her and her marriage, which to me is much more interesting than yet another memoir about food and wine. Read this if you are traveling to Italy or thinking about staying there longer.

She has a website with articles - A Reluctant Traveler.

 

[Dana]

One of the very best older expat books I just remembered is Venice by James Morris (before he became Jan). It's perhaps more about the city and its unique history than the writer, but perhaps all the better for it.