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Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center
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About Il Bel Centro: A Year In The Beautiful Center
Product Description In this witty and warm-hearted memoir, Michelle Damiani tells the story of abandoning her fast-paced American days in favor of discovering the Italian secrets of food, community, and life. Along with her husband and three children, the author untangles bewildering Italian customs, delights in glorious regional cuisine (recipes included), and creates lasting friendships. From grandmothers eager to teach the ancient art of pasta making to bakers bagging bread in their underpants to butchers extolling the benefits of pork fat, Il Bel Centro is rich with captivating characters. Throw in clinking glasses of Umbrian red with the local communists, wandering into embarrassing language minefields, getting called to the mayor’s office, navigating a school system where corporal punishment is not off the table, and a village all-nighter of decorating cobblestone streets with flower petals, and you have all the ingredients for a spellbinding travel tale. Exquisitely observed, Il Bel Centro is an intimate celebration of small town Italy, as well as a thoughtful look at raising a family in a new culture and a fascinating story of finding a home. Ultimately though, Il Bel Centro is a story about how travel can change you when you’re ready to let it. With laugh-out-loud situations and wanderlust-inspiring storytelling, Il Bel Centro is a joyous and life-affirming read that will have readers rushing to renew their passports. Fans of the beloved Santa Lucia novel series will thrill to find the inspiration for the characters of that fictional town in the pages of Il Bel Centro. “A magical read.” “I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this book.” “I was instantly transported to Italy.” “This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.” “Could not put it down.” “I just want more." Review Editorial Reviews: "A realistic look into what happens when you uproot your family to immerse yourself in a foreign culture, attempting to raise kids in an unfamiliar environment."--Huffington Post's list of "Ten Fascinating Books about Living in a Foreign Country", August 2016 "If you can't get yourself to Italy for an extended stay, Il Bel Centro is a worthy substitute. Highly recommended." --Michelle Fabio, Bleeding Espresso, reviewing for Spring 2016 issue of Ambassador, the magazine of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) "Il Bel Centro reads in many ways like a romance novel. In this case it is the author who falls in love with a country and way of life...It is a grand book..."--PRIMO magazine, October, 2016 Reader Reviews: "A magical read." "I absolutely couldn't get enough of this book." "I was instantly transported to Italy." "This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read." "Could not put it down." "I could smell the freshly baked bread, taste the local wine, and if I closed my eyes I could easily see the sloping hills, the pink stones of Spello, the 'alley ladies' with their basket of vegetables to sort and their easy chatter." "I just want more."
