book report

her skirt, her shoes, that basket...I am captivated.
photo of author on inside, back jacket of book

"The door to the palazzo across the way opens, shuts. It's he of the thick, lank hair falling over tightly closed eyes. Carrying his violin.

He looks up at me. 'Buona sera, signora. Arrivo. Good evening, my lady. I'm coming.'

It was him, him of the crusty black beard, with whom I'd spoken. It's he who is the conservatory director. And when I'd told him my address, perhaps before I'd told him my address, he'd decided to choose himself as our violinist.

Fernando opens the door to him.

'Giacomo Serafini, molto lieto.' He introduces himself all around. Wants nothing at all to drink. No, grazie. Steps over to the terrace doors, unpacks his violin, begins to play.

'Did you know that this floor of the palozzo was once a ballroom, signora?' he asks as he tightens his strings, strokes and plucks at them.

'Yes. Yes, I did know that.'

'La signora grabirebbe un valzer? Would the lady be pleased by a waltz?'

Let life shape itself.

Fernando is leaning against the far wall, smoking. He flicks the cigarette into the flames of Neddo's leaping fire, beckons me with his eyes, a quarter nod of his head-an Italian boy summoning his girl-and I go to him. Let myself be held. Hold him tighter than he holds me and take in the Italian boy smell of him all mixed up with the coffee and red wine and wood smoke."

- "the lady in the palazzo"

while at the beach, I read three of marlena de blasi's books and loved them all.

the books tell the story of her late-in-life love with her venetian, fernando, and their adventures in all of italy.

she is a chef and a writer, producing the most divine prose. all at once making me fall in love with romance and hungry for zucchini blossoms. sometimes in the same sentence.

in each book, she incorporates conversational italian as it's spoken, followed by the translation. there is the capacity to pick up a phrase or two while reading, something I truly loved.

I checked my books out at the library and I urge you to do the same. now that I know I love them so, I might have to put them on my christmas list because I am sure I will be reading them again and again.

author:
marlena de blasi
books:
a thousand days in venice
a thousand days in tuscany, a bittersweet adventure
the lady in the palazzo, at home in umbria
that summer in sicily, a love story

pia'cere.
enjoy.




images pulled from barnesandnoble.com