Immerse In Not In A Tuscan Villa: During A Year In Italy, A New Jersey Couple Discovers The True Dolce Vita When They Trade Rose-colored Glasses For 3Ds Authored By John Petralia File Digital Edition

loved this book!!! I loved learning about Italy all the history and way of life Nancy and John made me feel as if I was in Italy with them.
I really got such a strong feeling for what life is like there I've always wanted to go and visit and hopefully one of these days I will have the opportunity.
Living somewhere for a year puts you in such a different vantage point than visiting for a week or two or even a month.
I loved hearing about all of their adventures and learnings of Italy and their culture, Great book!!!! An engaging travel guide cum memoir, Not in a Tuscan Villa is the story of two Americans of retirement age fulfilling their dream of living for a year in Italy.
This book is an enjoyable read, especially if you share the authors' love of Italian history, architecture, and seafood,

I knocked two off the first because it's a little repetitious, We are told numerous times about how good the calamari is, About how Italians use "punto," which means "point taken," in several different ways, And that Italians have access to highquality health care, The book would be better if each of these, and a dozen or so other examples, were mentioned two to four fewer times.


The second star I scraped off because, in a few places, while sharing their thoughts on people they meet, the authors cross the line from insensitive to genuinely offensive.
The husband is in Italy in part to improve his Italian, but when he hears an African speaking in their native language, he calls it "gibberish.
" Several times they refer to Romani as "gypsies," an antiquated, borderline racist term, I know plenty of Americans their age, and I'm sure there was no malice in any of this, but numerous editors and a writing club reviewed this book before publication.
Someone should have caught these missteps,

All and all, this is a decent book worth reading, especially for Americans planning on visiting Italy, The snapshots of some of the towns and sights are themselves worth the time spent perusing the book,

This is a delightful book for many reasons,

First, it is well written, every page immersing the reader deep into the experience of two people who had the courage to take a year and do something totally different from their previous experience.
There is an exciting sense of adventure, a willingness and the sense of humor to accept that everything will not be as you planned, and the ability to change focus and houses when reality proves to be below expectations.


We go along with John and Nancy every step of their way, riding a bike, shopping, eating, volunteering at a food festival and a senior center, absorbing the culture and joy of Italy.
There are great descriptions of many places you have heard of, and others not on the normal tourist radar, There are also moving interactions with the Italians they met along the way,

My wife and I lived in the south of France forsummers, using our apartment for home exchange to travel throughout Europe.
See sitelink wordpress. com/ Many times we have heard from our friends how much they would like to do what we did, but they never do.
John and Nancy, with different objectives and a different plan, reached out and changed their lives as a result, Their report is a great read and also a wonderful guide for those who may be similarly inclined,
I'm finished because I'm putting this mess of a book down, The typos! In both English and Italian, Which at one point was written ITALAINO instead of ITALIANO!!! And Pelligrino for pilgrim instead of Pellegrino, How the hell do you do that with a bottle of the damn water right on the table in front of you An acquaintance, Sheila, had her name spelled as Shiela in every other paragraph.
Chiuso which is closed in Italian was spelled chuiso which means nothing, Porcshe for Porsche, distain for disdain, Gallop for the Gallup Poll!!!

And then the nastiness with which the husband talked albeit in his head to and about the police officer who pulled him over for goingkph in azone.
He was doing his fricking job! You were the one speeding so why all the rudeness!

I really should avoid vanity publishing altogether.
It does a number on my blood pressure, I love the way this couple writes, It was a fun ride to be along with them on their journey living in Italy, We actually lived in Parma, Italy fordays because of this book! This couple is amazing and have been following them on Facebook for quite a while.
It thrills me to find good people a wonderful couple, This was a fun and eye opening read, The authors picked up and moved to Italy for a year, We've considered spending a few months in Europe after retirement so it was interesting to hear some of the challenges that the authors faced and how different life is over there.
The authors loved to cook so there was a lot of discussion about cooking and food, This is one thing that scares me because I am not a good cook and I'm afraid we would starve if I have to cook from scratch each day.
It would be interesting to see how this would change me since I would obviously have to adapt, I loved reading about all of the churches and museums, We visited Paris once and reveling in all if the history was my favorite part, I can't wait to spend an extended period of time in Europe now! I found this book interesting because I, too love Italy.
I loved the descriptions of the food, the markets, the small shops and everyday life there, I could have done with fewer descriptions of all the churches because that's not my thing, but, overall it was informative and fun to read.
. Although I enjoyed reading this couples account one of my favorite types of genres, the large amount of typos was severely distracting.
A good editor is indispensable! Even the Italian was often incorrect, I almost abandoned itrounded down because of the typos, If you want to retire in Italy one day read this! Enjoyed this travel novel that chronicled John and Nancy Petralia's dream trip to Italy.
The trip, taken in their early's was a dream come true for the couple from NJ, I think there were many elements of this book on many levels, The couple researched where they wanted to live based on location and the fact that they did not plan to have access to a car.
They started in Bologna,

but an inferior apartment weighed heavily on them, even though the found enjoyable experiences there, They eventually moved to Parma, During the year they traveled extensively, navigated the roads and the language, and made many friends, John was hospitalized twice, with good outcomes each time, They people watched and immersed themselves in the local culture, One of their surprises was how the experience made them look at America differently, The book was written preCovid and Italy's healthcare system was overwhelmed by the pandemic, The Petralia's talked about how the Italian healthcare system focused on prevention instead of treatment, I looked for any response to the Italian response to the pandemic but could not find anything, Wonder if and how their view may have changed, Enjoyable read that gave me a lot more ideas of places to visit in one of my favorite countries, Loved it

I have always dreamed of living in Europe, This book made me feel as though I were, Very enjoyable book for us armchair travelers,stars. I enjoyed reading this book about a couple in theirs who got out of their comfort zone and moved to Italy for a year.
What made this book more interesting to me than Under the Tuscan Sun is that this couple really made an effort to learn the language and immerse themselves in the culture rather than hang out with other ex pats.

The publishing is second rate, The cover is blurry and out of focus and the text had quite a few typos and grammatical errors, A pretty sloppy presentation. Fantastic read! If you want to see Italy, you need to read this book!

Loved everything about this book! You have inspired me to live my Italian dream! Repositioning cruise life! Um, Yes, please!!!!!!! As someone who is living in another country Spain, I think what I appreciated most about this book was the authors' reflections on how living in another culture changed their views of their own American culture.
And, of course, I also loved their reminiscences of the experiences they had traveling around in Italy and attending various cultural events.
I found the way they put the story together occasionally confusing as they took turns writing chapters without identification of who was writing, and because the tale lacked chronology a good deal of the time.
But, at the same time I appreciated the thematic ways they organized their experiences, and I loved the fact that they wanted to be immersed in the culture instead of seeking out an expat community.
Another great aspect was the way the experience enhanced their relationship, In general I think this might be a good way for a couple considering living abroad to examine their own "must haves".
What happens if you decide to make a dream come true Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city.
Within days their dream becomes a nightmare, After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and healthcare, discovering art, friends, food, and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipateabout Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.
Part memoir, part commentary, quirky and sincere, Not in a Tuscan Villa is about having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and do something challenging in later life.
The adventure recaptures the Petralia's youth, rekindles their romanceand changes their lives forever, .