I Am A Reader - The Lady in the Palazzo

I recently read a book that transported me to one of my favorite places in Italy...the Umbrian hill town of Orvieto!  Twice Jay and I have spent time in Orvieto and each time we have been captivated by the ancient, Etruscan vibe that permeates the town.

Orvieto at dusk  2001

Orvieto, our hotel in 2004

The book I read was "The Lady in the Palazzo" written by Marlena DiBlasi.

Marlena is the author of various Italian Cookbooks and 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 and their experiences there are chronicled in her book, "1000 Days in Tuscany."

In "The Lady in the Palazzo," Marlena and Fernando have moved to Orvieto where they attempt to purchase a home inside the walls.  Their endeavor is detailed in this book and Marlena tells more than just the story of her experience.  She brings the reader 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 and 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 main theme is that she and Fernando want to purchase a large apartment in a 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 part with 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.

Marlena di Blasi

I have read varying reviews of her books, some thumbs up and some thumbs down...but for me...I enjoy them! The book is my selection for the month of July in the Italy in Books Challenge at the Book After Book blog. To see what others are reading this month click here.