They forage for spring greens and truffles and harvest eggs from under chickens. We follow them when they harvest grapes for wine as well as figs, olives and chestnuts. They become especially close to Floriana and old Barlozzo, who regales them with tales of the past of instructions on how to bake, build an outdoor oven, gather and forage and who imparts much of his wisdom. On the day they move in, the villagers gather around, and help them clean and unpack then there is an impromptu potluck party in the piazza around the town bar, with fired zucchini blossoms as the main feature. Her children are grown and settled now they are on their own grand adventure. Fernando has given up his job in a Venetian bank and they will be living on their small savings and Marlena's earnings for her writing. This begins with the arrival of American food writer Marlena, and her Venetian husband Fernando, in the small Tuscan village of San Casciano de Bagni, where they rent an ancient farmhouse, with no telephone, central heat, or television. Marlena de Blasi follows up her Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance, with her newest book, A Thousand Days in Tuscany. He’s not only read but written the book on ‘the ways of the land’Ī small village and community where time has forgotten but where the spirit of Italy, Italian food and the Italian culture shine through.Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann, Chanhassen (MN.) Librarian Fernando slowly becomes less of “the Banker” and more of the “paesano” as they immerse themselves in their new world.īarlozzo is the man you would want to meet when you’re in a strange and foreign land – never mind the tour guides – he shows you where to find your best mushrooms, or the best grapes. Socially, they get out and meet the locals in the bar where they bond and chat over an early morning coffee and pastry. However, seeing this as merely a blank canvas, Marina is soon adding Venetian curtains to the windows, flowers on the table or fried zucchini blossoms to the plate. With no oven, electricity and a house that is not even clean or empty, the couple even describe the furniture as “all in the form of irrefutable junk.” Welcome to San Casciano dei Bagni! “Life here is simple in style but not substance.
So when banker Fernando quits his job in the bank and tells her they’e moving to Tuscany, this is another step on the ladder of adventures right? With biblical overtones, they move to a deserted stable of sorts with no amenities.
Marina believes in taking the bull by the horns, life by the scruff of its neck. Having returned to the US, he goes out to meet her and bring her back to Italy where they live in Venice and marry. In “A Thousand Days In Venice,” Marina De Blasi first visited Italy where she met a mysterious stranger who fell in love with her on sight and preceded to do everything he could to ‘woo’ her.
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