Shades of Green, White and Red

'Francesca had dreamed of this day. She had thought she'd be on her wedding bed, protected by a photo of Padre Pio tucked snugly under her mattress...No amount of oil could remove the malocchio she would bring upon herself for giving into this temptation.' 


Growing up with a dual cultural identity is never easy. 


Francesca Mezzatesta is a woman of southern Italian heritage. As a first generation Australian, she always dreamed of having the clichéd huge Italian wedding with bomboniere, dry ice and hundreds of guests. After meeting her beloved Pasquale, circumstances change the course of her life as the families intervene. 


Shades of Green, White and Red is a story about love, food and expectations...the Italian way! It is a nostalgic look at how traditions, rituals and family can determine the course of a person's life. Through the experiences of Francesca and Pasquale, the confused duality of maintaining Italian values and traditions while integrating the ways of Australian society are explored. 


In the end, it's not important which Italian dialect is spoken, what food is eaten or which cultural rituals are practised, Italians are all different shades of the same three colours. 


"Having lived and breathed the intricacies of an Italian heritage, it's been great to see a refreshing and bold take on our life whilst still maintaining and honouring the detailed wonders of what makes us essentially Italian Australians." - Joe Avati, Comedian. 


This ebook contains an Italian/Sicilian Glossary with full translations of all Italian/Sicilian phrases used in the story.