The next volume of memoir from the author of the international
bestseller "A Thousand Days in Venice "introduces" "the extraordinary
Antonia, imperious matriach of four generations of strong-willed Tuscan
women
The renovations to 34 via del Duomo now complete, Marlena de Blasi, the
bestselling international author and "the woman with the fairy-tale
life" needs to find time and space to finish a book. Lured by the offer
of a simple stone cottage in the remote, mountainous region of western
Tuscany, distant from the distractions of her everyday life with
Fernando in Orvieto, she sets off for some much-needed solitude. But her
plans to live simply, in peace and quiet, are overturned when she meets
the imperious, tempestuous Antonia, the still-stunning, elderly
matriarch of a large, complicated family of four generations of
beautiful blue-eyed Italian women, all with stories and ideas of their
own. Antonia dislikes tourists and outsiders, and so Marlena at first
spars and clashes with her before they reach an understanding. Over
feasts and family dinners, walking in the dark before sunrise to harvest
wild lettuces, preparing meals and exchanging recipes, the two women
joust, joke, exchange confidences, and grow closer and closer until
finally Antonia reveals the terrible secrets behind the vivid beauty of
Il Castelleto. Evocative, powerful, and haunting, this is a compelling
insight into Italy's recent past and a revealing glimpse into one
extraordinary woman's story and her kitchen.
