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Instantly Italy

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Il Bel Centro: a book about moving to Italy with kids and experiencing expat life as a family

04/12/2018

Il Bel Centro by Michelle Damiani is a book by Michelle Damiani about moving to Italy with kids and living expat life as a family. A truly amazing and sincere memoir!

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Even if I am Italian and I know quite a lot about living in Italy, I am a big fan of books about expat life in my country.

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.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy, Life in Italy 2 Comments

[Italian Books] Eva Dorme, A Book About a Long-Forgotten Cultural Issue in Italian Contemporary History

01/25/2018

If you are interested in Italian contemporary history or simply are looking for an awesome story to read, you can check today's post, where I recommend you Eva Dorme, a book by Francesca Melandri

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Are you interested in Italian contemporary history? Do you think you know everything about it? Well, there might be something you still don’t know. 

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.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy 6 Comments

[Italian books] A contemporary Italian writer I am sure you will fall in love with

10/05/2017

I have recently discovered a contemporary Italian writer and I fell in love with her work. Her name is Donatella Di Pietrantonio and this blog post is all about her books. Check it out, I am sure you'll love her as well.

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I have recently discovered some books that you absolutely need to know! 

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.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy 2 Comments

Trying to understand Italy while traveling by train: Tim Parks’ Italian Ways

06/29/2017

In his last book, Italian ways, Tim Parks describes Italy as he has come to know it from a different point of view: that of someone who has been traveling by train in the country for 20 years.

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What is the best way to get to know a foreign country?

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.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy 2 Comments

13 Classic Books Every Italian Has Read When in School

04/27/2017

There are books that, even if you haven't read them, are part of your culture and education. These are the classics that you are supposed to read in school and which are the basis of your culture. In this post, you'll find a list of 13 Italian classics that everyone in Italy has (or should have) read when in school.

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Or, to say it better: 13 Italian classic books every Italian SHOULD have read when in school. 

Let’s be honest: how many of you have read all the classics that have been assigned to you, when you were a student?

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Filed Under: Books about Italy, Italian language 15 Comments

A book about moving to Italy and finding happiness in the Italian countryside

07/21/2016

This is a post about Annie Hawes' books, a fun and entertaining read but also a great insight into daily life in the Italian countryside

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If you go to a bookstore, you’ll surely find a lot of memoirs about moving to Italy and living the Italian dream.

One of the most famous is undoubtedly Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, but there are many others. I have read quite a few of them and I had to admit they tend to follow the same cliché: moving to Tuscany, buying property there and finding the love of your life – which isn’t a bad scenario at all, to be honest.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy, Life in Italy 5 Comments

10 contemporary Italian novels you should read this summer

06/09/2016

10 contemporary Italian novels you should read this summer

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Summer is definitely a great time for reading. 

You probably are going on holiday for a few days and have more free time than usual. There might be long days at the beach or some time spent in a cabin in the woods. Even if you are staying at home, this summer, I am sure that everything will be a tad more relaxed and you’ll be looking for some good books to read.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy 22 Comments

[Italian books] A book about learning Italian and falling in love with it

03/17/2016

In altre parole by Jhumpa Lahiri: a book about learning Italian and falling in love with it

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I haven’t been reading many Italian books lately, but luckily I’ve come across a really interesting one. 

The book is In altre parole by the Pulizer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, basically a declaration of love for the Italian language.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy, Italian language 2 Comments

[Italian books] L’amica geniale, or one of the best Italian contemporary novels

11/17/2015

L'amica geniale by Elena Ferrante, one of the best contemporary Italian novels

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Reading is my favorite pastime.

It isn’t actually a pastime, it is an essential part of my life. I couldn’t imagine my life without it. I simply couldn’t see myself without a book, ever.

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Filed Under: Books about Italy 6 Comments

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Ciao!

My name is Cinzia and Italy is the place I call home.

Books feed my soul, music fills my days and travelling makes my life richer. I am a day dreamer, tireless walker and believer in the power of little things.

I’ve created Instantly Italy to take you to Italy with me and explore together this crazy but “oh so lovely” country. Read More…

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