Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194375 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.75" h x 5.00" w x 1.25" l, .70 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 456 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
Traditionally, foreign writers describing a country adopt the outsider's point of view and focus on the more quaint and amusing aspects of the locals' lives. This is particularly true of Italy, where the more exotic side of the country is maximised and the lives of people treated as being less important. Not so in Isabella Dusi's fascinating Vanilla Beans and Brodo which takes the radical (and fascinating) approach of dealing with the day-to-day lives of those who live in the beautiful Tuscan Hills. In fact, the book is subtitled Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany, and the author (who sold all she owned to travel halfway around the world and settle in the exquisite mountain eyrie of Montalcino) makes the descriptions of the seasons and countryside as evocative as one could wish, but her real subject is the people. Finding it initially difficult to be accepted into this close-knit wine community, she gradually wins their respect and friendship.

The experiences of the author in the village--as different from English life as could be imagined--are totally absorbing. But this is no mere pleasant pictorial--Isabella Dusi conjures genuine drama as summer approaches and wild storms threaten to destroy the grape harvest. We are given, en route, the bloody history of this medieval village, but what stays with the reader is the incident-packed lives of the inhabitants: a million miles away from most people's placid image of life in this most beautiful part of the world. If you want to live another life for a few hours, here's your chance. --Barry Forshaw

From Library Journal
This isn't just another "we moved to a foreign country for a better quality of life" book. Instead, it is a leisurely exploration of a medieval Tuscan village and its people, from a tortured past to a thriving present. Montalcino, which has perched for centuries atop a hill in Tuscany, is noted today for its exceptional Brunello wine and the annual Sagra, an archers' tournament. Australians Isobel and Lou Dusi arrived there as empty nesters. Over time, as they found acceptance among the Montalcinesi, they became Isabella and Luigi. But their book is less about cultural adaptation than about paying meticulous attention to every facet of Italian life. Culturally sensitive, Dusi avoids the trap of mocking the unfamiliar or seemingly bizarre. She takes small steps to insinuate herself into social life, always mindful of a history that is not her own. She introduces us, without prejudice, to the ancient animosities between the country and village people, enthusiastically supports the local soccer team, and works to save a church in her Pianello quarter. Most of the stories, though, belong to the Montalcinesi Duci's landlords, shopkeepers, village officials, historians, hunters, and amateur archaeologists. This m lange of adventure and social history is recommended for large travel collections or where there is interest in Italian life. Janet Ross, formerly with Sparks Branch Lib., NV
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
After many years working in Australia in interior design, Isabella Dusi decided to move to Italy with her husband Luigi. They now run a travel business based in Montalcino. This is her first book.