A whitewashed fishing village, a shapely signorina and an infatuated young man - head over heels on the heel of the boot of Southern Italy. This is Chris Harrison's hilarious and captivating story of leaving his previous life for La Dolce Vita - that quintessentially Italian seductive way of life, with its luscious foods, physical beauty and sun-drenched vistas. On a trip to Dublin, Chris falls head over heels in love with Daniela, an Italian girl with eyes the colour of Guinness , and follows her to her small home town of Andrano on the coast of Puglia. Among olive groves and cobblestone lanes, Chris takes us on a moving, insightful and often hilarious journey into the heart of southern Italy. Along the way he introduces us to a cast of eccentric characters: a policeman who rearranges crimes to suit the necessary forms, a doctor who prescribes patients his homemade lemon liqueur, and - the biggest challenge of all - Daniela's mamma, who's determined to convert Chris to the Catholic faith, supervise his choice of underwear, and build a second storey on her stucco home where the couple might live happily ever after. Can this relationship with Southern Italy possibly survive or will the sweet life turn sour?
Head Over Heel: Seduced by Southern Italy
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Head over Heel is as good as a holiday. Dramatic, sensual and affectionately amusing. --John Bell, The Bell Shakespeare Company
Very entertaining,enjoyable and engaging. --Peter Carty, former Travel Editor, Time Out
A funny and touching tale about the cultural divide with a sweet and passionate love story at its heart. --The Courier Mail
Very entertaining,enjoyable and engaging. --Peter Carty, former Travel Editor, Time Out
A funny and touching tale about the cultural divide with a sweet and passionate love story at its heart. --The Courier Mail
About the Author
Chris Harrison is a London-based journalist and English teacher. He has written for many publications, including the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Courier Mail and Sports Illustrated. A keen sportsman, he is also a qualified aerobatics pilot. Head Over Heel is the winner of the Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize. Visit www.chrisharrisonwriting.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By J. Rowand
Format:Paperback
I recommend this wonderfully written experience of expat collision with Italian ways. Humour and love seem to be essential ingredients to overcome the frustrations in the culturally disparate perspectives encountered. Mutual understanding and forgiveness are hard won but the roads to both make for good storys. There is significant resonance throughout Chris Harrison's account for me as a frequent visitor to Italy and a once expat. I love Italy and I loved the book.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am married to a man from this part of Italy (albeit a city boy), and I was nodding in recognition on almost every page at the descriptions of how an italian family works, how italians view life, law and parking and how frustrating that is for a 'normal westerner'.
I loved this story and I would also love to read about what happend next, soon please.
The only thing which upset me a little was his description of Lecce. I haven't seen the modern Lecce and the bureaucracy there, only the old Baroque city, and what a city that is. If anyone visits this part of Italy, you must go to Lecce.
I loved this story and I would also love to read about what happend next, soon please.
The only thing which upset me a little was his description of Lecce. I haven't seen the modern Lecce and the bureaucracy there, only the old Baroque city, and what a city that is. If anyone visits this part of Italy, you must go to Lecce.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Gill1608
Format:Paperback
Books about living la dolce vita in Italy are legion but 'Head over Heel' is in a league of its own. Forget all those endless tales of ex-pats with their rustic property restorations. Ignore the heady prose and gloss of holiday brochures. For this is the real McCoy: a gritty heart-warming travel memoir which avoids all the clichés and screams authenticity.
For Chris Harrison did not take the easy route to the sweet life but reveals glimpses of it to us - and to himself - along the way. He's an Australian who meets a girl and follows his heart to the very tip of Southern Italy, an alien land with a different culture and a source of both intense frustration and surreal humour. Those of us who know and love Italy will recognise the backdrop and its cast of colourful characters, but never before have they been brought to life with such wit, warmth and compassion. Chris is a gentle, thoughtful and perceptive guide and we join him as willing companions, crying tears of laughter and sharing his moments of sadness. Above all it's the humanity of the author which shines through this bittersweet odyssey in search of the truth. Beautifully written, I've not enjoyed a travel book as much since Bryson. Bring on the sequel!
For Chris Harrison did not take the easy route to the sweet life but reveals glimpses of it to us - and to himself - along the way. He's an Australian who meets a girl and follows his heart to the very tip of Southern Italy, an alien land with a different culture and a source of both intense frustration and surreal humour. Those of us who know and love Italy will recognise the backdrop and its cast of colourful characters, but never before have they been brought to life with such wit, warmth and compassion. Chris is a gentle, thoughtful and perceptive guide and we join him as willing companions, crying tears of laughter and sharing his moments of sadness. Above all it's the humanity of the author which shines through this bittersweet odyssey in search of the truth. Beautifully written, I've not enjoyed a travel book as much since Bryson. Bring on the sequel!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tutte Bene
Being the mother of A daughter who married a (Northern)!Italian and knowing of her experiences living in the Southern part of Italy and now living in Northern Italy, I have... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Mrs. J. L. Stephens
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyable and accurate
Having lived in Southern Italy for three years, albeit as a member of the small British military community and therefore shielded from some of the more laborious Italian... Read more
Published 1 month ago by travelpassion
5.0 out of 5 stars
The real Italy
I enjoyed this book so much I bought two more copies to give to friends. It is well written, funny, sad and from the heart. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Brenda J. Page
4.0 out of 5 stars
A warm tale from southern Italy
This is a great little book. There seem to be hundreds of books published about people moving to a foreign country, and recounting their experiences in a 'aren't foreign countries... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Simon Binning
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book to inspire a trip to Southern Italy!
This was a book that kept me riveted from start to finish. It immediately appealed because it wasn’t one of the ‘How I restored my Sicilian ruin and made friends with the locals... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lorne Blyth- Flavours Italian holidays
2.0 out of 5 stars
Did not enjoy.
I bought this book out of curiosity as I am married to a gorgeous Salentino man, but I found the writers experienced and anecdotes slightly exaggerated and made cliches out of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. Lawson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seduced!!!!!!
I am finding this hard to put down - having visited Southern Italy last year I can tell you that Chris' descriptions of the Italians and the scenery are just perfect - makes it all... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs Penelope Bullen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Funny Authentic
I could not put this down. It was hilarious, touching and informative without being a travelogue.
This is a story of an Australian man's love affair with an Italian... Read more
This is a story of an Australian man's love affair with an Italian... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Annaire
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgia Trip
Having worked in Italy for seven years in the seventies this book described all the issues I had to deal with such as language, culture and pace of life when I first moved to the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jane Griffiths
5.0 out of 5 stars
A little gem
It's part love story, part travelogue, part history but always told with a light touch and a great sense of humour. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kitchen fiend
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