- Title:
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Mezza Italiana: An enchanting story about love, family, la dolce vita and finding your place in the world
- Written by:
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Zoë Boccabella
- Read by:
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Marcella Russo
- Format:
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Unabridged CD Audio Book
- Number of CDs:
-
9
- Duration:
-
10 hours 45 minutes
- Published:
-
April 01 2011
- Available Date:
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October 28 2011
- Age Category:
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Adult
- ISBN:
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9781742677866
- Genres:
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Non-fiction; Australian; Autobiography; Europe; Travel Writing
- Publisher:
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ABC Audio
Qty
Format
Price
Bolinda price
"A charming and thoughtful writer with a vibrant story to tell. This is a memoir with a difference."
Frances Mayes
Zoe grew up in Brisbane in the 70s and 80s, back then it was mostly an Anglo Australian town, if you wanted to fit in you did not bottle tomatoes, have plastic on the hallway carpet and a glory box full of Italian linen tablecloths. Zoe then travels to Italy and stays in the house that has belonged to her family for centuries.
Growing up in Brisbane in the 1970s and 80s, Zoë Boccabella knew if you wanted to fit in, you did not bottle tomatoes, have plastic on the hallway carpet or a glory box of Italian linens. Though she tried to be like ‘everyone else’, refusing to learn Italian and even dyeing her dark hair blonde, Zoë couldn’t shake the unsettling sense of feeling ‘half-and-half’ - half Australian, mezza italiana - unable to fit fully into either culture, or merge the two.
Years later, she travels to her family’s ancestral village of Fossa in Abruzzo and discovers a place that is the stuff of fairytales - medieval castles, mystics, dark forests, serpent charmers and witches. As Zoë stays in the house that has belonged to her family for centuries, the village casts its spell. She begins to realise the preciousness of her heritage as the stories, recipes and traditions of her extended Italian family become a treasured part of her life. Then, the earthquake hits...