The Complete Collection (Books 1-4) At first, Santa Lucia seems like any charming Italian village. But linger in Chiara's cafe and you'll soon discover the secrets, lies, loves, and betrayals that color the lives of the those that walk Santa Lucia's cobblestone streets. So sip your cappuccino and escape into this sweeping series set in the rolling green hills of Italy.
A witty and warm-hearted memoir of abandoning fast-paced American days in favor of discovering the Italian secrets of food, community, and life. Moving across the globe meant Michelle Damiani soon found herself untangling Italian customs, delighting in glorious regional cuisine (recipes included), and creating lasting friendships. From grandmothers eager to teach the ancient art of pasta making, to bakers tossing bread into fiery ovens with a song, to butchers extolling the benefits of pork fat, Il Bel Centro is rich with captivating characters and cultural insights. Throw in clinking glasses of Umbrian red with the local communists and a village all-nighter decorating the cobblestone streets with flower petals; as well as embarrassing language minefields and a serious summons to the mayor’s office, and you have all the ingredients for a spellbinding travel tale. Exquisitely observed, Il Bel Centro is an intimate celebration of small town Italy, as well as a thoughtful look at raising a family in a new culture and a fascinating story of finding a home. Ultimately though, this is a story about how travel can change you when you’re ready to let it. With laugh-out-loud situations and wanderlust-inspiring storytelling, Il Bel Centro is a joyous and life-affirming read that will have readers rushing to renew their passports. “This is one of the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.” “I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this book.” “This book made me want to pack my bags.” “I loved, loved this book. Fabulously written, engaging, and entertaining.” “A magical read.”
Surrounded by glimmering olive groves and embellished with flower-lined alleys, it would be easy to believe that Santa Lucia is as innocent as it appears. After all, what drama could possibly unfold in such a storybook village?
Miss Mapp and Lucia return in the fifth instalment of E. F. Benson's classic series. Here we find Lucia battling here way to the top of the social ladder in the small village of Tilling, Miss Mapp here nemesis will not let that happen with out a very polite and gentile fight. This novel, originally published in 1935, is being republished here together with a new introductory biography of the author.
Long revered in both East and West, St. Lucia is an early virgin martyr whose life and legacy shine as a light of faith, hope, and compassion in the darkness of winter and sin. Lucia, Saint of Light introduces young readers to both her life and her delightful Christmas-related festival as it is traditionally celebrated in Sweden and around the world. Daria Fisher's warm and vivid illustrations will make this book a favorite with children and parents alike. Brighten your home this winter with the festival of Lucia, Saint of Light!
Rumors. Romance. And more than a little espresso. Santa Lucia has seen a lot of changes, and they’ve made life for the villagers harder than they ever imagined. Creating a working vineyard. Parenting a teenage daughter. Romance with the mayor. Being gay in a quintessential Italian village. None of these are easy, and everyone is feeling the pressure as their annual festival nears. The villagers are back for one last passeggiata through the flower-lined alleys of Santa Lucia. Swapping gossip at the local café has never been so delicious until a storm of secrets threatens the village’s very survival. With the rain beginning to fall and the wine turning to vinegar in the barrels, can the villagers bring themselves back into the wavering blue light of Santa Lucia? "I absolutely loved the continuation of this story! I have literally fallen in love with Santa Lucia and these characters and was so happy to have another view into their lives. The writing is so well done in these books that I feel like I know the characters and the places." "Beautiful view into small village Italian life. As a native Italian I find the books accurately describe the tightly-knit neighborhoods that are typical of my country, where everybody knows your name and your business." "I can’t believe that I’ve devoured this series feeling such an intricate part of Santa Lucia." "Damiani spins an engaging, exciting plot with wonderful characters and hauntingly evocative details of place and season."
One winter in the Far North the sun disappears and Lucia, accompanied by her milk-white cat, braves the freezing cold and trolls who want to eat her, trying to find the sun and bring it back.
Make Way For Lucia, also known as Mapp and Lucia, is a collective name for a series of novels by E. F. Benson about Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas and Elizabeth Mapp. The novels feature humorous incidents in the lives of (mainly) upper-middle-class British people in the 1920s and 1930s, vying for social prestige and one-upmanship in an atmosphere of extreme cultural snobbery. Several of them are set in the small seaside town of Tilling, closely based on Rye, East Sussex, where Benson lived for a number of years and served as mayor. Contents: Queen Lucia Miss Mapp Lucia in London Mapp and Lucia Lucia's Progress or The Worshipful Lucia Trouble for Lucia The Male Impersonator Desirable Residences Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. He started his novel writing career in 1893 with the fashionably controversial Dodo, which was an instant success, and followed it with a variety of satire and romantic and supernatural melodrama. He repeated the success of Dodo, with sequels to this novel, but the greatest success came relatively late in his career with The Mapp and Lucia series consisting of six novels and two short stories. Benson was also known as a writer of atmospheric, oblique, and at times humorous or satirical ghost stories.
Warm Italian sunshine casts long shadows… In the sleepy Italian village of Santa Lucia, espresso-serving Chiara has always been the one to turn to for the juiciest gossip. But when secrets hidden in the heart of the village start to unravel, Chiara finds herself in the middle of a brewing conflict that could threaten the lives of everyone in the town. As romances blossom and tensions rise, Chiara soon finds that not all secrets are meant to stay hidden. Will the exploding revelations prove deadly? Santa Lucia is the gripping story of a town on the brink of change and the villagers that call it home. "Santa Lucia is a wonderful, sprawling, satisfying novel....This was my favorite novel of 2017." "One of those books that keeps you awake at night reading. Loved the characters and the story." "Santa Lucia brings small town Italy to life!"
