The Florios of Sicily

The Florios of Sicily PDF

Author: Stefania Auci

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2020-04-21

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 0062931695

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The epic saga behind the Disney-produced Hulu Original Series The Lions of Sicily Based on the true history of the uncrowned kings of Sicily: the story of a family, restless and ambitious, shrewd and determined to be richer and more powerful than anybody else. In this grand, sweeping epic inspired by the real lives of history-making titans, international best-selling author Stefania Auci brings to life the dark secrets, the loves and betrayals, and the cruel acts of revenge that marked the Florio family’s century of influence. The Florios arrive in Sicily, with nothing but the clothes on their back after an earthquake destroys their hometown. Against all odds, the family begins anew despite the looming Napoleonic wars and devastating plagues. But when Vincenzo is spurned by his aristocratic lover, he vows to avenge his honor by becoming the wealthiest man in Italy. Sacrificing love and family, he strives to buy what cannot be his by birth. Not to be outdone by the men, the Florio women unapologetically demand their place outside the restraints of caring mothers, alluring lovers, or wounded wives. Giulia, though only a mistress, is fiercely intelligent and runs the empire from the shadows. Angelina, born a bastard, charts her own future against the wishes of her father. In this epic yet intimate tale of power, passion, and revenge, the rise and fall of a family taps into the universal desire to become more than who we are born as. Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor

That Summer in Sicily

That Summer in Sicily PDF

Author: Marlena de Blasi

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2008-08-05

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0345513339

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “At villa Donnafugata, long ago is never very far away,” writes bestselling author Marlena de Blasi of the magnificent if somewhat ruined castle in the mountains of Sicily that she finds, accidentally, one summer while traveling with her husband, Fernando. There de Blasi is befriended by Tosca, the patroness of the villa, an elegant and beautiful woman-of-a-certain-age who recounts her lifelong love story with the last prince of Sicily descended from the French nobles of Anjou. Sicily is a land of contrasts: grandeur and poverty, beauty and sufferance, illusion and candor. In a luminous and tantalizing voice, That Summer in Sicily re-creates Tosca’s life, from her impoverished childhood to her fairy-tale adoption and initiation into the glittering life of the prince’s palace, to the dawning and recognition of mutual love. But when Prince Leo attempts to better the lives of his peasants, his defiance of the local Mafia’s grim will to maintain the historical imbalance between the haves and the have-nots costs him dearly. The present-day narrative finds Tosca sharing her considerable inherited wealth with a harmonious society composed of many of the women–now widowed–who once worked the prince’s land alongside their husbands. How the Sicilian widows go about their tasks, care for one another, and celebrate the rituals of a humble, well-lived life is the heart of this book. Showcasing the same writerly gifts that made bestsellers of A Thousand Days in Venice and A Thousand Days in Tuscany, That Summer in Sicily, and de Blasi’ s marvelous storytelling, remind us that in order to live a rich life, one must embrace both life’s sorrow and its beauty. Here is an epic drama that takes readers from Sicily’s remote mountains to chaotic post-war Palermo, from the intricacies of forbidden love to the havoc wreaked by Sicily’s eternally bewildering culture.

Targa Florio

Targa Florio PDF

Author: Pino Fondi

Publisher: Nada

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9788879112703

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Many years ago in Sicily, the legend of the “Coppa Florio” and “Targa Florio” road races became one of the most emotive and prestigious expressions in world motor racing, second only to the mythical Mille Miglia. “Coppa Florio” began in 1905 while “Targa Florio” in 1906, at the dawn of motoring civilisation and evolved over the years, hand-in-hand with the ever growing popularity of the car itself. The narrow and tortuous roads of the Sicilian mountains were testimony to the feats of Fiat, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Ferrari and Porsche: manufacturers who alternated year after year at the top of the final classification of one of the toughest races in history, a race rich in allure and an ever present peril. On the occasion of the Targa Florio Centenary the book retraces this charming epics thanks to a vivid text and hundred of pictures, many of them unpublished. The work is complemented by a rich appendix (150 pages) reporting the complete results of all the Coppa and Targa Florio editions.

The Invention of Sicily

The Invention of Sicily PDF

Author: Jamie Mackay

Publisher: Verso Books

Published: 2021-07-13

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1786637731

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Whether you’re vacationing in Italy or simply an armchair traveler, this guide to the Mediterranean island of Sicily is a dazzling introduction to the region’s rich 3,000-year history and culture. A rich and fascinating cultural history of the Mediterranean’s enigmatic heart Sicily is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, and for over 2000 years has been the gateway between Europe, Africa and the East. It has long been seen as the frontier between Western Civilization and the rest, but never definitively part of either. Despite being conquered by empires—Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hapsburg Spain—it remains uniquely apart. The island’s story maps a mosaic that mixes the story of myth and wars, maritime empires and reckless crusades, and a people who refuse to be ruled. In this riveting, rich history Jamie Mackay peels away the layers of this most mysterious of islands. This story finds its origins in ancient myth but has been reinventing itself across centuries: in conquest and resistance. Inseparable from these political and social developments are the artefacts of the nation’s cultural patrimony—ancient amphitheaters, Arab gardens, Baroque Cathedrals, as well as great literature such as Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard, and the novels and plays of Luigi Pirandello. In its modern era, Sicily has been the site of revolution, Cosa Nostra and, in the twenty-first century, the epicenter of the refugee crisis.

Nothing Is Forgotten

Nothing Is Forgotten PDF

Author: Peter Golden

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-04-10

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1501146823

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From the beloved author of Comeback Love and Wherever There Is Light, comes “a sweeping tale full of humor and heartbreak” (Karin Tanabe, author of The Diplomat’s Daughter) about the life-changing journey of a young man who travels from New Jersey to Khrushchev’s Russia and the beaches of Southern France to discover long-hidden secrets about his heritage. In 1950s New Jersey, teacher Michael Daniels—or Misha Danielov to his doting Russian-Jewish grandmother—is at loose ends, until he becomes the host of a nightly underground radio show. Not only does the show become a local hit because of his running satires of USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev, but half a world away, it picks up listeners in a small Soviet city. There, with rock and roll leaking in through bootlegged airwaves, Yulianna Kosoy—a war orphan in her mid-twenties—is sneaking American goods into the country with her boss, Der Schmuggler. But just as Michael’s radio show is taking off, his grandmother is murdered. Why would anyone commit such an atrocity against such a warm, affable woman? She had always been secretive about her past and, as Michael discovers, guarded a shadowy ancestral history. In order to solve the mystery of who killed her, Michael sets out for Europe to learn where he—and his grandmother—really came from. “Both heartbreaking and mesmerizing, Nothing Is Forgotten is the sort of book you won’t soon forget…Cold War Europe, lingering Nazi secrets, and the tragic history faced by millions of families not only bring this tale to life but will keep you turning the pages” (Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author) and will appeal to fans of novels by Anita Diamant and Kristin Hannah.

Wish You Were Italian

Wish You Were Italian PDF

Author: Kristin Rae

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-06-05

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1408855526

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Pippa is in Italy for the summer and, despite her parents' wishes, she has no intention of just studying the local art! She has a list of things of her own to do: from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to getting a makeover – and falling for an Italian boy! As Pippa explores the dramatic ruins of Rome and Pompeii, she is swept into her own drama with two guys: an irresistible local she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student . . . Will she find her true love? The perfect reckless romance to enjoy whether you are home or abroad.

Greek Theater in Ancient Sicily

Greek Theater in Ancient Sicily PDF

Author: Kathryn G. Bosher

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-01-21

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 131699807X

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Studies of ancient theater have traditionally taken Athens as their creative center. In this book, however, the lens is widened to examine the origins and development of ancient drama, and particularly comedy, within a Sicilian and southern Italian context. Each chapter explores a different category of theatrical evidence, from the literary (fragments of Epicharmus and cult traditions) to the artistic (phylax vases) and the archaeological (theater buildings). Kathryn G. Bosher argues that, unlike in classical Athens, the golden days of theatrical production on Sicily coincided with the rule of tyrants, rather than with democratic interludes. Moreover, this was not accidental, but plays and the theater were an integral part of the tyrants' propaganda system. The volume will appeal widely to classicists and to theater historians.

Primary Greatness

Primary Greatness PDF

Author: Stephen R. Covey

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-11-24

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1501106953

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From Stephen R. Covey—the late, legendary author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People—a set of principles for achieving a happy and fulfilling life of primary greatness. Many of us are hurting. We have chronic problems, dissatisfactions, and disappointments. Although we generally make it through the day, a lot of us feel overwhelmed by burdens we carry. We try to “lift the load of life” each day and sometimes it’s just too much. The idea of living a “great life” seems a distant dream. Stephen R. Covey believed there were only two ways to experience life: primary greatness or secondary greatness. Through his books and speaking, he taught that the intrinsic rewards of primary greatness—integrity, responsibility, and contribution—far outweighed the extrinsic rewards of secondary greatness—money, popularity, and the self-absorbed, pleasure-ridden life that some people consider “success.” In this posthumous work, Covey lays out clearly the 12 levers of success that will lead to a life of primary greatness: Integrity, Contribution, Priority, Sacrifice, Service, Responsibility, Loyalty, Reciprocity, Diversity, Learning, Teaching, and Renewal. For the first time, Covey defines each of these 12 qualities and how they can be leveraged and enacted in your daily life to lead you to success and happiness. Featuring his trademarked wisdom that is beloved and has inspired countless readers and leaders, Primary Greatness once again delivers classic Covey advice in a concise and reader-friendly way.

A House in Sicily

A House in Sicily PDF

Author: Daphne Phelps

Publisher: Virago Press

Published: 2000-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781860496486

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Near Mount Etna in Sicily lies Casa Cuseni, a beautiful house built in golden stone - and the home which Daphne Phelps was astonished to find she had inherited in 1947. At the age of 34, war-weary from working as a psychiatric social worker, with barely any Italian, and precious little money, she plunged into a fascinating Sicilian world. Every imaginable problem had to be overcome, not only financial difficulties but local authorities and a house staff who initially felt no loyalty to the new Signorina but who gradually accepted her as a respected member of their small community. To help make ends meet, for many years she ran Casa Cuseni as a pensione and to her doors came Roald Dahl, Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell and Henry Faulkner. But just as important to her life and her story are the Sicilians with whom she shared the love and care of Casa Cuseni: Don Ciccio the local mafia leader, Vincenzio, general manservant who recited while he served the meals, Beppe, a Don Juan who scented his eyebrows and his moustache to attract the local girls; and above all the steadfast cook and housekeeper who lives with Daphne still and to whom this book is dedicated.

Beasts and Beauties

Beasts and Beauties PDF

Author: Juliana Schiesari

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 080209922X

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Beasts and Beauties examines the relationship between domesticity and power by focusing on the contemporaneous development of the invention of the 'pet' and the delineation of the home as a uniquely private enclosure, where the pater familias ruled over his own secluded world of domesticated wife, children, servants, and animals.