A Small Place in Italy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
A Small Place in Italy
Buy for $18.87
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Eric Newby
-
By:
-
Eric Newby
About this listen
This book is a lush and beautiful memoir of a very special house and a superb recreation of a bygone era.
In 1967, veteran travel writer Eric Newby and his heroic wife Wanda fulfiled their dream of a return to life in the Italian hills where they first met during World War II. But this fulfilment would not come easy. The dream materialised in the form of I Castagni ('The Chestnuts'), a small, decrepit farmhouse with no roof, an abandoned septic tank and its own indigenous wildlife reluctant to give up their home. But in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the border of Liguria and Northern Tuscany, this ramshackle house would soon become a hub of love, friendship and activity.
Whether recounting dangerous expeditions through Afghanistan or everyday life in a country house, Newby's talent shines through as one of the foremost writers of the comic travel genre. Full of Newby's sharp wit and good humour, ‘A Small Place’ in Italy returns, twenty years later, to the life of Newby's much-cherished classic, Love and War in the Apennines. It lovingly recounts the quickly disappearing lifestyle of the idiosyncratic locals, and the enduring friendships they forge, whether sharing in growing their first wine harvest as novices or frying poisonous mushrooms for a feast.
©1994 Eric Newby (P)1994 HarperCollins PublishersCritic reviews
'Newby is of course a travel writer of near genius – wonderfully dry in the narration of the tribulations which so often afflict him and Wanda, and splendidly precise on the nuts and bolts of things … Highly readable and dangerously liable to induce a craving for one's own patch of Italian paradise' Martin Gayford, Sunday Telegraph
'Newby is an incomparable, shrewd and witty travel writer … immensely enjoyable' John Mortimer, Mail on Sunday
'Eric Newby must rank as one of the foremost travel writers of our age. Among his skills lies the ability to carry the reader with him on the most varied of journeys … a sequel to his 1971 classic, ‘Love and War in the Apennines’… [Newby's] good humour, and his loving eye for a way of life now disappearing, makes it a sterling contribution to that very particular shelf of English literature, describing life as lived among the Italians' Hugh Carless, Guardian
'A jovial account of living in Tuscany' Literary Review
'[Newby's] book is cheerful, informative and often very funny' Times Literary Supplement
'There is a deep respect for human personality here, and a wealth of information scrupulously and precisely retailed' Daily Telegraph
'Beautifully written. Full of wisdom, humour and humanity, Newby is touching on the poignancy of life, its fleeting pleasures and ultimate, inevitable loss … He is a perceptive interpreter of our dreams' Sunday Express
'Newby goes into satisfying detail about the people, the food and the landscape, and the house itself takes a central role in the book … by observing the details of his surroundings with clarity and understanding, he gives the reader a gentle picture of a pleasant Arcadia' Wanderlust
What listeners say about A Small Place in Italy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ACD
- 04-12-25
A SPECIAL, TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE
Eric Newby was an outstanding and renowned British travel and history writer. In this short book, he describes lovingly and vividly his experiences with a “small house” in Italy in the same locale where he was an escaped POW during WWII. He was sheltered by Italians who helped the soldiers of their former enemies at great risk, Eric’s wife Wanda was one of his protectors. Their love story extended over a sixty year marriage that was full of travel and adventure. Here Eric and Wanda returned to the same Italian locale two decades after the war. Their wartime experiences and relationship are the backdrops for their newer peacetime adventures This book confirms that real history outshines fictional stories. As for Eric’s narration, I am grateful to hear Eric himself. The 2001 TV movie “In Love and War”, and Eric’s book on which the film is based, beautifully describe their wartime years and the growth of their relationship during and despite the war. This book adds to and builds on the earlier history and is an enjoyable story of two unique and memorable people and their Italian home.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Thandi Lamprecht
- 08-30-20
Lovely
This is a lovely, short and sweet book. Listening to it feels like you’re listening to the author reminisce about his time in Italy over a long lazy lunch. The perfect antidote to our current time, so full of anxiety and stress. I really enjoyed this book. I just wish it was longer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Sarah Centrella
- 07-09-18
Too slow for me
This story just never picked up for me. It was also hard to get into because of the narration which made it extra slow. Couldn’t get into it or finish it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- bigbird56
- 11-30-22
Can’t listen
The author should’ve paid for a much better reader. Really hard to listen to the sky.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!