I love Toscana – My book is on sale!
A year has passed since I received the first e-mail with the subject proposal by Francesca from Food Editore. I was sitting in the car in a parking lot lit only by street lights, it was almost eight o’clock in the evening and I was waiting for a friend to have dinner out together. There were just a few days to go before the end of my work contract and the beginning of the new life. I took this e-mail as a positive sign and started to scream of happiness in the car, luckily there was none around who could hear me. I have never told this episode to Francesca since I tried to answer to the email with some composure, but that night my heart was bursting with joy.
Joy, happiness and amazement were my constant companions throughout this year. It was a joy to work with Francesca and Food Editore because they walked me by hand to the final book, giving me at the same time the freedom I needed to follow my path and my ideas.
The week I spent with Ellen Silverman driving around Tuscany to take pictures of landscapes and producers was filled with laughter, incredible discoveries and an unbearable summer heat that we diligently ignored to plunge ourselves into a whirlwind of cheeses, cured meats, wine, beers, truffles, incredibly fragrant extra virgin olive oil and bean soups. A daunting task, but someone had to do it… please think at me and Ellen when you’ll read about brustico, a fish lake cooked on reeds: the photos were taken under the August scorching Tuscan sun, the hottest month of the last two centuries. I just say that to make you appreciate our enormous sacrifice.
Cooking wild boar and polenta, enough fish soup for a country fair, black kale and beans on toasted bread (long live the freezer) and black pepper beef stew in summer may be unpleasant, but then at the end of the day there were friends, uncles and cousins and even a brand new granddaughter to taste the labors of the day, and this, let me I tell you, is what I consider happiness. I could do it every year. The book is actually the result of a collective work: without mum, grandma, Letizia, Gaia, Aunt Teresa, Claudia, Aunt Silvana, Gelsomino and the memories of people who are no longer with us it wouldn’t been the same. That’s the reason I am so proud of I Love Toscana, for the memories it keeps and saves. Here, I’m getting sentimental, I wanted to keep a cheerful tone, I knew it would happen…
Better to talk about the surprises of the book: first of all a non-exhaustive but representative selection of my favourite producers. There’s my favourite pecorino cheese, an extraordinary Tuscan olive oil, a cinta salami whose fat melts in your mouth, the grand chianina cows, the local truffles… if this book will not entice you to come and taste Tuscany I do not know what else I can do to convince you, I’ll just throw in the towel!
The last surprise was the meeting with the writer I consider my hero, the author of the first cookbook I ever bought, Tessa Kiros. Tessa wrote the foreword, and this for me that I love her voice, her words, her grace… well this would be enough to buy the book. We met for an afternoon tea and believe me if I tell you that I spent the whole morning with a great anxiety: just imagine, it would be like having Jamie Oliver as your guest for dinner. As soon as we started talking the anxiety dissolved and Tessa proved to be a sweet and strong person, as she appears in her books. So thanks to the book – and to Francesca – also this little dream came true.
I do not deny that looking back to this past year the work has been a lot, long, also exhausting at times – how much have I stressed you with the translation that was not going on, tell me the truth? – But the result has amply rewarded these months.
And now a few technical details. The book should be available in Italian bookstores from Monday, December 10, but it is already available in pre-order on Amazon.it – you can ship it worldwide! If you happen to browse through the book before me, let me know what you think… I am here waiting to see it in paper and binding, I’ve only seen the pdf for now.
Now I’m flying to Puglia for a weekend to enjoy an amazing olive oil cooking competition and press tour (you’ll hear about the experience soon, too), but on my return I will come directly here to see what has happened and if someone has already had the chance to browse the book… Have a good weekend!
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Awesome! It looks very promising. A book to add to my ever growing list of cookbooks to own…
Cheers,
Rosa
O how awesome Giulia! It sounds and looks amazing and that is only by judging it by the cover. I will for sure get the book and let you know how I like it but I think it will be totally awesome. Congratulations!!
Congratulations Giulia! My parents have your first book so I’m going to recommend they get hold of this too…or maybe give it to them for Christmas 🙂
Congratulations darling!!! I can’t wait to hold it in my arms and give it a prime spot in my kitchen. I love that my hand, holding grapes is in the book, my hand is going to be famous 🙂
Have a lovely weekend, celebrate!
So proud of you!
Questa è la notizia fantastica :o) Complimenti Giulia – non vedo l’ora di vederlo, leggerlo e usarlo
Ciao Giulia – I’ve just ordered my copy – facile – grazie mille – e buona fortuna 🙂
Sensational … it’s been fun to see how this has developed and I overjoyed that the big day is here. I looks interesting and I am sure it will become a part of my cookbook collection!!
A massive achievement and loved reading the story behind it. Wonderful to have Ellen with you in Tuscany. Bravo
Dear Giulia!
My cookbook collection is getting bigger and bigger day by day. 🙂 I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while now to be able to hold your book in my hands and place it on my bookshelf. I’m so proud of you that you did it! Keep up doing this wonderful work!
Zita
Jul’s, this is such great news! I can only imagine the stories, photos, and recipes that are going to be in this book. I’m sure it will be one to treasure! Have a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to see what is next in your journey!
Bravissima Giulia!
Non vedo l’ora di mettere le mie manucce sul tuo libro che ho gia messo sulla letterina a Babbo Natale.
Goditi il meritato riposo!
Giulia, congratulations! I am so happy for you. 🙂 Have a great trip!
Applause Giulia!!!
Cara Giulia non vedo l’ora di avere nella mia libreria il tuo libro che sono sicura sarà splendido!!
Congratulazioni per il tuo lavoro e grazie per la tua solarità!
a presto
Pippi
Huge congratulations Juls on this – a fabulous achievement! I have enjoyed following the process on Instagram and I can’t wait to see the finished product! Big hugs!!
Congratulations, Guilia. What a wonderful achievement! Ne comprero’ uno quando sono a Firenze a Natale. The beans on the front cover look absolutely mouthwatering. 🙂
I’m so proud, happy, excited and absolutely impatient to hold the book in my hands! Congratulations sister on this achievement. It’s been an incredible journey. xx
I am just sitting here with a huge smile on my face that isn’t going anywhere! So proud of you Juls!! And, cannot wait for it to be resting in my hands… I am dreaming of browsing and reading the stories as I have tea and biscuits and being inspired!! HUGS XXXXX
Congratulations! Can’t wait until I see it in our bookstore!
How wonderful, congratulations! The book looks wonderful just from the cover, I can’t wait to add it to my collection :).
Giulia, I’m so happy to hear that the book is done at last! I remember that scorching summer well – you were doing your tour with Ellen right after Jenia and I spent the morning in your wonderful kitchen 🙂 Congratulations and I’m looking forward to adding the book to my collection 🙂
I am so excited and can’t wait to get a copy. Congratulations on all your hard work! I look forward to reading it cover to cover.
Yay Giulia! Just put in an order for two copies, can’t wait be absorbed and transported back to sunny Tuscany 🙂
Congratulations!
Hi Giulia,
I saw your book translated into Polish, Congratulations !!!!
[…] is also a food writer, a photographer and has published five cookbooks, the first of which, titled I love Toscana, can be found in English, Dutch and Polish (if you are interested, you can find it on Amazon). […]