That Summer in Sicily

March 24, 2008
In her fourth Italian memoir (after The Lady in the Palazzo
), American writer de Blasi utilizes her personal narrative as merely bookends for a larger story. In 1995, De Blasi and her Italian husband sought a place to stay in the Sicilian mountains and were directed to the Villa Donnafugata, a grand hunting lodge populated by widows, farmers and an imperious mistress: Tosca Brozzi. When she was nine, Tosca was traded, in exchange for a horse, to a feudal prince, who took her to live with his wife and their two daughters. On her 18th birthday, she became the puttanina
(mistress) of the prince, Leo (then exactly twice her age), and they lived together in an accepted “arrangement.” After WWII, Leo set about modernizing his estates, asking Tosca, a bookworm, to educate their children. The modernization brought down the wrath of the Sicilian mafia, and one day Leo simply disappeared, leaving Tosca an heiress. Eventually she modified Leo's reformist plans, developing the extraordinary community that the author and her husband stumble upon. This book reads like a suspense novel complete with a surprise ending, and though Tosca's story is compelling, it's in De Blasi's telling of it that the true magic lies.

September 1, 2008
De Blasi ("A Thousand Days in Tuscany") has written yet another engaging book about Italy. This time she retells a love story told to her by the mistress of a large villa in the Sicilian mountains. Unlike in her other books, de Blasi herself is only a minor character in this enthralling story of love between a prince and his ward, who meet just prior to World War II. De Blasi writes both of their desire for each other, and their desire to improve life for those around them. With much less focus on food than her previous works, this story focuses on the characters' lives, loves, and motivations, all with a Sicilian backdrop. This is not a traditional travel narrative, but a love story that embraces the culture and character of Sicily. Recommended for public libraries.

Sicily is of course not only a place of romance, but home to its own particular cuisine, distinct from cuisines of the Italian mainland. To help travelers navigate this culinary landscape, Peterson has added one more culture to her extremely useful "Eat Smart" series, this time coauthored with native Sicilian Croce. They provide a culinary history of the island, describing local foods, dishes, recipes, and food markets. The lengthy glossary and menu guide give readers significantly more information than does a general traveler's dictionary. Anyone who loves travel as much for food as for all its other pleasures will find this an invaluable guide to a realm where food is such an important part of the life and culture of the people. Highly recommended for public libraries.Sheila Kasperek, Mansfield Univ. Lib., PA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2008
Strangers seldom wander into the mountainous wild at Sicilys heart. The locals, having resisted repeated waves of invaders, maintain their own traditions in defiance of the outside world. So when de Blasi and her Venetian husband trek into Sicilys core in search of background for a travel guide, they discover a world much removed from modern life. Persevering in what seems a fruitless search, they finally stumble upon the Villa Donnafugata, an old wreck of a castle presided over by an imperious woman called Tosca. The villa has become a refuge for widows from the region. It also houses a birthing clinic, vital to the mountains isolated women. The residents eat well and heartily, the leftovers distributed to the local towns poor. De Blasi uncovers Toscas past, an extraordinary tale of passion and love stretching over decades of the twentieth century. Admirers of this author will relish her latest volume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)