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Reflections on a Year of Reading Italian Literature

Books read this year: 

- The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano

- Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (pgs 1 through 200)

From Reading these two books, I have learned quite a bit about the Italian Geography. Obviously, Italy is a very beautiful place to visit but it has so much more to offer than seen with the naked eye. For an example, in the book “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”, Alice was on a skiing trip with her father along the Italian mountains, and it was very cold. Not to mention she had a terrible skiing accident, she told her father she needed to use the restroom before going up the mountain but he didn’t listen. With this event happening, I have learned that Italy is not only a hot summer country, but can also be a scenic, and different place. I have learned that Italy has other sides to it like big mountains that then have snow. This is something new to hear. In the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Frances and Ed spend a summer traveling the Tuscan countryside, buying wines and touring old tombs. And in the winter time, they collect oil from their olive trees. I have learned that Italy is a very touristic country and is full of amazing things to do and see. It is known as a very romantic place to go with a partner and this tells us that because going along the countryside and buying wine is one of the most romantic things a couple can do. Isn’t it?

From Reading these two books, I have also learned a lot about Italy’s history. In the book “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”, Alice and Mattia are bestfriends and have a unexplainable connection with one another. The kind thats only one in a lifetime, if that. Towards the end of the book, Alice is having a very rough patch with her husband, Fabio, and She finds herself in her living room with Mattia kissing. In that moment, she realized that her feelings for Mattia were always real and weren’t just a fantasy in her head. I have learned that Italy’s history is connected to Romance. I know this because one of the cities in Italy is Venice. And Venice is classified as “The City of Love”. Italy has a long line of photographic views, beautiful sunsets, and full of color. Like Happiness. Something big and yet so beautiful. In the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”, a professor of creative writing, Frances, who takes her divorce settlement and buys an abandoned villa in Tuscany. She gets her now husband, Ed, to help her completely remodel the villa for their own little place together. I learned that Italy wasn’t always the modern place it is now. Rome was found at least 800,000 years ago and the history goes way back to BC. Which was then called Italy from the Roman Republic.

From Reading these two books, I lastly learned about The Italian Culture. Now in Present time, Italians are very big on family, tradition and loyalty. Back then, Italy didn’t have much culture. It was mostly known for their exotic foods and different language. In the book “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”, its about love and friendship. Alice and Mattia were friends since middle school and they were both twin flames. They were both lonely, broken and were there for each other. They are one anothers person, but more love over friendship. I learned that Italy’s culture is Love. Its what its known for, and its beautiful and extensive history. In the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Its about Frances who was hurt, starts a totally new life from scratch and finds a way to live again. I learned that Italy’s culture is also about finding yourself. I know this because this story is all about rebirth and transformation.

In all of my time of reading these two books, I have learned a lot of life lessons. In the book “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”,  I have learned to never let what you truly feel go unsaid. It may become too late and that can cause you to lose very big people apart of your life that are irreplaceable. In the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”, I have learned that you should never be scared to make something of yourself from nothing. Any one can accomplish anything they put their mind to and you just have to believe in yourself and not worry about what others may think of you.

Finally, In my time of reading these two books, they have taught me very big and important life lessons that are useful in this generation. Mostly, I have learned some things I didn’t know about myself. I have always had a difficult time liking to read since i was at a young age. It is easy for me to read a sentence or read a quote written on a wall, but a whole book?! Yeah I have always told myself that I hated reading. Its hard for me to stay focused and keep track of where I am in the book without losing myself. Everytime I would try and sit down to read the 10 pages a day, I always stopped at 2 or 3 and found myself on my phone for the rest of the night. I then tried to find things to help me stay focused and I came across something called Audible. Audible is a audiobook subscription that has many stories and books and you listen and follow along. This made me stay focused and not easily lose myself within the pages. That is all I learned about Italian Literature and also about myself.

Final Blog Word Count: 932

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“it’s hard, when you really love to talk, to shut up.”

—Frances Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun” (153)

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“A young man works on elaborate fruit and flower marquetry of a seventeenth century desk.”

— Frances Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun”(141)

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"Chop,then sauté, 1 medium onion in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 2 minutes."

--Frances Mayes, "Under the Tuscan Sun" (131)

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“No matter what occasion, what crisis, the woman I grew up among could flat out hold forth in the kitchen, from delicate timbales and pressed chicken to steaming cauldrons of Brunswick stew.”

— Frances Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun”(114)

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“He’s thriving on this work, though he, too, is sapped at night.”

—Frances Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun” (101)

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"I pick her up to smell her earthy, damp leaf smell."

-- Frances Mayes, "Under the Tuscan Sun" (91)

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“Several empty wine bottles stand on a side table.”

—Francês Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun” (79)

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"We need something more suitable for the bella vista."

-- France Mayes, "Under the Tuscan Sun" (58)

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"Where he is, both ivy and blackberries are unnaturally dense."

--Frances Mayes, "Under the Tuscan Sun" (45)

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“ I’m taken aback and charmed by the bluntness.”

—Frances Mayes, “Under the Tuscan Sun”(25)

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“When I first saw Bramasole, I immediately wanted to hang my summer clothes in an armadio and arrange my books under one of those windows looking out over the valley.”

—Frances Mayes, “ Under the Tuscan Sun”(13)

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“A house with the beautiful name of Bramasole.”

— Francês Mayes, “Umder the Tuscan Sun” (5)

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Week 10 Blog

This week I read 249-271 in the book The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano.

The sentence of the week is found on page (257) and it says "How will I explain it to him? she wondered." Here's why. Alice does not know how she should tell Mattia that the real reason she reached out to him wasn't to just become close again but it was because she missed him. His affection, his jokes, his shyness and his need to always stay a step away from her out of respect. She may be going through a bad time with her husband, but that doesn't have to do with her feeling for Mattia. Or does it?

In this story, Alice and Mattia have always been a pair of souls who have always had some tension and that connection you seek in two people. It's undeniable what they have is true love. They have done everything in the past to try and cover it up and just hide from it but now its no more. Mattia should never had left Alice's house after the moment they shared. He should have stayed and showed her how he truly feels about her. Not just a fake anymore. Now Alice has peace and acceptance that Mattia and Fabio may not be in her life anymore, now it is just her and that is okay.

Blog Word Count: 236

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“She remembered lying in the crevasse, buried by snow.”

—Paolo Giordano, “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”(271)

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”Mattia’s hand had slipped from his closed eyes to his throat.”

— Paolo Giordano, “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”(261)