Tales from My Zia Faustina: Folklore of Old Umbria
Oct 2022 · Rialto Press
Ebook
380
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
An Italian werewolf. A dancing devil. And a storyteller who chronicles it all.
Italy has enchanted travelers for hundreds of years. Now, those who crave a deeper understanding of Europe’s favorite boot can find it through storytelling.
Angelo Mazzoli, beloved teacher and ambassador of culture, recounts the stories he heard at the knee of his aunt Faustina—a communist, feminist seamstress who made everything from wedding gowns to bathing costumes for the residents of her Umbrian hill-town.
The author shares sixteen of Zia Faustina’s stories, and thus opens the door to the folklore that dwells within the hearts of all Umbrians. Reading about Orlando’s massacre of female hearts in Spello reveals the spectacle of love passed from generation to generation in Italy. A story about a woman living alone in the mountain above Spello illustrates the vulnerability and strength that endure despite all obstacles. A bandit living in Saint Francis’s Assisi teaches us about Umbrian notions of good and evil.
Beyond folklore, the author remembers the post-war years in Italy, when a nation struggled to find a direction and an identity. Anecdotes of a thriving main street—including the author’s father’s woodworking shop, his grandfather’s cobbler shop, and his aunt’s seamstress shop—create a vivid tapestry of the joy and community once easily found outside one’s front door.
Adapted for English-speakers by Michelle Damiani (who authored the bestselling Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center, a memoir of her year in Spello), Tales from My Zia Faustina will capture hearts and imaginations.
Lovers of Italy, especially those readying to embark on a trip to Umbria, will get more out of their travels by understanding the place names, customs, superstitions, and history of Umbria. Language students will take particular delight in translating for themselves the original Italian, as every one of Angelo Mazzoli's words is included in the second half of the book, or at the very least, hearing the Italian lilt in the English translation.
If you’re ready to discover new layers of Italy, it’s time to listen to Zia Faustina.
Scroll up and click BUY NOW to discover the secrets of unlocking Umbria today!
These stories are fabulous, vivid, vibrant, and lyrical. MIchelle Damiani captures the beauty of Angelo’s story telling. Love it!
This book is coming out at an ideal time when the world is so transient with little regard for the importance of having roots and a sense of belonging.
I love how Angelo celebrates women through his stories!
Faustina was certainly a woman ahead of the times with a fierce and fearless spirit...and a big heart.
Italy has enchanted travelers for hundreds of years. Now, those who crave a deeper understanding of Europe’s favorite boot can find it through storytelling.
Angelo Mazzoli, beloved teacher and ambassador of culture, recounts the stories he heard at the knee of his aunt Faustina—a communist, feminist seamstress who made everything from wedding gowns to bathing costumes for the residents of her Umbrian hill-town.
The author shares sixteen of Zia Faustina’s stories, and thus opens the door to the folklore that dwells within the hearts of all Umbrians. Reading about Orlando’s massacre of female hearts in Spello reveals the spectacle of love passed from generation to generation in Italy. A story about a woman living alone in the mountain above Spello illustrates the vulnerability and strength that endure despite all obstacles. A bandit living in Saint Francis’s Assisi teaches us about Umbrian notions of good and evil.
Beyond folklore, the author remembers the post-war years in Italy, when a nation struggled to find a direction and an identity. Anecdotes of a thriving main street—including the author’s father’s woodworking shop, his grandfather’s cobbler shop, and his aunt’s seamstress shop—create a vivid tapestry of the joy and community once easily found outside one’s front door.
Adapted for English-speakers by Michelle Damiani (who authored the bestselling Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center, a memoir of her year in Spello), Tales from My Zia Faustina will capture hearts and imaginations.
Lovers of Italy, especially those readying to embark on a trip to Umbria, will get more out of their travels by understanding the place names, customs, superstitions, and history of Umbria. Language students will take particular delight in translating for themselves the original Italian, as every one of Angelo Mazzoli's words is included in the second half of the book, or at the very least, hearing the Italian lilt in the English translation.
If you’re ready to discover new layers of Italy, it’s time to listen to Zia Faustina.
Scroll up and click BUY NOW to discover the secrets of unlocking Umbria today!
These stories are fabulous, vivid, vibrant, and lyrical. MIchelle Damiani captures the beauty of Angelo’s story telling. Love it!
This book is coming out at an ideal time when the world is so transient with little regard for the importance of having roots and a sense of belonging.
I love how Angelo celebrates women through his stories!
Faustina was certainly a woman ahead of the times with a fierce and fearless spirit...and a big heart.
About the author
Michelle Damiani is a writer currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her experience living in Spello inspired a bestselling memoir, novels, a cozy mystery series, and a how-to book on immersive family travel. You can find her work at www.michelledamiani.com.
Angelo Mazzoli was born in Spello in 1940. For twenty years he taught in the local elementary schools, though poetry has been his constant passion. He has won numerous awards for his poetry and his work has appeared in regional and national magazines and anthologies. He is also the author of a number of books. From 19880 to 1995, he held the role of Spello's Councilor of Culture.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
