Southern Italy 1968. The ancient village of Torre Saracena, a huddle of shuttered houses and sunbaked streets, perches on a rocky promontory above the sea. For centuries this insular community has closed its ranks against everyone outside its walls; even the inhabitants of the nearest town are classified as foreigners. After marrying her Italian boyfriend Lorenzo at 18, Vida and her family share their time between the bustle of Rome and the tranquility of Torre Saracena. Despite initial misgivings from the locals, they are soon accepted into the community and spend twenty years living la bella vita with the villagers and hippy eccentrics who become their trusted friends. From feuding and festivals, through to topless riots and brushes with the Neapolitan Mafia, life in Torre Saracena is high drama on a small stage. AUTHOR: Vida Adamoli writes with the passion peculiar to those in love with their subject, resulting in an evocative and entertaining account of life in Italy. She lives in London, where she dreams of the warmth of southern Italy. REVIEWS: "This lovely book is a piece of tender sociology, charting the changes made when free love and fast food came to a community that had ignored the world for centuries'. - Adam Mars-Jones, Writer and Critic
