Today is the day that WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN by Kristin Rae is out in the world! I am so excited for this debut author because 1) She is such a sweetheart and 2) This novel is sure to be a favorite summertime (or anytime) read! In celebration of this book's release, I am joining the launch day festivities and sharing my own goals for a summer in Italy. In the story, Pippa makes a list of ten goals to accomplish while spending her summer in Italy:
Before I reveal my ten goals for a summer in Italy, I wanted to share my own experience with this beautiful country. I had the pleasure of visiting when I was 20 years old, where I traveled to Venice, Italy with my family.
My memories of this city are a bit fuzzy, only because it's been so long ago, but I do remember thinking how old and beautiful the city was. It's amazing that the entire place was basically floating on water, connected by water ways and cobble stone paths.
I also remember the delicious margherita pizza (aka cheese and tomato pizza) that I ate almost daily. I have a vivid memory of sitting at a cafe outside, next to the Grand Canal, sipping a peach bellini. The old world feel was all around me and for the first time in my life I truly felt as though I was in another time.
Since I've only been to Venice, I would love the opportunity to go back and see more of the country. Below are my top 10 goals if I had the chance to spend a summer in Italy now:
1. See ancient Rome and its ruins
2. Try a new flavor of gelato in every city I visit
3. Visit the Italian country side
4. Wander through a vineyard in Tuscany & sample their wine
5. Greet people in Italian
6. Eat handmade pasta from a restaurant off the beaten path
7. Lie on the beaches of Amalfi coast & soak up the Italian sunshine
8. Revisit Venice & take a trip down the Grand Canal
9. Collect postcards from each place I visit
10. Keep a journal & document something that made me smile that day
About the book: WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN – May 6, 2014 from Bloomsbury
Pippa has always wanted to go to Italy … but not by herself. And certainly not to sit in art school the entire summer learning about dead guys’ paintings. When she steps off the plane in Rome, she realizes that traveling solo gives her the freedom to do whatever she wants. So it’s arrivederci, boring art program and ciao, hot Italian guys!
Charming, daring, and romantic, Bruno is just the Italian Pippa’s looking for—except she keeps running into cute American archeology student Darren everywhere she goes. Pippa may be determined to fall in love with an Italian guy … but the electricity she feels with Darren says her heart might have other plans. Can Pippa figure out her feelings before her parents discover she left the program and—even worse—she loses her chance at love?
About the author: Kristin Rae was born and raised in Texas though her accent would suggest otherwise. She’s addicted to books, music, movies, crafty things, and chocolate. A former figure skating coach, LEGO merchandiser, and photographer, she’s now happy to create stories while pretending to ignore the carton of gelato in the freezer. Kristin lives in Houston with her husband and their two boxers.
Website: http://www.kristinrae.com/
Twitter: @kristincreative
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristinraewrites
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kristinraesnaps/#
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18042393-wish-you-were-italian
Blue Willow Bookshop (Kristin’s local indie with signed copies)
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Member of the Class of 2k14
Member of One Four Kid Lit
Ooooooo it is absolutely years since I have been to Italy. The food, the beaches .... oh, I have seriously itchy feet now!!
ReplyDeleteAhh I have a serious case of wanderlust after reading this post!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your goals, and your pictures!! Love the idea of getting a postcard at every stop! Thanks for helping me celebrate release day!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to spend enough time there -- city hopped a bit too quickly -- so I'm dying to go back! This book only added to the wanderlust. A really good story!
ReplyDeleteI just finished this book last night. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat goals! It's been 9 years since I went to Italy at the end of my semester studying in England, and I want to go back! My friends and I made up a "gelato challenge" to see who could try the most flavors in a week.
I had an absolutely amazing time in Florence and Venice, but my Rome & Vatican City experiences weren't great because it was insanely crowded at the time. We just happened to be there during the weekend of Pope Benedict XVI's first public mass (neither I nor my friends are Catholic, but the trip had been planned by our school a year in advance so it was just a coincidence). It was really scary to be carried along in the crowds and feel like you could be trampled at any moment. I want to go back someday when it's a tiny bit less crowded. ;)
I absolutely cannot get enough of your post today, Ginger! First of all, your pictures really made me smile, particularly the beautiful one of you and your mother. I'm so happy that you had the opportunity to create such beautiful and long-lasting memories like this one together. What a special time in your life.
ReplyDeleteI also really love your goals! While Wish You Were Italian wasn't a perfect book for me, I did like the idea of creating a list of 'challenges' to help make the most of your experience, and I think I might try to apply this to my own life in the future as well. I particularly liked your goals to 'collect postcards from each place I visit' (I like to collect magnets or some sort of collectible from every place I visit) and 'try a new flavor of gelato in every city I visit'. I'll use any excuse to eat more gelato ;) I had to laugh - I was recently looking through my own photos from my trip to Italy in 2010 and I had taken a photo of my favourite gelato shop near the Trevi Fountain. Hey, I had my priorities straight - Now I'll be able to find it if I ever return!
Can I come along on your trip to Italy? I would love to visit there someday, drawn as I am to the beauty and history of the country. I am also very, very fond of your goal to "try a new flavor of gelato in every city I visit" because you just can't go wrong with gelato. Ever. Love your list!
ReplyDeleteloved you previous review and your experiences there. great post! ~sheri
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