Why a Booktrail?
1989 -Ever had the dream to go and live in sumptuous Italy with a handsome stranger? Marlena de Blasi did just that and promptly fell in love with the country and food as well
A Thousand Days in Venice
What you need to know before your trail
Visiting Italy and sitting in a Venice cafe with two friends, Marlena notices a group of men sitting nearby. One of the men asks to see her again even though they haven’t spoken. She resists but he appears in her life over the next few days. He has to speak to her, he has to get to know her he says for she is the one.
When he makes the effort to travel over to the USA to be with her, Marlena knows this is serious and before she knows it, she’s packed her bags and is headed off to Venice to be with Fernando, still a virtual stranger of sorts.
So far so adventurous. But then Venice catches her eye too and before she knows it she’s fallen in love with the city and its food, but life, like the best recipes do not always go to plan. Will the final result be worth savouring?
Travel Guide
Imagine moving halfway across the world to be with a man you barely know but you just have that feeling that it’s the right thing to do.
“Why shouldn’t I go and live on the fringes of an Adriatic Lagoon with a Blueberry-Eyed Stranger?”
A true story of one American chef who did just that and discovers Venice and its food at the same time.
Life with a stranger is difficult – she loves colour, vibrancy and has a zest for life. He on the other hand prefers a simple bare appartment where meals are functional rather than elaborate concoctions. Neither of them speak the language of the other very well. So doomed to fail? A love story with a difference where the couple are not in their first flushes of youth and come from totally different worlds. One line/chapter heading sums up both the food and the romance –
“That lush moment just before ripeness”
Use this book and advice as a travel guide around Venice for many cafes and eating locations are included in the book. There is a lover’s guide to Venice where the best spots for romantic meals are given.
You will be licking your lips at the descriptions of the food they eat. Not surprising really as the author is a chef and food critic. However the moments they spend together are delectably captured as if on film with recipes ranging from Fresh Pasta with Roasted Walnut Sauce,” to “Traditional Tuscan Tomato Porridge,”. The recipes throughout the book allow you to eat your way through it as they do.
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