Bella Figura: How to Live, Love and Eat the Italian Way by Kamin Mohammadi

"Kamin Mohammadi, a magazine editor in London, should have been on top of the world. But after heartbreak and loneliness, the stress of her "dream life" was ruining her physical and mental health. Gifted a ticket to freedom--a redundancy package and the offer of a friend's apartment in Florence--Kamin took a giant leap. It did not take her long to notice how differently her new Italian neighbors approached life: enjoying themselves, taking their time to eat and drink, taking their lives at a deliberately slower pace. Filled with wonderful characters--from the local bartender/barista who becomes her love advisor, to the plumbers who fix her heating and teach her to make pasta al pomodoro--here is a mantra for savoring the beauty and color of every day that Italians have followed for generations, a guide to the slow life for busy people, a story of finding love (and self-love) in unlikely places, and an evocative account of a year living an Italian life."*

When I read this book I had just returned from a month long trip in Greece and was interested in reading more about the European lifestyle. What surprised me most about this book was it was tips that were interspersed in a story of her time in Italy instead of just quick anecdotes. As a reader I really got to understand Mohammadi's struggles and appreciate it when she triumphed. The pace of life in Europe is really different and a lot of the things she did I had a chance to experience. Because of that I got more value out of the book but you don't necessarily have to have traveled to implement these tips in your everyday life. There were also some recipes at the end for food that she references in the book which is cool as well.

Kelsey Fitzgerald
Library Assistant

Available at the Langley Adams Library *Bella Figura: How to Live, Love and Eat the Italian Way - Goodreads