Author of over thirty traditionally-published books for young readers, Margo Sorenson spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, devouring books and Italian food and still speaks (or tries!) her childhood languages. Her most recent Adult/Young Adult novel, SECRETS IN TRANSLATION (Fitzroy Books, October 2018), takes place in Positano, with heroine Alessandra, whose being able to speak Italian helps her to feel at home in Italy, once again, although, she doesn’t have any truffles—just plenty of Limoncello. www.margosorenson.com

At La Villa Favorita, the amazing B&B just outside the medieval town of Alba, our gracious hostess Roberta’s recommendation for our first dinner in Alba was La Bottega del Vicoletto, a small, unfrequented-by-tourists (like us!) in Alba. After parking the car outside of the town walls, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner of a delicious egg pasta suffed with cheese in a wine-butter sauce, with (of course) shaved truffles—white truffles being another reason to visit Il Piemonte and Alba; Roberta astutely warned us to be sure and be careful about the amount of truffles we were served—the server keeps grating the truffle, until you say, “Grazie, basta!”), because truffles are (almost!) worth their weight in gold, and they charge by the gram, more or less. Luckily, my Italian did help somewhat moderate our dinner costs, but, oh, those truffles!

Breakfast the next morning in La Villa Favorita was an epic meal of homemade jams (from their garden’s fruit), breads (baked in their kitchen), coffee, salumi, and cheeses. Roberta suggested that we drive to the town of Barbaresco, (yes, the vino of the same name), for our day’s trip, and after navigating the narrow roads of the neighboring hillsides, we enjoyed the wine, tasting the famous vintages. Next night’s dinner was at Profumodivino in Treiso, another picturesque hill town, and we had their special truffle prix-fixe menu. It was incredible, beginning with an appetizer of an egg dish baked in cream with (naturally!) shaved truffle. We didn’t think anything to follow could top that amazing taste, but the veal tartare with salt and truffle, an egg pasta tagliatelle with truffles, and roast beef with Barolo wine sauce and truffles
were heavenly.

After our next morning’s breakfast in the gazebo al aperto, Roberta suggested we drive back to the ancient medieval town of Alba, and park in a municipal lot outside the town walls, and enjoy the 80 th International Truffle Festival, to which hundreds of international restaurateurs and celebrities (Stephen Spielberg, for one) come for the truffle-bidding. As an example, in 2019, a  huge white truffle weighing 1 kilo and 5 grams (2 ¼ lbs) was auctioned off for 120 thousand euros, almost $142,000 in US dollars. Truffles are not that attractive, (that is an understatement), but, in a meal, they are exquisite.

When we found a spot—among the Bentleys and the Mercedeses—in the lot in the pouring rain, we discovered that the parking meter asked for two Euros in coins, which we didn’t have. A young man in a business suit climbed out of the driver’s seat of a Bentley next to us, spotted our concern, and, in Italian, I asked him if he could give us change. Generously, he promptly gave us the coins as a gift! At first, we thought he must be the owner of the Bentley, but, I noticed his scuffed shoes. Aha! Shoes are key in Italy, as you probably know. He must have been the chauffeur, we guessed, and how kind of him to take pity on the clueless American tourists! That sort of thoughtfulness on the part of Italians is another precious memory of our trips to Italy and another of the many reasons I treasure my early childhood there.

Once inside the town walls, we were treated to one vivid and colorful spectacle after another—marchers dressed in medieval costumes, representing their respective borgos and comunes, throngs of people watching them, and stalls with vendors hawking their wares, including the incredibly ugly truffles. No, we chose not to purchase any! The rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, and people were thoroughly enjoying themselves, celebrating their heritage and their famous truffles. Before we retrieved our car outside the town walls, we stopped for a glass of Arneis and some panini in a tiny café, a retreat from the rain, grateful for the blazing fireplace and the warm conversations swirling around us in the Italian language—not a word of English to be heard. We were truly in la bella Italia; the Italian language had worked its magic, once again, drawing us back into a rich and historic culture.

Author of over thirty traditionally-published books for young readers, Margo Sorenson spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, devouring books and Italian food and still speaks (or tries!) her childhood languages. Her most recent Adult/Young Adult novel, SECRETS IN TRANSLATION (Fitzroy Books, October 2018), takes place in Positano, with heroine Alessandra, whose being able to speak Italian helps her to feel at home in Italy, once again, although, she doesn’t have any truffles—just plenty of Limoncello. www.margosorenson.com

Following our first trip to Venezia, we began our road trip through Italia, where I’d lived as a child. This would be another adventure using the Italian language I grew up speaking, which always seemed to open doors and create many smiles (probably because of my fumbling grammar attempts). After experiencing all the “new-to-us” experiences in Venezia, my husband and I were looking forward to our return to familiar la bella Toscana, where we’d spent an idyllic week six years earlier, my first return to Italy since I’d been a child. It was going to be like a homecoming, because we were going to be staying at our favorite agriturismo, Agriturismo Buondonno https://www.buondonno.com/agriturismo, where our gracious host, Gabriele Buondonno, had made us feel at home and had spoken excellent English with everyone in our family—except for me. With me, he’d said, with a twinkle in his eye, he would speak only
Italian. We had both grown up in Napoli.

True to character, Gabriele welcomed us “home” to Castellina in Chianti (yes, the famous chef Dario Cecchi hails from close by), offered to procure our breakfast for us, and brought us two bottles of his Buondonno label wine (no, not for breakfast!), prosciutto, salame, mozzarella, milk, and juice. He made reservations for us at Uscito e Bottega (he had “pull,” because he supplied some of their wine list with his DOCG Buondonno label), and we had a wonderful dinner of pasta and vino, a perfect homecoming dinner. The next morning, after our breakfast and coffee made, of course, in the “Little Man” Bialetti moka coffeepot, Gabriele suggested we head out to a (then) little-known gem of a tiny, historic hill town, San Gusmé, reachable only by unpaved, back roads through the countryside. He said it was tricky to find, but worth the drive, because it was a step back in time and not touristy at all. I asked him, what if we got lost? He grinned, saying (in Italian, of course), “But, you speak Italian!” San Gusmé truly was a gem—fewer than 200 people lived in the walled town, and it was a memorable visit. Through one of the town’s portals, we could even see the city of Siena in the blue-green distance. Gabriele suggested we have panini and wine for lunch at Sira e Remino, and his advice, as always, was spot-on. We felt transported back through centuries, soaking in the ambience of the ancient walled town and its welcoming inhabitants.

Bidding Gabriele a fond farewell, we left our la Toscana “home” and headed for the venerable medieval town of Alba, in Il Piemonte, cradle of Barolo and Barbaresco wines and home of the International Truffle Festival. Of course, the wine had nothing to do with our reason to visit. Navigating the mountain passes and tunnels and autostradas with fellow drivers, who knew exactly where they were going and didn’t hesitate to accelerate around the mountain turns, was an adventure.

We were welcomed with enthusiasm at Villa la Favorita, (https://villalafavorita-alba.it/en/) just outside Alba, by the owner, Roberta, who spoke excellent English (always one of our requirements, because, I don’t trust my Italian to carry the burden alone). Villa la Favorita is a fabled B&B and agriturismo known for its cuisine sourced in its own gardens and surrounding farm and vineyards, and it attracts an international clientele, including Italians. After we greeted some of our fellow guests who were just arriving from a guided truffle hunt in the woods, complete with mud-covered rubber boots and trenchcoats dripping with rain, Roberta served us her own Nebbiolo wine and antipasti, and gave us a rundown on the town, the sights, and the Barolo and Barbaresco wines—and, of course, truffles. What amazing culinary delights awaited us in this beautiful countryside!

Stay tuned for Part II next week!

By Claudia Mosca, an aspiring author and freelance writer

Summer is the perfect time to get lost in reading.

Worries fall away as fast as the waves of the sea, leaving us free to relax and enjoy the
summer.

But what are the most interesting books to read this summer?

Let’s discover together the 3 Italian books not to be missed in this hot summer 2022. Let’s
start.

Randagi, Marco Amerighi

A Strega Prize finalist, Randagi (Marco Amerighi) is one of the most interesting books of the moment. A simple story but full of surprises, it will know how to keep you in suspense.

The protagonist of the novel is Pietro, a character “destined to remain in the shadows.” When Tommaso, Pietro’s brilliant brother, disappears, the family is hit by an unexpected scandal.

Pietro is forced to put aside his fear and search for his brother, accompanied by two unusual figures: Laurent, a gigolo with a passion for night swimming and alcohol, and Dora, a horror movie buff with a difficult past.

Will Peter be able to change and bring Thomas back to the family?

Il Destino dell’orso, Dario Correnti

The second novel, Il Destino dell’orso (Dario Correnti), is a murder mystery perfect for summer.

Journalist Marco Besana is assigned to cover a strange news case involving a man brutally murdered.

Along with him is Ilaria Piatti, a very young reporter convinced that they are dealing with a real serial killer.

Ilaria and Marco, accompanied by their dog Beck, set out in search of the killer, discovering a striking resemblance between the murderer and the eighteenth-century serial poisoner Giovanna Bonanno, also known as Vecchia dell’Aceto.

Lena e la tempesta, Alessia Gazzola

The latest book, Lena e la tempesta (Alessia Gazzola), has captured the attention of many different readers.

The protagonist of the story is Lena, a woman tormented by an unmentionable secret. Traveling to the island of Levura, where the old family home is hidden, Lena is surprised by the past coming back to knock on her door.

Something terrible happened in the summer of her 15th birthday, on that very island and in that very house. On the island Lena meets Thomas, the charming boy who will help her come to terms with herself and the past.