Tag Archives: Our Italian Library

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Our Italian Library – The Classics

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Summertime, and the reading is easy. It’s time to squeeze in some last summer reads before August ends. Here’s what is on our bedside table — to be consumed before the first chill. May we suggest that it is time to put away the juicy midsummer reads and dig into the heavyweights? Here are our top 5 picks, all memorable tales featuring the one and only Italy.

1. Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway

The classic love affair, set during the Italian campaign of World War I, is based on Hemingway’s own experiences. Reading this book is like eating well prepared broccoli, essential yet tasty. If you haven’t had a taste, dig in.

2. Italian Hours, Henry James

Henry James spent some time in the hot Italian sun, and it evidently affected him. In this book, a compilation of over forty years of travel writing, James constantly returns to the beauty and luxury of Italian life, despite the all too frequent material shortcomings. This travelogue serves as a reminder that people have been falling in love with Italy for hundreds of years.

3. Roman Fever, Edith Wharton

Roman Fever is a short story that even those with not much time can conquer. Perhaps slightly over the heads of teenagers who read it in high school each year, this short story is a pithy commentary on female competition.

4. Pictures from Italy, Charles Dickens

Dickens joins in on the travelogue fever of the early 19th century with his experiences in Italy with his family. His stories of the people and buildings of the boot still captivate in the 21st century.

5. Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain

Do you think of America when you think Mark Twain? Think again! Mark Twain published his humorous travelogue of his wanderings through Italy in 1869, and since then it has become one of the best-selling travel books of all time.

We promise that settling down with one of these reads will transport you to an Italian summer. Let’s get reading!

 

Do you have a favorite Italian book or short story?  Let us know in the comments section below.

Summertime, and the reading is easy. It’s time to squeeze in some last summer reads before August ends. Here’s what is on ...

Comings & Goings, Events
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Our Italian Library – The Name of the Rose

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Our Italian Book Club has read through many Italian classics. Every book on Leonardo Da Vinci has been turned over. Italo Calvino? Been there. So when we discovered that Umberto Eco’s classic The Name of the Rose had not been touched by our little group’s hands, we decided it was high time we dig in.

A smashing success in the 1980’s, this novel still holds weight today. The New York Times review of the book from 1989 is worth the read, and provides insight into why this book is considered a “classic” more than just a time-specific “bestseller.”

Next Tuesday, the 5th of May at 7PM, we will sit down in our Galleria space with some wine and crack open the hefty binding of this intriguing and semiological book.

If, upon reading these words, you find yourself balking at the task of reading such a novel in such a short period of time, we would like to provide another option: watching the movie, which is available on Netflix DVD. Starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater, the film is a classic in itself.

Either way, we look forward to the discussion on Tuesday.

Ci Vediamo!

— Via Umbria

Our Italian Book Club has read through many Italian classics. Every book on Leonardo Da Vinci has been turned over. Italo Calvino? ...

Comings & Goings, Events, Tastes of Italy
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Our Italian Library – Virgin Territory

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When we heard Nancy Harmon Jenkins was coming out with a new book on olive oil, we pre-ordered it immediately. The leading authority on the subject in the United States, Jenkins is worth her weight in (olive oil) gold.

 

Her most popular book,The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, is a staple for understanding why eating the way Italians (and other cultures) do can be healthy, easy, and delicious. Though we loved this book, the Washington Post places Extra Virginity on an even higher pedestal, saying “This is her seventh cookbook, with much more to offer than her well-written, mostly Mediterranean-based recipes.” In addition to over 100 recipes featuring olive oil, she also gives a vast tutorial on selecting a quality oil.

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Jenkins is very particular about her oil, which comes through in her book. It is her Boston Globe Question and Answer she says that “…people should try, as much as possible, to find places that offer tastings,” from which to buy their oil. At Via Umbria, we wholeheartedly believe that taste should be your guide, which is why all of our oils are out daily for tastings. Our featured tasting this month gets the seal of approval in her book, which is a bit of an ego boost for our selection process.

 

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Italy when reading this, you are well aware that it is artichoke season. Harmon Jenkins offered a sneak peek at a recipe in her book – Oven Braised Artichokes, Potatoes, and Onions, from the Wisconsin Public Radio.

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We are drooling over this book, and hope that you will join us to discuss its merits (or imperfections) at our next book club, on April 7th at 7PM in our events space in Georgetown. You can be sure there will be some oil tasting going on! And be sure to support your local store, and pop on it to sweep a copy off our shelves!

 

— Via Umbria

When we heard Nancy Harmon Jenkins was coming out with a new book on olive oil, we pre-ordered it immediately. The leading ...

Comings & Goings, Events, Food & Drink
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Our Italian Library – Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef

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Sometimes, on slower days at Via Umbria, we wander to our Italian book shelf and flip lovingly through the many wonderful cookbooks we have in store.

It is always validating to have a book we have fallen in love with get recognized by the food and publishing community.

Which brings us to the Art of Eating Prize, which was awarded last week. The Art of Eating Prize was established in 2014 and is awarded annually to the author of the year’s best book about food.

The six books of the 2015 Art of Eating Prize Shortlist represent a range of outstanding food writing. From the daunting pile of 84 nominations, the judges produced first a long list of 12 books and then a shortlist of six. We were thrilled that one of our favorite new Italian cookbooks made that minimal list.

The three-Michelin-star awarded chef Massimo Bottura in presents the stories behind four dozen of his dishes in Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef. Though this book looks quite serious, his interview and tasting menu on Jimmy Kimmel Live proves him to be a man of humor as well.

This tome is a tribute to Bottura’s twenty-five year career and the evolution of Osteria Francescana. Divided into four chapters, each one dealing with a different period, the book features 50 recipes and accompanying texts explaining Bottura’s inspiration, ingredients and techniques. Substantial enough to be a serious work of food literature, yet stimulating (and large) enough to be a coffee table book, this recognition is well deserved.

 

— Via Umbria 

Sometimes, on slower days at Via Umbria, we wander to our Italian book shelf and flip lovingly through the many wonderful cookbooks ...