A Thousand Days in Tuscany
A Bittersweet Adventure
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4.3 • 26 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
American chef and author of A Thousand Days in Venice moves to rural Tuscany, where she and her husband discover village secrets of food, life, and love.
Searching for the rhythms of country living, American chef Marlena de Blasi and her Venetian husband, Fernando, move to a barely renovated former stable in Tuscany. They dwell among two hundred villagers, ancient olive groves, and hot Etruscan springs. In this patch of earth where Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio collide, there is much to feed de Blasi's two passions—food and love. In A Thousand Days in Tuscany, de Blasi brings us along as she and Fernando harvest grapes, gather chestnuts, forage for wild mushrooms, and climb trees in the cold of December to pick olives, one by one.
They befriend the mesmeric Barlozzo, a self-styled village chieftain whose stories lead de Blasi deeper into the soul of Tuscany. Together they visit sacred festivals and taste just-pressed olive oil, drizzled over roasted country bread. In a cauldron set over a wood fire, they braise beans in red wine, and a stew of wild boar simmers overnight in the ashes of their hearth. Barlozzo shares his knowledge of Italian farming traditions and ancient health potions, but he has secrets he doesn't share, and one of them concerns the beautiful Floriana, whose illness teaches Marlena that happiness is truly a choice.
Like the pleasurable tastes and textures of a fine meal, A Thousand Days in Tuscany is as satisfying as it is enticing. The author's own recipes are included.
"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
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From its opening scene of an impromptu alfresco village feast of fried zucchini blossoms, fennel-roasted pork, and pudding made from the cream of a local blue-eyed cow, this memoir of the seasons in a small Tuscan village is rich with food, weather, romance and, above all, life. De Blasi continues the adventures begun in her A Thousand Days in Venice, as she and her husband, Fernando, leave Venice for Tuscany in search of "a place that still remembers real life... sweet and salty... each side of life dignifying the other." Fortunately, the two are adopted by Barlozzo, an elderly local eager to share his knowledge of the old ways. He introduces them to the local customs: grape harvesting, truffle hunting, bread baking, etc. Although the book teems with food references, including recipes for intriguing traditional dishes, de Blasi is more than a sunny regional food writer she digs into the meaning of life. As she fights Fernando's periodic depressions and brings him back to joy, gains Barlozzo's trust and love, learns his troubling lifelong secrets and comes to terms with the death of a beloved friend, she immerses her readers in life's poignancy, brevity and wonder.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful story, a visual and culinary smile of a book.
The author gives you a close up look at the town, the people, the food and the simplicity of life that attracts her like a magnet. Beautifully written, magic and delicious. Highly recommend!
Too long
I kept reading this in hopes it would get better but that was not the case. If you want to learn a little Italian you would be better off with some of the online courses available.
Another gift of a thousand days.
How could I have not known about the writings of Ms. de Blasi? Her stories awaken my senses, warm my heart and saddens my soul. Yes, I am of Italian descent. Yet anyone can be enveloped in her stories. People come to life on the pages. You can taste the ingredients that have gone into the meals and wished that you could forage with the characters. Go to Italy. Be Italian. Read about lives you want live.