Book Review and Plug

[Doug]

Greetings,
Some of you may have already read Head Over Heel: Seduced By Southern Italy by Australian, Chris Harrison as it was published in 2009. We just read it and found it absolutely on-the-mark about life in Italy, and Southern Italy especially. Those that have spent time here know about the love/hate problem we have with the lovely, friendly place that is such a disorganized mess! You love it 2/3 of the time and pull your hair out the other 1/3.

Some colorful quotes from the book: "Tourists adore Italy because they breeze through in summer and glimpse a transitory personality, the sparkling disguise of a bleak reality. They follow their guidebooks to the historic highlights of a modern mess......". "Why am I drawn to this hopeless country despite finding an array of reasons never to set foot here again? Could Italy's imperfections somehow make it perfect?" "...Milan's cloak (of fog) is as miserable as the city it obscures...." Doesn't make me want to ever set foot in that city!

Chris and his Italian lover, then wife, lived in the south of Puglia, hence the "heel" in his title. I will say that living in a small town in the "instep of the Italian boot" is very similar to the experiences he writes of. As an Australian, his encounters with the bureaucracy are like our American (non-EU) challenges.

A fun, light, accurate read if you find the book. We got our's, of course, thru Amazon.co.uk.

[billy]

Hi Doug,
I've just ordered the above book through Amazon along with another book titled:- "Into The Heart of the Mafia-A Journey through the Italian South" by David Lane. This book was recommended by a recent ITALIA magazine.
Hope your new life in Italy is up to expectations,
Cheers, Billy.

[Doug]

Hi Ho Billy,

Yes, it is just great here. We finally about done spending money on restoration and ready to focus on improving our Italian, then moving on to exploring this republic before attacking the rest of Europe! So much to see whilst we still have our healthy traveling legs.

There is that 1/3 mentioned above and we have to start the permesso di soggiorno process again (this time it lasts 2 years), plus I need an Italian driving permit since my American one expires at Christmas. Should be fun!!

[Mrs Teapot]

Yes Doug, its a brilliant book and highly recommended in the Teapot household. We give it 5 teapots

I've also read Seasons in Basilicata by David Yeadon and thought that gave some really great insights into southern Italy (albeit not Calabria....but not far away). Also highly recommended. We give this 4.5 teapots - another great book.

[Mrs Teapot]

To add to my post above, I couldn't find a book I also wanted to mention to you all, but after I'd signed out of here I walked past it!

It is Continental Drifter by Tim Moore - has a good chunk of the book with great insights into differnet parts of Italy and is very entertaining. We award it 4 Teapots.

[Doug]

Billy and Mrs Tea,

I am sending you both PMs so we can discuss life off of the forum! DJ

[Helena&Jerry]

Originally Posted by Mrs Teapot

Yes Doug, its a brilliant book and highly recommended in the Teapot household. We give it 5 teapots

I've also read Seasons in Basilicata by David Yeadon and thought that gave some really great insights into southern Italy (albeit not Calabria....but not far away). Also highly recommended. We give this 4.5 teapots - another great book.

Not forgetting
'The Dark Heart of Italy' by Tobias Jones ....'investigates the country's kickback and bribery culture, as well as its football, film and food fads'.

and for light relief 'Journey to the South - A Calabrian Homecoming' by Annie Hawes (who wrote 'Extra Virgin' and 'Ripe for the Picking' - based on her life in Liguria.

Xmas presents sorted!

Helena

[uakelly]

While we are recommending books with an Italian (if not Calabrian) insight and feel, you might want to try Tim Parks, My Italian Neighbours, An Italian Education or A season with Verona. Not all at once of course! A more meaty read is Christ stopped at Eboli (also a movie). I like the idea of this thread!

[Margaret]

Have mentioned Gomorrah (Roberto Saviano - who is still under police protection a' la Salman Rushdie) before on this site - has anyone else now read it? A really good one is Luigi Barzini's The Italians - pretty well a classic. Also worth reading is Naples '44 by Norman Lewis - pretty staggering about the conditions during WW2. There are also quite a few crime series - either written in English or translated with the action set in Italy. Some might like Falling Palace by Dan Hofstadter which is an account of an American's (fairly recent) stay in Naples. I couldn't really get into it but it had good reviews. As did Eating Up Italy by Matthew Fort. Think I've mentioned that one before here as he wasn't that keen on Scalea if I remember right but has recipes he 'meets' on a trip through Italy. A brilliant book was 'Non Ho Paura' (?I'm Not Afraid) which was made into a film not that long ago - anyone seen it? - about a kidnapping in Calabria.

[june]

Hi Margaret

Yes have read Gomorrah it was a good insight into how these children from certain parts of Naples see progress through the ranks of the Gomorrah as the only career path for them.

Another book about Calabria is Stolen Figs by Mark Rotella an Italian American returning to find and visit his family in Calabria. A light hearted account of real Calabrian life.

[billy]

Hi Doug,
See what you've started!
Ciao, Billy.

[Margaret]

uakelly - have just ordered 2 Tim Parkes books. Had been meaning to do so before then saw your post saying they were good. Will report back.
June - Did you find Gomorrah quite heavy going? - I mean apart from the subject matter. The film was pretty hard going as well - I mean keeping pace with what was going on. I don't think it was the translation as someone who read it in Italian found it pretty heavy as well. Was reminded of the book the last time I came into Naples on the train and saw all the Chinese containers there.
Off the subject a bit - or is it OK to plug a TV programme here? Might have plugged it on here before so scuses if so. Reminded because I managed to catch it today. It's on two channels - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I can only get the afternoon one - just as well probably before I end up total couch potato. It's 'Forum' on Retequattro (think it's Canale 5 in the morning). They speak very clearly and there are summings up as subtitles. It varies - sometimes rubbish but usually really good - goes from joke stuff to some things quite tragic. Worth a try.

[june]

Hi Margaret

To say it was heavy going is an understatement, it was a very bleak book, but the credentials of the author make it entirely believable . It is the kind of book you need to backtrack on to keep ahead of events. I thought the film lacked the depth and detail of the book.

Happy reading

June

[Doug]

Originally Posted by billy

Hi Doug,
See what you've started!
Ciao, Billy.

Yes Billy there are lots of books out there and I see some listed that we need to look at (hopefully on Kindle). The Gommorah thing was odd. We only viewed the DVD which I found weird and boring. I got the gist of the kids seeking an out -- but found the film lacking. C+ or B-; We've gotten into Kindle to avoid books stacking up with no place to get rid of them.

Derek Baker has a huge library of movies for us to partake-of. We've even enjoyed some British films!!

doug

[mizzy]

Just got my husband a kindle for Christmas, any available that you would recommend? I am afraid he could only read Italian books if they are translated.

[Helena&Jerry]

I searched apps in ipad and found several free travel books about Italy. Written in the early part of last Century haven't read them yet but I think they will give a very interesting and authentic view of S Calabria and Sicily.

Don't know if you can access i tunes without an ipad and then transfer to Kindle.

Best wishes

[Doug]

Mizzy, We have not found as many books we like on Kindle as hoped, but it's still fairly new and they should keep scanning more books. We did find (and liked) "Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France's Cote d'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella". I think the best way is to use Amazon to search books and categories of books, then from there your husband can order new things for the Kindle. There are websites offering free books too (older books in the private domain), but I didn't find anything I wanted -- many older history books, etc.

doug

[Helena&Jerry]

Having paid a visit to Matera on our last trip I really wanted to understand more about the history of that area and managed to get Carlo Levi's book - originally piblished mid 40s I think. I recommend you read it to get an appreciation of the way of life; the poverty of the peasants, their moralities, seclusion and of course outright exploitation by the middle classes who lived off their backs.

In the main street of Matera and behind one of the several reconstructed 'homes' which you can visit (the caves where the people lived) there is a museum. It was closed when we were there but there was an engraved writing in stone on the building which tells of the absence of any comfort in their lives. The sheer grind and poverty meant a joyless state, once they reached adulthood, with disease (malaria in the main) taking many people prematurely.

To quote Levi:

"Black eyes made empty
by the tears of numberless vigils
look into the depth of the spirit".

Hotel rooms in these now nicely refurbished caves range from 50 - 120 Euros a night but it is worth going upmarket to experience the nicer hotels. There can be a damp, often musty smell so some keep a dehumidifier on all the time. Sound carries as well so a dog parking half a mile away and accompanied in a midnight chorus with his friends will penetrate through to your bed.)

[Helena&Jerry]

Yes, the book only gives a glancing mention to Matera. He only visited there to catch or change trains to other parts of the country and it was seen by him as relatively prosperous in comparison to where he was forced to live. The author stayed in two other villages in the area, several hours journey by bus or car. Although smaller, they were also villages/towns with their homes hewn into the soft rock.