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    The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria
    The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria
    The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria

    Written by Marlena de Blasi

    Narrated by Laural Merlington

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From village feasts and rustic tavernas to ancient piazzas and moonlit balconies, the smells and tastes and sounds and soul of Umbria come alive in bestselling author Marlena de Blasi's evocative memoir.

    By turns romantic and sensual, joyous and celebratory, touching and humorous, Marlena de Blasi's account of moving with her husband, Fernando, to Orvieto, the largest city in Italy's Umbria, will appeal to anyone who delights in travel and shares the fantasy of beginning a new life in a very different place. It is a tale of the couple's search for the right home-which turns out to be the former ballroom of a fifteenth=-century palazzo-and the right balance in their lives, in this case making friends of cooks, counts, shepherds, and a lone violinist. It is a tale, too, of an American woman finding her niche in a society bound by tradition and seemingly closed to outsiders.

    With a voice full of wonder, de Blasi brings to life these engagingly quirky people and the aloof, almost daunting society that exists in Umbria. Not since Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence has a writer so convincingly captures the essence of a singular place and created a feast for readers of all stripes.

    "Vivid writing and an affectionate appreciation of the sounds, scenes and flavors of Italy."-Publishers Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 1, 2007
    ISBN9781400173433
    The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria

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    Reviews for The Lady in the Palazzo

    4/5

    5 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I like this writer’s books very much. The words are textured.
    • 2/5
      De Blasi's books always seem a bit self-obsessed to me - perhaps because I am a father of a "recovering" teenage drama queen. She could be a lot more engaging as a writer if her books did'nt scream "look at me" but instead "look at the culture." I read this because I collect all things Italy. If, however, you are looking for a good travel book on Umbria, there are many choices I would recommend before this one.
    • 5/5
      This latest book by Marlena DeBliai is set in the Umbrian hilltown of Orvieto. If you are familiar with Marlena's previous books you know that she is the author of various Italian Cookbooks and that a number of years ago she met, fell in love with and married a Venetian. That story is told in her book, "1000 Days in Venice." After marriage and living in Venice for a while, she and Fernando moved to Tuscany. Their experiences in Tuscany are chronicled in her book, "1000 Days in Tuscany."In this newest book, Marlena and Fernando have moved to Umbria, the town of Orvieto, where they attempt to purchase a home inside the walls. Their endeavor is detailed in this captivating book, "The Lady in the Palazzo." Like all her previous memoirs, this book tells more than a story of her experience. She really brings you into the "soul" of the Italy where she finds herself. Because she is a transplanted American, she sees through American eyes and hears through American ears. As a result, she is constantly just a little bit out of step with life being lived by the Italians around her. This slight disconnect makes her notice things that locals would take for granted. She describes the places and the people with such insight that I want to hurry off to Orvieto and find these people and make them my friends as well. From her husband, Fernando, she begins to learn the "Italian way" of doing things...the nuances of interactions. She begins to see how every encounter is like an act in an ancient opera. That nothing is really as it seems. If you have been to Italy and visited family, then you have also experienced what it is like to be in a situation and to feel that more is going on here than meets the eye but you can't quite figure out what it is. She describes such incidents in her book.The basis of this episode in her life is that she and Fernando want to purchase a large apartment in an very old palazzo that has been in an Ovietani family for generations. However, the family, who needs to sell the apartment, cannot bring themselves to sell it. So they enter into a very "Italian" arrangement where Marlena and Fernando pay for all the renovations and are permitted to live for as long as they want...for all their lives if they want...but the apartment never officially changes hands.I think her writing is wonderful. She uses words in a poetic way and tells you not just what happened but what it is in the Italian soul that made it happen the way it did. The text is peppered with Italian phrases and translations that give you a real sense of place. Marlena herself is a personality bigger than life. She is the "Americana" who dresses wildly and with flair. She is bold, willing to do and try things that cause the Italians to observe with their mouths hanging open and yet she is able to pull it off. At the end, you are gifted with some of her recipes.