A Small Place in Italy
Encyclopedia
A Small Place in Italy is a travel memoir and autobiographical novel written by Eric Newby
, author of The Last Grain Race
and Slowly Down the Ganges. In 1967, Eric Newby and his wife Wanda acquire an old run-down farmhouse in Italy, I Castagni (The Chestnuts), in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the borders of Liguria
and northern Tuscany
. The book is a personal memoir of the couple's experiences in renovating the house, which had a tileless roof, a long-abandoned septic tank
and a wealth of indigenous flora and fauna, as well as a vivid description of their neighbours and the lifestyle of country people in Italy at that time.
and an intractable neighbour who insists on using what he sees as a right of way for agricultural machinery that passes right outside the house - he even moves their outside dining table when he finds it blocking his path. The Newbys initiate a law suit against him which goes on for years owing to the dilapidated Italian legal system, but which they finally manage to win as a result of the man lying before the judge.
The strength of the book is in its descriptions of some of the neighbouring families and the individual family members. Their closest neighbour is a sprightly Italian widow, Signora Angiolina, who helps them navigate their way through the intricacies of social life in their neighbourhood, as well as the Dada family who own several acres of vineyards and cook stupendous meals whenever the Newbys visit them at the Casa Dada. There is a very colourful description of the vendemmia, the annual grape harvest, during which Eric is roped into lifting bigonci, large barrel-shaped vessels full of crushed grapes, that nearly break his shoulder. Although the work is hard, there are merenda, consisting of huge outside picnics at which copious quantities of food are eaten, last year's wine drunk and bawdy gossip exchanged between the contadini. Another interesting description is when the Newbys join their neighbours in the annual funghi harvest in a very bountiful year, managing to gather ten full baskets between the four of them (less successful is a harvesting of wild asparagus
when Eric forgets his bifocals and cannot see anything).
Unfortunately, the book as a whole proves to be rather a let-down. The beginning is a re-run of Newby's time as an escaped prisoner in Love and War in the Apennines
, and it is also too disjointed, with several overlong descriptions of the Italian countryside that surrounds the farmhouse. There are some interesting character portrayals, such as Attilo, a strange but very endearing old man and the last narratore (storyteller) in those parts, who also lives in a part of the farmhouse, but the action is not as stimulating as in some of Newby's other travel books. This is perhaps because they could never live there full-time as Newby was working as travel editor for The Observer at the time and could only visit I Castagni during his holidays. However, anyone who is an Italian-aficionado should enjoy passages such as Newby's retracing his route along the crinale, the main ridge of the Apennines, with two young guardie for company (a rather bleak and dismal journey as it turns out, even though they did it at the end of May).
Eric Newby
George Eric Newby CBE MC was an English travel author. Newby's best known works include A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Last Grain Race, and Round Ireland in Low Gear.-Life:...
, author of The Last Grain Race
The Last Grain Race
The Last Grain Race is a 1956 book by Eric Newby, a travel writer, about his time spent on the four-masted steel barque Moshulu during the vessel's last voyage in the Australian grain trade.- Background to the book :...
and Slowly Down the Ganges. In 1967, Eric Newby and his wife Wanda acquire an old run-down farmhouse in Italy, I Castagni (The Chestnuts), in the foothills of the Apuan Alps on the borders of Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
and northern Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. The book is a personal memoir of the couple's experiences in renovating the house, which had a tileless roof, a long-abandoned septic tank
Septic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
and a wealth of indigenous flora and fauna, as well as a vivid description of their neighbours and the lifestyle of country people in Italy at that time.
Plot summary
The Newbys want to purchase a house in Italy before house prices start rising and, through the help of contacts, finally purchase I Castagni for two and a half million lire (£1,500) after a long and laborious sales process with the owner, a Signor Botti. Once they move in, they have to completely renovate everything, and are beset with various problems such as mice, a plague of cockroachesCockroaches
A cockroach is an insect of the order Blattaria. "Cockroach" may also refer to:*Cockroach , a 2001 album by Danger Danger*Cockroach , a 2008 novel by Rawi Hage...
and an intractable neighbour who insists on using what he sees as a right of way for agricultural machinery that passes right outside the house - he even moves their outside dining table when he finds it blocking his path. The Newbys initiate a law suit against him which goes on for years owing to the dilapidated Italian legal system, but which they finally manage to win as a result of the man lying before the judge.
The strength of the book is in its descriptions of some of the neighbouring families and the individual family members. Their closest neighbour is a sprightly Italian widow, Signora Angiolina, who helps them navigate their way through the intricacies of social life in their neighbourhood, as well as the Dada family who own several acres of vineyards and cook stupendous meals whenever the Newbys visit them at the Casa Dada. There is a very colourful description of the vendemmia, the annual grape harvest, during which Eric is roped into lifting bigonci, large barrel-shaped vessels full of crushed grapes, that nearly break his shoulder. Although the work is hard, there are merenda, consisting of huge outside picnics at which copious quantities of food are eaten, last year's wine drunk and bawdy gossip exchanged between the contadini. Another interesting description is when the Newbys join their neighbours in the annual funghi harvest in a very bountiful year, managing to gather ten full baskets between the four of them (less successful is a harvesting of wild asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
when Eric forgets his bifocals and cannot see anything).
Unfortunately, the book as a whole proves to be rather a let-down. The beginning is a re-run of Newby's time as an escaped prisoner in Love and War in the Apennines
Love and War in the Apennines
Love and War in the Apennines is a 1971 Second World War memoir by Eric Newby...
, and it is also too disjointed, with several overlong descriptions of the Italian countryside that surrounds the farmhouse. There are some interesting character portrayals, such as Attilo, a strange but very endearing old man and the last narratore (storyteller) in those parts, who also lives in a part of the farmhouse, but the action is not as stimulating as in some of Newby's other travel books. This is perhaps because they could never live there full-time as Newby was working as travel editor for The Observer at the time and could only visit I Castagni during his holidays. However, anyone who is an Italian-aficionado should enjoy passages such as Newby's retracing his route along the crinale, the main ridge of the Apennines, with two young guardie for company (a rather bleak and dismal journey as it turns out, even though they did it at the end of May).