Continuing from A Thousand Days in Venice, this is the story of Marlena and her Venetian husband, Fernando, as they make a life for themselves in rural Tuscany.
Amongst the many people they befriend is Barluzzo, an old sage who takes the couple under his wing and initiates them in the age-old traditions of Tuscan life: since their house lacks electricity, he helps them build a traditional brick oven in the garden; in autumn he wakes them at dawn to gather chestnuts and porcini mushrooms, and at the onset of winter he takes them to pull grapes from the vines and beat olives from the trees. Beautifully written and richly seasoned with mouth-watering recipes of the region, this book is filled with the carpe diem attitude that so captivated readers of A Thousand Days in Venice.

* Author PR activity to include down-the-line media interviews and features * Review and feature coverage anticipated across the national press and women's magazines * Radio reading likely * Submitted for trade promotions * Books for Cooks event with recipes cooked by the author

About the Author
Marlena de Blasi has been a chef, a journalist, a food and wine consultant and a restaurant critic. The author of two cookbooks, one of which won the James Beard Award, she now directs gastronomic tours through Tuscany and Umbria.

Reviews
De Blasi's glittering descriptions and mouthwatering recipes take you directly into the heart of Italy and into the souls of the Italian people * Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia *
Filled with warmth and the rich and simple drama of a beautiful life. The evocation of country dishes is mouthwatering, the lyrical beauty irresistible * Susan Herrmann Loomis, author of On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town *
A love poem to de Blasi's professional life as a chef' USA Today * 'This memoir of the seasons in a small Tuscan village is rich with food, weather, romance, and, above all, life . . . [de Blasi] immerses her readers in life's poignancy, brevity, and wonder' Publishers Weekly *



Book Information
ISBN 9781844081530
Author Marlena De Blasi
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 187mm * 22mm