Katherine Wilson meant to move to Italy for just a few months when she took a post-college internship at the United States Consulate in Naples in the late 1990s. But she soon met a young man named Salvatore, and as their relationship blossomed, his elegant mother, Raffaella, and their boisterous Neopolitan family welcomed Katherine with open arms. Raffaella taught Katherine to cook, and Katherine and Salva married. They still live in Italy with their children.
Only in Naples is the story of Katherine's transformation from uptight, perpetually dieting American girl (including intriguing glimpses into her privileged childhood) to much more relaxed, food-loving Italian wife. Full of mouth-watering descriptions of food, hilarious examples of quirky Neapolitan culture (it's the "oxygen" that makes you feel heavier when you're on a ski weekend, not the ridiculous amounts of food consumed afterward), Only in Naples also lends insight into the differences between American and Italian childrearing. It is part travel guide, part foodie memoir, and is sure to appeal to armchair travelers and Italian food-lovers alike, with its rich descriptions of the gestures and traditions essential to life in Naples, and recipes for Neapolitan classics like insalata di polipo (octopus salad) and parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmesan).
Doing for Naples what Ann Mah's Mastering the Art of French Eating did for Paris and Luisa Weiss's My Berlin Kitchen did for Berlin, Only in Naples offers a vibrant look at the food and people that make up a great Italian city. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm