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When I first visited Vico del Gargano, in 1981, I was taken into a house and dined with the family. On that evening all those years ago I decided that I would write a book about Vico del Gargano, its inhabitants, their dialect and their customs. Despite visiting the town each summer, I never got past the preliminary chapter. For although there was plenty material, simply visiting the town was not enough. Only when we moved to the area did it become possible. For although I thought I knew the place and the people, I simply didn't. It wasn't easy to come here and we were deflected by many other factors, but once we committed there was no going back. Available at: Now available at the Apple iBookstore via iTunes and in the Kindle Store!
Please note that the Kindle version is a Second Edition (slightly revised with corrections). |
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Description When the journey began we didn't expect to buy a derelict "torretta" and a 10 acre olive farm in the Gargano, Puglia. My wife's father "escaped" from the village and lifestyle of Vico del Gargano. Each year he would return with his family for August and later, we too visited Vico each summer. For my wife in particular Vico always felt like home. She seemed to have a subliminal bond, perhaps acquired when she was brought to Vico as a baby and left in the care of her grandmother. We instinctively wanted to move to the area, but due to the remoteness, the dialect and strong family reaction we were deterred from doing so. Nonetheless, we continued to harbour dreams of the spur of Italy, its beautiful rugged coastline, its mountainous forested interior, its people, dialect and traditions that gave the impression that civilisation had simply passed the region by. One day the opportunity arose for us to escape the UK and we embarked on a long journey that would change our lives forever ...
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