| Synopsis: |
In 1990, British artist Paul Wright and his partner, Nicola were all set to move to Spain from their home in the UK when they chanced upon a house for rent in the medieval village of Moltrasio, on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Within a year they were living out their dream in that house. With Nicola's language skills and Paul's natural sociability, the couple threw themselves in to the many elaborate traditions involving food, wine and festivals that make up the rhythm of life in northern Italy. Their tremendous efforts to charm their new neighbours enjoyed, by turns, heart-warming and hilarious results.Early on in the story, the Italian penchant for limitless bureaucracy and interminable paperwork threatens the imagined serenity of their new home; an awkward situation comes to a head when Nicola's wavering grasp on local slang causes her to insult the village policeman when asking him to provide them with their residents' certificates.Other incidents include contretemps with fast-breeding feral cats, ambitious fancy-dress efforts upon a carnival float, a roller-coaster contribution to the local soccer team and a surreal encounter with the funeral cortege of Moltrasio's most famous son, Gianni Versace. Eventually we see the couple becoming more secure, as Paul, a skilled artist and set designer, helps out with the revered festa, and Nicola finds a job with the British consulate, thanks to a Burns night encounter with a drunken ex-pat, who just happens to be the Vice Consul General.An Italian Home is not just a deliciously evocative guide to living in northern Italy, it is also a must-read for anyone considering a move abroad, and a fitting tribute to the tenacity of one couple's attempts to be taken to the heart of a small village of just 900 people, a village that came to adopt them as a much-loved part of their community. |