One Italian Summer: Across the world and back in search… (2024)

There are a lot of memoirs out there about women ‘finding themselves’ through travel and new experiences, and sometimes they all seem to blend into one big ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ combination. So it is very refreshing to read a memoir that is sharply observant, touchingly poignant and self-deprecatingly witty. One Italian Summer (Affirm Press 2017) is the story written by Pip Williams about her family’s search – halfway around the world – for ‘the good life’. Unlike many such books, it is not a holy grail of ‘finding ourselves’ or some great epiphany about the meaning of life. Rather, it is an honest and warm account of one family’s experience: that unsettling feeling of not being entirely satisfied with life but unsure of how or what to do to change it; the doubts and insecurities of taking a risk; the pleasure to be found in the simple things. It is a ‘warts and all’ expose of ‘the good life’ that demonstrates that the grass is not always greener, but it is also an encouragement to those who feel stuck, or who yearn for something more, an encouragement to take the plunge and have a go.
Pip and her partner Shannon, and their two sons Aidan and Riley, are attempting to live ‘the good life’ in the Adelaide Hills. They have a small landholding, an orchard, they grow vegetables and raise chickens. Pip bakes bread and plans to spin her own wool. It is a welcome step from their city Sydney lifestyle. But Pip is working to pay for their subsistence lifestyle (oh, the irony!), as they are not nearly as capable or as productive as they had hoped. Then they make a radical decision: they quit their jobs, pull the kids out of school for four months, and travel to Italy to work as WWOOFers – Willing Workers On Organic Farms. They would provide their labour in exchange for accommodation and food for themselves and their boys on a series of farms around Italy. They would learn vital skills that they could transport back onto their own life in Australia, and gain experience in a variety of micro-industries (cheese-making? wine-making? preserving? soap-making?) They would spend quality time together as a family, and share the priceless experience of travel with their young sons. They would learn, and grow, and decide if this organic life was really what they desired, and whether or not they could manage it on their own.
And so they set forth. The book chronicles their journey from the cities of Rome and Venice, where they relax as tourists and enjoy brief but welcome respite from their agricultural labour, and takes us into the homes and countryside of the locals who welcome WWOOFers. From Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast, from Lucca to Piedmont, the family stay in an assortment of accommodation ranging from the delightfully comfortable to the decidedly rustic. They mostly stay with families that welcome them as family. They eat long lunches at tables groaning with homegrown produce. They wake early and toil until their backs ache, their fingers grimy with soil. They survive on a shoestring budget, but always with a ‘gelato fund’ for the boys. They share moments of hilarity, of tragic language misunderstandings, and of love. They learn to time the rhythm of their days with the rising and setting of the sun rather than an alarm clock, to eat when they’re hungry and rest during the heat of the day. They realise how much stuff they have amassed back home, and how little of it they really need. They befriend a pig and learn to make great pasta and revel in the joy of baking really good bread.
When I met Pip recently at the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival, she was running a workshop on Writing Memoir. She explained to me that she wrote One Italian Summer for herself, as a book of memories for her family – especially her children – so that they would always recall every small detail of their trip. And this personal retelling shows in the story. This is not a self-help book, or a tome that shouts ‘look at us and the great and adventurous thing we did!’ This is a down-to-earth and humble book that recounts all of their doubts and misgivings as well as their dreams and hopes. Pip is frank and open about her capabilities (or lack of them). She is keenly observant, and paints a picture that we all can share. She is candid of her uncertainties about the life they think they want to lead, and gently remonstrative and critical of her own motivations. The result is a tale that is easy to read and informative, appealing and engaging. And it is written with such wit and humour, in such a distinctive voice, that we almost feel we have travelled to Tuscany ourselves.

4 enjoyable stars. Having lived in Italy myself, I loved reliving the tales of food, wine and company through Pip’s eyes. I especially enjoyed the story of Il Mulino, the baking of bread and the repose. Unfortunately the book fell short of 5 stars for me - I found it overly descriptive at times, and her flirtation and daydreams of other men off-putting. Nonetheless, a lovely memoir, reminding me of all of the good things in life - homegrown food, dirt under your fingernails, friendship, love and slow living.

Пип Уилямс - "Едно лято в Италия", изд. "Сиела" 2018, прев. Надя Златкова

Току-що дочетох "Едно лято в Италия".
И бързам да предупредя - ако очаквате леко и романтично четиво, описващо летни приключения и "свалки", не посягайте към тази книга. Защото тя не е такава.
Тя е истинска история.
Истинска история за едно семейство от Австралия /ако се съди по имената - с ирландски корени; и, да, това беше една от личните ми причини да посегна към книгата/. Хора, които напускат дома и работата си, за да прекарат няколко месеца, работейки като доброволци във ферми в различни райони на Италия.
Аз съм от семейство, което винаги е било свързано със земята. Бях от онези деца, които прекарваха ваканциите "при баба на село". И затова мислех, че тази книга вероятно няма да ми "каже" нищо непознато. И в същото време исках да видя "как го правят другаде".
Донякъде познах, донякъде сбърках.
Защото фермите, в които Пип и Шанън работ��т през тези няколко месеца, имат много малко общо с това, което аз познавам като селски живот. Защото там, в Италия, е намерило място движението за "бавен живот". И трудът пак не е лесен, но не е съсипващ. И там някъде, между саденето на моркови и скубането на упорити плевели, може да се намери място и за истинска радост от живота. За отдих. И за джелато, разбира се.
Признавам, че ме впечатли решението на семейството да остави всичко, което познава, и да заживее, макар и за ограничено време, по този начин. Просто да последва една мечта. Да опита какво ще се получи.
Но, разбира се, понеже е истинска, тази история не е безметежна. Не липсват грешки, дребни произшествия, дори съмнения. Дали е правилно? Дали всичко няма да завърши със съжаления и разочарование? Пип си задава често тези въпроси. Но за нея всичко случващо се е най-вече опит, урок, ценна придобивка. Защото човек се учи най-добре така - в движение.
И може би не всичко научено се оказва приложимо на практика. Може би реалността се е оказала малко по-различна от мечтата. Но краят ме накара да се усмихна. Защото всъщност не е истински край, а ново начало. Онези, които са тръгнали да научат нещо, сега се връщат, за да научат другите.
И историята започва отново...

Covid go away so I can live my own Italian dream please and thank you

Having loved “Dictionary of lost words” , I was looking forward to reading Pip William’s memoir of an Italian summer with partner & 2 young’s boys spent “wwoofing” (willing workers on organic farms).
It didn’t disappoint and helped me realise, like Pip, that “Our life is good because it’s good enough” and sometimes we need to go somewhere else to “appreciate the things that are a privilege and have been here all along”.
The book proved a perfect anecdote to another Covid lockdown. I have slowed down, paused to look for the good and the privilege in my life. Today it was being able to escape seemingly never-ending zoom meetings and take an hour to walk in the (almost) spring sunshine in the local bush on the Sydney harbour foreshore. My good life.
Thank you , Pip.

And to my fellow bookworm friend for recommending it as a perfect Covid read.

What a delightful read. I love a good memoir, but many I have read lately are about overcoming hardship and are often quite emotionally intense. This one was light and almost whimsical and satisfied the wanderlust that regularly boils up inside of me. Pip’s storytelling invites the reader into her experience WWOOFing in Italy, encapsulating both the beauty of the Italian landscape and culture with the array of fascinating people she meets along the way. I appreciated the healthy dose of realism included and her final reflections at the end.

Искрено завиждам на такива хора , които следват мечтите си и имат такива смели мечти. Напоследък наблюдавам все повече такива смелчаци. Да зарежеш удобния си начин на съществуване и да се впуснеш в такива приключения е достойно за възхищение, особено когато го правиш и с децата си. Освен това , всичко около мен говори, че все повече хора ще се осъзнават и връщат към нормалния начин на живот, а именно далече от малките апартаментчета в които сме свряни като сардели. Близо до земята до естествения начин на живот. Ще търсим и ще се учим отново да отглеждаме своя храна , вкусна и истинска.
В тази книга освен всичко това има прекрасни описания на местата в Италия , през които семейството на авторката преминава. Мога да разбера възторга й, защото съм била там и няма дори едно кътче, което да не ми е харесало. А стигнах до селце наречено Бомба , което дори на картата не може да се намери.
Сравнявайки тази книга, с наскоро прочетената подобна за живота в Дания на друго семейство смелчаци, единственото което не ми достигна е чувство за хумор. Но това не е нещо , което всеки притежава.

Нямах особени очаквания, затова книгата беше ок.
Темата е благодатна, но не бих казала, че авторката умее да пише, а от превода и редакторската работа определено има какво да се желае.
Идеална за no-brainer за плажа.

Loved this book. Thank you Pip for sharing your honest story of a woman who grew up longing for travel and adventure, and who was brave enough to chase a dream. I would love to be a WWOOFA in Italy or Scotland and I’m already thinking of either 6 months when my last child finishes high school or when I can take her with us. Your humour had me laughing and I can totally relate to your language stories from our French holiday. From one Aussie to another, yes we need to slow down and simplify!

I enjoy Pip Williams’ writing style so much!!!
What an engaging, inspiring, soul searching and heartwarming story!
100% recommend next time you need a slow meander through Italy 💚

A working holiday in Italy? Yes, please! This family of four abandons jobs and departs from their Adelaide Hills home to chase the dream of being self-sustainable. This is the author's personal journal of working on four different organic farms, plus a few days in 5 different beautiful Italian cities. All up, perfect. However, I feel that this book has failed and should have taken one of two different options.
1. Keep it as a private memoir. I can't imagine, Pip, what your long-suffering husband thought when he read about your fantasies with various strange men!
2. Turn the first person into an interesting 3rd person; flesh out the lives of the families you stayed with. You were not intimate enough with the families and could not give us much insight into their personalities. Why was one farmer's wife sobbing? Why was another one so grumpy all the time? (Well, ladies, I think we can draw an obvious conclusion!) Build on your information and turn this lightweight memoir into a decent work of fiction.
As for "poignant, warm and funny", well sorry, not a whole lot of laughs I'm afraid. And let this be a lesson to the rest of you wannabe hippies - planning is not a dirty word!!

Втората звездичка е защото си набелязах места за посещение в Италия. Книгата бе истинско разочарование. Май повече време бе писано за туристическите им обиколки и оплаквания, отколкото за живота в Италия, храната им, хората.

I downloaded this after reading and being impressed by the author's Dictionary of Lost Words. This is an entirely different experience since it is a memoir of a family trip to Italy to work as volunteers on several organic farms (WOOFing), but it was still highly enjoyable. I have read a lot of memoirs of travels and living abroad in Europe, and this one is a step above in that it is not just a simple narrative of the family's experiences as volunteer farm labor, but explains why they are there and what they hope to gain from it in terms of deciding what to do next with their lives. That's not to say there aren't some odd notes. The author seems to spend a lot of time daydreaming of handsome Italian men, although apparently happily married to a great guy who she loves. And I couldn't decide whether to be annoyed by the two sons' preoccupation with their video games, or feel sorry for them since it obviously wasn't their dream they were living. Still having traveled a fair bit in Italy (although no farming for us) I could definitely envision and appreciate their adventures.

I was drawn to this book for two reasons: Firstly, I had just finished reading Pip Williams’ novel The Dictionary of Lost Things (which I loved) and was searching for more of her work; Secondly, we are taking our first family trip to Italy this summer (although we will just be there for a week to relax and explore). I loved this book and was compelled to listen to it at every opportunity. I loved travelling vicariously, and experiencing the various cities, beaches, and farms through Pip’s eyes, and learning more about the slow food movement and the details of daily life on the various farms they visited. I also loved accompanying Pip and Shannon on their individual journeys of discovery, skill development, and refinement of their dreams of living a good life.

A wonderful family story of “finding themselves”. Such a horribly over used term for an action that so many of us modern humans need to have the courage to enact.

I had previously read the authors amazing book The Dictionary of Lost Words, that is one of my favourite reads in recent times. This delight is totally different but absolutely delightful and uplifting.

Thanks to my dear sister who passed on the recommendation. Once again read in audio book format abs beautifully suited to the flow of the words and a wonderful narrator by Felicity Jurd.

A good, easy read. If you’re hoping to learn about farming in Italy, this book isn’t for you. But if you want to sit back and dream about la dolce vita along with Pip, then this book is perfect.
Written with a clear romance for Italy, One Italian Summer is a story of friendship, love, following your dreams, and adventure. A fun read if you’ve ever thought about buying acreage and living off the land.

I 'read' this as an audiobook, mostly on my daily commute. I'd seen Pip Williams at the Brisbane Writers Festival and having enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words thought this might be an interesting interlude. I was not wrong.

Immersing myself in this book this way, felt like I'd sat down with Pip over a coffee or glass of wine as she related tales of her family's experiences as a WWOOFa on a number of different farms in Italy during their summer. The idea behind the experience is that as a family they did not feel settled on their farm in the Adelaide Hills. There was something missing and the Italian venture was about finding their own "Good Life".

I'm not one to mindlessly rewrite the plot of the book but jumping to the end and finding that she, and her husband Shannon (and their boys) had found something that works for them was satisfying for me. In a sense, we, as her readers much acknowledge that the format of her Good Life is of benefit for us. I just hope that she continues to find that happy medium.

A cheery and easy read. An entertainingly descriptive and lightly intimate record, taken from her notes and emails. We find Pip (and her family,) as they leave the Sydney rat-race for an alternative lifestyle in the Adelaide hills. We get a taste of WWOOFing in Italy as they travel to explore what their new lifestyle might be and Pip discovers what her middle-aged self wants in their new life.

This was a quick enjoyable read but some of the fantasising lost me a bit.

I sped through this one and really enjoyed it! I again want to run away to Italy 🏃‍♀️

A short audiobook which was very easy to listen too.
I’ve often wondered how ‘Woofing’ works and I’m definitely not going to pursue that lifestyle. I am glad that it helped the author and her family evaluate what they wanted from their lives and I understand the need for work/life balance.
I will read/listen to other works by this author. Audiobook was nicely narrated.

4.5⭐️
A beautifully told story of following one’s dreams. Really enjoyed this audiobook- now I’d like a trip to Italy too please.

A glorious holiday for my mind

Two weeks in to suffering through a severe cold, I really felt like having a bit of a getaway. Unable to do so due to said sickness, I turned to Pip Williams’ One Italian Summer and it was just the escape I needed!

Before Pip wrote one of my favourite books from 2020 - the bestselling The Dictionary Of Lost Words - she, her husband and two sons uproot their lives to travel to Italy in search of la dolce vita (the good life). Envisioning a happier life away from the rat race, spent gardening, farming and baking, the family set about working on a number of Italian organic farms over the summer.

Throughout this fabulous recollection of their travels, Pip shares the good, the bad & the ugly of a working holiday with children and of chasing a dream that might not be quite what you expect it to be.

I’ve not read a lot of travel books and I do wonder if it’s my love of Pip’s writing but this made for really easy & indulgent reading. I was transported to the Italian summer, working the land, living in cramped quarters at times and enjoying simple but delicious food, fresh from the farm.

One Italian Summer is delightful, comforting and honest. If, like me, you fantasize about a simpler, slower, indulgent life, read this book and be transported.

I was gifted a copy of this book from the publisher.

Pip Williams, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words, shares her story of travelling to Italy with her partner and two small boys, searching for the good life. On a variety of farms around Italy, they work as WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) providing labour in exchange for food and accomodation. An interesting read encompassing the joys and difficulties of rural life in Italy.

A very thoughtful, honest and entertaining memoir. I couldn’t put it down. The timing of me reading this was perfect: during a Sydney COVID lockdown, where I was able to revisit Italy in my imagination. Not sure I’m made of stern enough stuff to try WWOOFing, although the author did a pretty good sales job.

Review
Pip and her partner Shannon wanted a better life for themselves and their two young sons, so they bought a few acres of farming land and left the city life behind. The dream was to grow their own food, bake bread and have more time to spend together as a family.

In reality, their lives became more even more stressful, their attempts to manage their little farm whilst still working resulted in failure. They decided that to realise the dream they would have to learn ways to make the land profitable. They came to the decision that they must go to Italy on the WWOOF scheme and so they packed up and off they went

They spent a few weeks with each host family, working for a few hours a day in return for food and accommodation. Shannon, a capable chap, seemed to get along well with all the hosts, even teaching one how to make and use compost which I thought that was pretty odd - an organic farmer not knowing about compost!

Though Pip spent time working on the land she also spent time helping the women with their work. She seemed desperate to find some common ground with them, to be looking to them for some sort of validation of herself or of her dream.
Maybe it was in those kitchens that she suspected that perhaps she didn’t have what it takes to sustain the life that she thought she had wanted.

This book might be useful for those who are thinking of undertaking a similar experience, it exemplifies the differences between hosts, their expectations of workers and, importantly, the types of accommodation offered. Also, what to expect if you take children along.

Review copy provided by Affirm Press

Having read and enjoyed Pip Williams' Dictionary of Lost Words, I was intrigued to see what else she has written. I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I wouldn't normally read such a book as One Italian Summer - not my usual fare - about a family spending a summer as agritourists, in Italy. I enjoyed it more because Williams has an easy to read style, thoughtful prose that is accessible, and a gentle way of expressing her interactions with the people they met along the journey. If this had been written by anyone else, I could not have read it, let alone finished it in such a short time.
Following dreams, learning about oneself, is as important as allowing those we love to fulfil their dreams, and when the two exist together, we end up with synergy. This is a nicely written and easily read book. Worth every minute.

I listened to this as an audio book which my have influenced my experience. I likened it to being invited to being invited to a dinner party and you’re seated next to a guest that you’ve heard so much about. The host says you’re sure to get along - they’ve just come back from a extended summer working on farms in Italy and you love Italy. Imagine your disappointment when this person spends most of the time complaining, describing their aches, pains and dizziness and going into repetitive middle class parenting angst about screen time and guilt about what the children were fed that day. The postscript had the tone I would have liked better the whole book. It’s no under the Tuscan sun.

Историята е реално, всъщност авторката разказва за нейното и на семейството й лято в Италия, но нещо като бартер. Отиват в различни ферми,където вместо да плащат са престоя си работят заедно и наравно със собствениците . Снимки на авторката и двете й деца и повече информация, във видеото ми : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzcbI...