'An uplifting and delicious taste of Italy' ERICA JAMES 'The perfect recipe for the ultimate escapist read!' VERONICA HENRY 'Knowing, compassionate and moving' CATHERINE ROBERTSON The scenery is swoonsome' STEVE BRAUNIAS Love happens when you least expect it... Assunta has given up on love. She might run her little trattoria in the most romantic mountain town in Italy, but love just seems to have passed her by. Sarah-Jane is finished with love. She's hiring an old convertible and driving around Italy this summer - it's the perfect way to forget all about her hot celebrity ex-boyfriend! But when Sarah-Jane's car breaks down in Montenello, she has to stay longer than she intended! And the trouble is, love is everywhere... Praise for Nicky Pellegrino 'A novel about the joy of learning to live again. It also made me very hungry!' Jojo Moyes 'Warm, engaging and truly delicious' Rosanna Ley 'A delicious and sensual adventure . . . as evocative and captivating as Venice itself' Fiona Gibson 'A wonderfully evocative setting and mouth-watering descriptions of Venetian food' Pamela Hartshorne 'Full-bodied as a rich Italian red, it's a page-turner combining the missed chances of Captain Corelli's Mandolin with the foodie pleasures of Chocolat' Eve 'Three generations of Italian women talk romance and cooking . . . an evocative foodfest of a novel' Prima 'A slice of pure sunshine' Good Housekeeping 'A lovely read . . . with a genuine heart and true observation' Elizabeth Buchan 'A touching story about one woman's search for love' Sunday Express 'Set against a backdrop of love, friendship and food . . . The descriptions of Italian food will make your mouth water' Cosmopolitan 'Sink back on the sofa with this delightful read' Now Magazine Readers are loving Nicky Pellegrino! 'I could smell the fresh pasta, feel the sunshine, smell the sea breeze and feel my worries wash away. It was lovely to stumble down the cobbled paths and stroll along the beautiful scenery' 'Through Italy, through food, through heartbreak, through love, through family. Add in a pinch of karmic justice and you have the perfect read with a joyful ending!' 'Once again Nicky Pellegrino had me captivated with this amazing story. It made me laugh, made me cry. I read it in one afternoon' 'I will say that if you are a woman on the cusp of discovering who you are and what your heart desires...then you will devour this book as I did' 'Such a great escapism read, full of emotions and family drama with love'

Italy, 'the spring of western civilization,' is as fascinating today as it has always been, and both its modern and traditional aspects are the subject of this book. All that has made Italy famous, and host to countless numbers of visitors - its masterpieces of antiquity, its Renaissance art and architecture, its magnificent scenery of mountain, coast and plain, the food and wine, the vitality of the people - all this and more is captured in the informative text and color photographs.

The Past: It's 1939, and eighteen-year-old Anna meets Marco in Italy.