L’appetito vien mangiando! – Appetite comes while you are eating. Vicky arrives in Tuscany to study the language and culture of Italy, but soon falls in love with charismatic chef Gianfranco and starts to learn the art of Italian cooking in his trattoria. On Sunday nights, after benches are stacked on tables, they explore the countryside by car, passing glassy lakes and ancient hill towns. This colourful and intoxicating gastro-memoir takes you behind the scenes of romantic restaurants and bars in Tuscany, Umbria, Elba and Perugia. Interspersed with recipes, humour and heartbreak, it will leave you entranced and with a hankering for tagliatelle and truffles.
Amore and Amaretti - A Tale of Love and Food in Italy
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'written in an entertaining manner and is interspersed with Italian sayings and delicious Italian recipes.' (Scottish Home & Country )
'Her evocative descriptions bring alive everything from caramel-smelling wine-soaked octopus to the soft rattling of dying snails.' (Real Travel )
'Her evocative descriptions bring alive everything from caramel-smelling wine-soaked octopus to the soft rattling of dying snails.' (Real Travel )
About the Author
Victoria Cosford has had articles published in Gourmet Traveller and is now a journalist for The Echo in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia, where she also teaches Italian cooking.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Swissmiss
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is unfortunate that the publisher chose to give this book a pink girly chick-lit kind of cover because it really doesn't fit what is inside. Victoria's story is not some light-hearted romp but a real coming of age, over decades, with a thread of sadness throughout most of it. The book wasn't at all what I expected - I ordered it when it popped up as a recommendation - it was much, much better. Highly recommended.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Nicola F (Nic)
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
...I concur wholeheartedly!
In this beautiful gastro-memoir, we are introduced to Vicky, a culinary student who arrives in Tuscany to study at its famous food school and absorb as much Italian culture as she can. What she does not expect however, is to fall head over heels in love with fiery chef Gianfranco, abandon her studies and be fully seduced by the delicious Italian lifestyle...
As a person with more than a passing interest in food and foodie books (ahem- understatement), I really enjoyed this novel, though I suspect I've read a few *too* many books in a similar vein recently, as after a while the lush Italian food descriptions unfortunately start sounding all too familiar. Nevertheless, each of the chapters has a whimsical, eye-catching heading and as Vicky falls further in love with Gianfranco and the Italian way of life, the reader is pulled deeper and further into her world and too becomes absorbed in their explorations of the abundant trattoria's and restaurants dotting the Tuscan countryside. It all sounds divine and is positively hunger-inducing in places in a behind-the-scenes look at an aspect of restaurants hidden from tourists.
What didn't I like so much? Well, I have to admit that in contrast to other foodie-travel books, the recipes interspersed with the chapters in here do seem a bit `stuffed in' rather randomly as opposed to flowing as well with the text and content of the story as I have seen on previous occasions. This is a minor quibble though as the book still works brilliantly and is very romantic and almost dream-like in its intensity on occasion. You'd be sorry to miss this one out- I'm looking forward to reading more books by Cosford.
**If you like this novel then I can also highly recommend `A thousand days in Venice' by Marlena De Blasi and any of Nicky Pellegrino's or Anthony Capella's books- other stories that also successfully combine Italian food with romance.
In this beautiful gastro-memoir, we are introduced to Vicky, a culinary student who arrives in Tuscany to study at its famous food school and absorb as much Italian culture as she can. What she does not expect however, is to fall head over heels in love with fiery chef Gianfranco, abandon her studies and be fully seduced by the delicious Italian lifestyle...
As a person with more than a passing interest in food and foodie books (ahem- understatement), I really enjoyed this novel, though I suspect I've read a few *too* many books in a similar vein recently, as after a while the lush Italian food descriptions unfortunately start sounding all too familiar. Nevertheless, each of the chapters has a whimsical, eye-catching heading and as Vicky falls further in love with Gianfranco and the Italian way of life, the reader is pulled deeper and further into her world and too becomes absorbed in their explorations of the abundant trattoria's and restaurants dotting the Tuscan countryside. It all sounds divine and is positively hunger-inducing in places in a behind-the-scenes look at an aspect of restaurants hidden from tourists.
What didn't I like so much? Well, I have to admit that in contrast to other foodie-travel books, the recipes interspersed with the chapters in here do seem a bit `stuffed in' rather randomly as opposed to flowing as well with the text and content of the story as I have seen on previous occasions. This is a minor quibble though as the book still works brilliantly and is very romantic and almost dream-like in its intensity on occasion. You'd be sorry to miss this one out- I'm looking forward to reading more books by Cosford.
**If you like this novel then I can also highly recommend `A thousand days in Venice' by Marlena De Blasi and any of Nicky Pellegrino's or Anthony Capella's books- other stories that also successfully combine Italian food with romance.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Curiosity Killed The Bookworm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Victoria Cosford is an Australian food writer who also teaches Italian cookery classes. Amore and Amaretti is a memoir of her time spent in Tuscany. As someone who loves food and has enjoyed visiting Florence, I thought this would be right up my street...
The cover screams chick-lit at me which is rather misleading. Whilst the book starts of with a Florentine romance, I feel you'd be disappointed if that's what you're wanting. The relationship comes across as slightly impersonal and a little cheesy at times, in part due to Victoria's use of words like "effulgent" to describe her love interest. If ever a word should be retired from the English language, I think that should be top of the list. Bear in mind that it is a foodie memoir and not fiction and you'll start with the right expectations. If you can get past the author's descriptions of her on/off boyfriend, Gianfranco, you'll get to the good stuff, the descriptions of food. If you don't enjoy reading about food and don't want to know about a stranger's love life, there's not much left to recommend this book.
If you've visited Florence or the Tuscan countryside, this book may bring back some fond memories or it could be a nice read before you visit to introduce you to the local cuisine and atmosphere.
There are recipes dotted around the book too, standard Tuscan cuisine including one for that fantastic rabbit sauce they tend serve with pappardelle. Confusingly, they often appear in the middle of passages when they'd be better placed at the start or end of each section.
I think the book improves nearer the end when the rose tinted glasses come off.
The cover screams chick-lit at me which is rather misleading. Whilst the book starts of with a Florentine romance, I feel you'd be disappointed if that's what you're wanting. The relationship comes across as slightly impersonal and a little cheesy at times, in part due to Victoria's use of words like "effulgent" to describe her love interest. If ever a word should be retired from the English language, I think that should be top of the list. Bear in mind that it is a foodie memoir and not fiction and you'll start with the right expectations. If you can get past the author's descriptions of her on/off boyfriend, Gianfranco, you'll get to the good stuff, the descriptions of food. If you don't enjoy reading about food and don't want to know about a stranger's love life, there's not much left to recommend this book.
If you've visited Florence or the Tuscan countryside, this book may bring back some fond memories or it could be a nice read before you visit to introduce you to the local cuisine and atmosphere.
There are recipes dotted around the book too, standard Tuscan cuisine including one for that fantastic rabbit sauce they tend serve with pappardelle. Confusingly, they often appear in the middle of passages when they'd be better placed at the start or end of each section.
I think the book improves nearer the end when the rose tinted glasses come off.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing read
Quite a disjointed read with recipes randomly scattered in the middle of chapters. Description of Italy and the way of life are good as are the detailed descriptions of the food... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Purple buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars
life and love in Italy
Lovely book, great recipes and a look into life in Italy, Victoria lets herself be totally honest, tells a great story warts and all. Well done Veeky. Loved it.
Published 16 months ago by C. cumpson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Italy and food - who needs anything more!
I'm a sucker for books set in Italy, so I was drawn to this one straight away.
I completely agree with a previous reviewer who said it's definitely not chick-lit. Read more
I completely agree with a previous reviewer who said it's definitely not chick-lit. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mrs. Ga Mason
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is no lighthearted romp through Italy...
whilst the front cover might put you off, don't let it. This is by no means a light-hearted romp through the Tuscan countryside... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars
It makes you want to return to Italy!!
A great book like this transports you back to Italy and all the wonderful experiences of the food and wine had there. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Barry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food, scenery - what's not to like!!
I just loved this book. I have read so many of these foodie type travel books and have been disappointed more times than enough. Read more
Published 22 months ago by irishlorna
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engrossing and transporting
Food, romance and Italy are center stage in Victoria Cosford's memoir Amore and Amaretti. Though she comes to Italy to study its language and culture at the Michelangelo... Read more
Published on 25 April 2011 by Jaylia3
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