Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera, Where Every Month Is Enchanted
Books / Paperback
Books › Travel › Europe › Italy
ISBN: 0060958111 / Publisher: Harper Perennial, April 2002
Expecting a temporary escape from the dreariness of London, two sisters accept a ten-week job grafting roses in an Italian village, but end up staying for life.
Read More
“Extra Virgin is pure delight. Annie Hawes has written a memoir as lovely as the Italian Riviera.” — Susan Isaacs, New York Times Bestselling AuthorIn 1983, a pale Annie Hawes and her equally pale sister leave England for the sun-drenched olive groves of a small Italian town in Liguria. With fantasies of handsome tanned men and swimming in the sea urging them on, they are hired to work for ten weeks to graft roses -- of which they have little knowledge -- along the Italian Riviera, board and lodging included.But none of the men seem to be under forty, and Ligurians have particular ideas about life, including swimming ("To go swimming in seawater outside the month of July or August is even worse for your health than drinking cappuccino after twelve noon!"). But Annie and her sister are captivated by San Pietro's quirkiness and beauty, and suddenly their brief stay stretches into years, as they are bemused, charmed, and ultimately accepted by the eccentric inhabitants of their adopted home.
Read Less