Skip to main content

A MANUSCRIPT IN THE MAKING

I'm writing a book.

A computer on a table on a terrace with a view in Tuscany


I know I said the same thing in my last post six months ago, but - rather annoyingly- that's still what I do.

It takes an infuriating amount of time to get all these words onto the screen. And once the words are on there, they start, just like my kids, to behave unruly and look badly spelt (spelled?), and it takes another infuriating (used same word already above) amount of time (synonym for time?) to tease them into a an attractive form and lovely singsong that hopefully - one day not too far - you people may want to read.

On a less artistic level I also spend a lot of time running after the pages of the manuscript, which, once gone with the wind, tend to get chewed up by our neighbour's sheep. That's one more reason why the Map It Out Tuscany, Siena and Montalcino blogs have turned into a sort of wasteland lately. Luckily, I planted a few sturdy succulents long ago, which keep this blog alive even though I wasn't around here much already during the year before starting work on the manuscript. I was far too busy then with living through the story the book will tell - a story that focuses on the daily ups and downs of the workings of a refugee home in a Tuscan hilltop town and my experience in the midst of it.  

Migration and the so called 'refugee crisis' and the impact of the two on a small village and an improvised shelter in the Tuscan hinterland are the main topics of the book. If complicated (intricate?) matters like these speak to you, bear with me. I'm going to publish The Trouble with Helping (working title) in English in autumn 2016, and further down the lane also in Italian and German.

Drop me an email, if you'd like to be informed once the The Trouble with Helping is ready to roll. Just write 'book news' or something similar in the header and I'll add you to the mailing list. I know there are clever apps out there that would make it easier for you to sign up to my book list, but I haven't had the nerves yet to figure them out. Because - as I said - I'm sitting here typing away. 

UPDATE WINTER 2017: 'Across the Big Blue Sea: Good Intentions and Hard Lessons in an Italian Refugee Home' will be published in February 2017. More info on the book website: www.acrossthebigbluesea.com

A dog, a cat and a table with a Tuscan view
If only they could write it for me.
Location: 58044 Cinigiano GR, Italy

Popular posts from this blog

WINE AND ARCHITECTURE: PETRA WINERY BY MARIO BOTTA

Southern Tuscany is home to a handful of wineries, which are often described as wine cathedrals.  The Petra vineyard near Suvereto (by architect Mario Botta) is an interesting example of this new approach in winery architecture. At Petra the world-class architect went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape.  Main building of the Petra Winery in Suvereto If it is true that the way to good wine starts in the he vineyard, it is also true that only the quality of the cork,  the design of the label,  and the beauty of the bottle shape will bring the consumer's experience to full circle.  Taking this thought further it's obvious that the birthplace of a good or even fantastic wine, is yes the vine and its grapes, but also the winery building in particular and the whole estate in general.  If you know any of Botta's works,  you'll recog...
Read on

Storytellers at the Todo Modo bookshop in Florence

I may not be religious, but I totally worship the Todo Modo bookshop in Florence for its beautiful interior design, central location - a ten-minute walk from the station and Ponte Vecchio - and the cafè hidden among shelves and plants hanging from the roof. UqBar serves some of the best lunches to be had in Florence - especially for people who'd love to forego the usual Tuscan fare for a delicious miso soup . But Todo Modo does another thing well. The shelf-filled spaces in the back can be turned into a small theatre which makes for a great event space among all the books. I had my Across the Big Blue Sea book presentation there and was back last month for a Storytellers night - the first event of a great new series.   Linda and Steve, the team from the The Beehive Hostel in Rome have decided to take their storytellers nights to Florence, and Todo Modo has agreed to host them. Whether residents or just travelling through, English speakers will have great fun...
Read on

SAN BIAGIO AT NIGHT - JUNE 7, 2019

San Biagio at night (with Montepulciano in the background) Day or night, San Biagio,  il tempio di San Biagio,  is always a looker. But it's a special treat to be able to visit the interior of the church all through the night.  As one of 150 churches in Italy, Montepulciano's famous temple church will stay open through the night for the ' La Lunga Notte delle Chiese' event. Concerts and various cultural happenings will take place during the long night of churches on June 7, 2019 from 9.15 pm.  Check the event website for details of the participating churches in Tuscany and all over Italy.  
Read on