Italian language, culture and travel tips
One of my favorite pastimes is browsing books in a bookstore and every time I do so it is really hard for me not to bring a book home.
Actually, I did this on purpose. I had read so many positive comments about the book that I decided to give it a go without doing much research about it. I just wanted to dive in and enjoy it. And that’s exactly what happened!
I have discovered this book via the lovely Jasmine on Instagram. If you have been following this blog for a while, you may remember her interview for my Expats in Italy section. She has a very interesting Instagram account, which shows her love for Italy and gives you a nice way to learn more about expat life in Italy (in her stories, especially).
Most of Italy is made of tiny little villages that nobody knows, where life is absolutely not as glamorous as they show you on Instagram accounts about la dolce vita and sweet life in Italy. Forget about Aperol Spritz drunk at sunset by the seaside or breathtaking sceneries or memorable art and historical treasures.
Reading is one of my most favorite things in life, so this question always makes me really happy. I try to write about books as much as I can, here on my blog, and I am always looking for interesting reads to suggest you.
What was stopping me from doing so? well, I was waiting for it to be translated into English and now it’s finally done. So now I can tell you everything about one of the best books I have read lately: The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti.
I started reading this kind of books before Instantly Italy was even a remote idea in my mind and enjoyed them very much. I started with Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, back in the days, and kept on looking for other accounts of life in Italy as a foreigner ever since.
It is an issue that has to do with Alto Adige, or South Tyrol, as it is known in English, and what is now the autonomous province of Bolzano. Alto Adige is part of Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy’s northernmost region, which is now famous for the amazing mountains, some of the highest in Europe, and the breathtaking views of the Dolomites.
They are by a contemporary Italian writer named Donatella Di Pietrantonio and I am sure that – once you know her – you will love her work as much as I do.
Over the last 30 years or so, Tim Parks has tried to understand Italy in every possible way. As a matter of fact, as Parks says, “Italy is not a country for beginners” and it takes some time to go beyond the surface and dive deeper into Italian culture and lifestyle, in order to understand certain behaviors and attitudes.
