Download An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission Paul Spadoni 9781521588178 Books
Imagine suddenly leaving a comfortable and successful job in exchange for a year of living and working in Italy. You book a flight with no definite idea of where you’ll live or work, no visa and no work permit. Further imagine taking your wife and two distinctly unenthusiastic teen daughters with you. Your colleagues begin to doubt your mental balance, and you can’t blame them. Yet somehow this family learned to work, study, speak, shop and survive in a foreign land while stumbling their way through the delicious process of learning to live like Italians—all ‟without papers.†Along the way, the author impersonates an Italian cousin, gets his family lost innumerable times and meets his own personal version of the godfather—the man who hired him and gave him an apartment. The teen daughters struggle to find themselves while attending school by day and exploring young adult nightclubs into the early morning hours—while family members fight to work out their differences. In the tradition of Under the Tuscan Sun and Italian Neighbors, the travel memoir An American Family in Italy will appeal to families of all ages seeking adventure, challenge, a fresh start or a chance to embrace their inner Italian.
Download An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission Paul Spadoni 9781521588178 Books
"While having read thousands of books, I must admit this is my first book review. I must give high marks to the aspiring author Paulo who paints a clear and very readable picture of his twentieth century familia’s “reverse immigration†back to our Grandparents’ old country. It must have been difficult for our Grandparents 100 years ago to travel here to the USA with assorted language, customs, and travel problems; however Mr. Spadoni’s sensitive and vivid recall of their year “abroad†highlights what it must have been like in reverse citing some of the hilarity and pitfalls of their “return to the old country.†I read it straight through, in public, with some onlookers shaking their heads when I would subconsciously mutter the words “sprezzatura†“la bella†or “passeggiata†while shaking my hand, thumb and fingers pressed together! Especially found the dangerous word confusion of penne/pene and anno/ano extremely educational as I am one that loves trying to use foreign terms without any formal training. If you like to learn new words you will love the Italian word interjections. Good writing! "I feel like I had been there with the author and family," -El viajero vicario"
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Tags : An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission [Paul Spadoni] on . Imagine suddenly leaving a comfortable and successful job in exchange for a year of living and working in Italy. You book a flight with no definite idea of where you’ll live or work,Paul Spadoni,An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission,Independently published,1521588171,Biography Autobiography / Personal Memoirs,Travel / Europe / Italy
An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission Paul Spadoni 9781521588178 Books Reviews :
An American Family in Italy Living La Dolce Vita without Permission Paul Spadoni 9781521588178 Books Reviews
- Paul Spadoni,Author of an American family in Italy, takes us on much more than a memoir of his family's attempt of moving to Italy to live La Dolce Vita...without legal permission! 😯He shares the ups and downs of adjusting to an ancient country, exposes the bureaucracy and frustrations one might find themselves in when visiting Italy for an extended period of time. His love for the language, knowledge of the people and history, as well as his delightful wit will have you longing for your own adventures abroad! A must read for any lover of Italy and Italian Americans wanting a lighthearted read about the Old Country!
- This is such a heartwarming read. I found that the author struck the right balance between specificity and brevity. I found myself genuinely caught up in the suspense of every escapade, from bus ticket snafus to procuring the ever-elusive visa. Spadoni is able to inject his vignettes with a good-natured breeziness that keeps the pace going quite nicely. The stories themselves are vivid and genuine. There's a world of difference between simply going somewhere as a tourist and actually making that somewhere your new world, and the author warmly brings you into each scene as he and his family attempt just that. I also think readers who plan to travel with children, particularly teenagers, will enjoy reading about the special travails the author and his wife navigate, and perhaps even be inspired by their sensitive approach. If you're feeling at all cynical about your workaday, escape into this sincere, sweet tale and realize the best things in life really are the simple things -- good food, friends, and family.
- I don't like to travel so I was hesitant to read a book like this. I am glad I did as the author shared his experiences in a fun and educational way. His experiences with Italian bureaucracy were interesting. The parts about his two daughters held my attention. I am the father of daughters and I wondered how they would have reacted. The author is proud of his Italian heritage and it showed. He made me understand a different country, and I appreciate it. He wrote a fine book!
- Through reading this book, not only did I learn about someone I knew previously, but walked with him and his family through their adventures. I learned about a different culture, laughed at their escapades, and was encouraged to do something similar in the country of my roots...something I've always wanted to do as well. The reason it didn't get 5 stars was some of the chapters had too many and scattered thoughts & events happening at once. I would recommend this To anyone who wants a fun read, or who's interested in life outside the great US of A. It's a quick, light, and enjoyable read.
- While having read thousands of books, I must admit this is my first book review. I must give high marks to the aspiring author Paulo who paints a clear and very readable picture of his twentieth century familia’s “reverse immigration†back to our Grandparents’ old country. It must have been difficult for our Grandparents 100 years ago to travel here to the USA with assorted language, customs, and travel problems; however Mr. Spadoni’s sensitive and vivid recall of their year “abroad†highlights what it must have been like in reverse citing some of the hilarity and pitfalls of their “return to the old country.†I read it straight through, in public, with some onlookers shaking their heads when I would subconsciously mutter the words “sprezzatura†“la bella†or “passeggiata†while shaking my hand, thumb and fingers pressed together! Especially found the dangerous word confusion of penne/pene and anno/ano extremely educational as I am one that loves trying to use foreign terms without any formal training. If you like to learn new words you will love the Italian word interjections. Good writing! "I feel like I had been there with the author and family," -El viajero vicario
- One of the joys in my life is traveling, but I also love to sit back and be entertained with travel stories from other people. Reading An American Family in Italy was just that - a chance to sit back, crack open a cold beer and let the words of Paul Spadoni take you away on an exciting and terrifying journey. If you're a father with the hope of raising a child to one day become a traveler and not just a tourist you will be inspired by this book. It's an unforgettable story about an introvert chasing a dream and hoping his family won't hate him for it.
- Paul Spadoni gives us an intimate look into the lives of a family that, literally, make a bold move (both willingly and reluctantly) to the land of Paul's ancestors. With his wife's loving encouragement and his daughters fighting them tooth and nail, Paul finds a way to make a dream that he had come true. The tale of their adventure, along with the lessons they learned about themselves, is woven into a wonderful mission of love and respect, not only for the Old Country and those that came before, but for each other.
- This was a fun and fast read, that gave me some good insight into a few things I'll use this summer while taking my teen Girl Scout troop to Italy.
I loved the personal, historical and cultural points throughout, as well as the humorous bits.
Full disclosure, Mr. Spadoni was my journalism teacher in high school, so it was fun to catch up on his adventures since then. Of course that's also why I didn't hesitate to buy it... I knew it would be a great read!