Stolen Figs: And Other Adventures in Calabria

Paperback - 01 May, 2004 - North Point Press
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Mark Rotella
ISBN: 0865476969

Buy this book from Amazon.com

List Price: ~~$15.00~~
Amazon.com Price: $10.19
You Save: $4.81

Other books you may find interesting

Reviews by readers

Explore Family Roots in Calabria: Taste and Feel Old Italy

Hear the sounds, taste the food, kiss the relatives, explore the terrain, climb the mountains, visit the castles, learn the history (Greeks, Bruttians, Romans, Visigoth conquests) ... experience the adventure of exploring one's family roots in a small village in southern Italy. The village, Gimigilano, is located in Calabria, the region that looks like the foot on a map of Italy, which everyone knows resembles a boot. The author, Mark Rotella, describes his *very* first visit to this village with his father and later subsequent visits either alone or with his wife, who is of English and Dutch heritage. He captivates the reader with descriptions of nostalgia and heart-felt longing when he emotionally connects to the traditions, customs and life of the village. He is befriended by Giuseppe, a photographer, who produces postcards that he sells to regional shops and businesses. Giuseppe becomes his personal driver and tour guide to Calabria ...

The author intersperses memories of growing up, recalling how his grandfather made wine in New Jersey, which he traded with a Portuguese farmer, who raised pigs ... his grandfather slaughtered the pig in the old-fashion way and provided the family with the same cuts of meat that the author saw on his visit to the village. The author includes memories and discussions with his father. One of which is the family story when his grandfather returned to the village to find himself a suitable wife. He married her in the village and took his bride to live in America. Since his grandmother and grandfather practiced old world ways, the author was able to trace many of the family traditons back to the village and culture of the region. Favorite dishes, foods, spices and their preparation, Italian hospitality, the importance of family and the sense of belonging, are all aspects of the Italian culture of which the author is proud.

The continuation of customs and traditions in Calabria persist ... kneading and baking bread in communal fashion, making wine, eating rabbit stew, tending an olive grove, stealing figs from a neighbor's tree. The author wished to be viewed and accepted as the "returning son of the village" ... even sought Italian citizenship. He was disappointed to discover he was seen as "the American visitor". He found out ...one had to be *born* in Calabria, to be viewed as Calabrese. While Calabria has a depressed economy compared to Rome, Venice and Naples, all northern cities ... it has a proud and resilient people who continue to live in the region helping the area to develop. This author recreates the feelings and lifestyle of the village and surrounding towns and cities so well that the reader wants to experience it first hand. The imagination of the reader is captured by the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Calabria ... one feels and senses this part of Italy is unspoiled in its splendor and beauty. You want to go there before the modern world intrudes and destroys it. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Stolen Figs: Enjoyable

I really enjoyed Mark Rotella's insightful narrative about discovering his family's roots in Calabria. Although my family is Sicilian, I could relate to so many of the stories and reactions he had as a grandchild of Italian immigrants. This book is real. Yes, there are some inacuracies in it, but I could overlook this because I couldn't wait to get back to it when I had to put it down.

I read "Under the Tuscan Sun" years ago (this book has been compared to it a bit), and I did not find it as heartwarming or "salt of the earth" as "Stolen Figs". Oh, and, if you get a chance, pick up some fresh figs. There's nothing like 'em.

Rotten "Stolen Figs"

I would just like to add my note of agreement with the reviews of Michael A. Gatto and Bill Marsano and add one additional rather major error in "Stolen Figs"; on page 92, "After Hannibal came the Longobards, the Byzantines, and, in the middle of the sixth century, the Normans,...". How's that for turning history on its head? And he's only about five centuries off with the Normans. Conclusion? A complete waste of time.

Top of page