The Italian Villa

An Emotional and Absolutely Gripping WW2 Historical Romance

By: Daniela Sacerdoti

Narrated by: Lisa Rost-Welling

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Inspired by true events, and for fans of The Beekeeper’s Promise and The Tuscan Child, comes a passionate, heartbreaking and absolutely pause-resisting story of two remarkable women, separated by history, finding the courage to look for light in the darkest places. 

As she staggers through the woods towards the smoky remains of her village, she sees the wounded, all those familiar faces covered in blood and ashes, and remembers she isn’t just a woman; she is a doctor, and she is needed...

1938 - A young Italian couple cling to each other in the shadow of the Montevino mountains, Mussolini’s call to war ringing in their ears. They vow to stay together, no matter what, and hatch a plan to wed in secret before fleeing to the woods to join the resistance. 

Present Day - Callie Di Giacomo, a waitress from Texas, is still reeling from the discovery that she is adopted when she arrives in Montevino in search of answers - the keys to the stunning hillside villa she just inherited clutched tightly in her hand. In her birth mother’s wardrobe grief-stricken Callie finds a diary belonging to a woman named Elisa Stella, one of Italy’s first ever female students of medicine, wrapped in pale blue ribbon.  

Page by page, Callie unravels the story of a passionate young doctor who risked everything to marry her sweetheart, who was betrayed by her own people, and forced into hiding as Montevino was invaded. Elisa knew she must survive against all odds to see her loved ones again. But history had other plans… 

As the diary ends, a startling revelation about who Elisa was offers a chance for Callie to heal past wounds and spark a new future. But is she brave enough to take it?  

This unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience by the author of million-copy Amazon number one best seller, Watch Over Me, is perfect for anyone who loved The Letter, The Tattooist of Auschwitz or The Dressmaker’s Gift.  

©2020 Daniela Sacerdoti (P)2020 Bookouture

Distracting Italian accent

I tried to ignore the unrealistic details of Callie’s story - how did she get a passport, the money to travel, who paid for the villa upkeep and how was she going to, etc. The annoying Italian accents were too much.
I hung in for the whole story but can’t recommend it. And...Italians do love coffee but do not have pasta with every meal.

Loved it!!!

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Th̷e̷ It̷a̷l̷i̷a̷n̷ Vi̷l̷l̷a̷ Re̷v̷i̷e̷w̷⁣
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This dual timeline of the present and 1930’s wartime Italy captured my heart! The way author Daniela Sacerdoti describes Montevino, Italy oh it sounds like the most beautiful, spellbinding little village and I want to go there! ⁣
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Synopsis:⁣
Callie is a twenty-one year old orphan who can’t seem to find her place in the world, when she finds out on her birthday that the parents that died in a car crash were actually her adoptive parents. When the lawyer tells her that her real mother is Italian from the small village of Montevino, she heads to Italy to find her roots and discovers much more...⁣
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🌺🌸🌼🌺🌸🌼🌺🌸🌼🌺🌸🌼🌺🌸🌼⁣
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This story was so heart-warming and such a nice surprise, I loved it and will definitely be checking out more of Daniela’s Sacerdoti’s works! ⁣
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Happy Reading Everyone! ⁣
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Insulting and demeaning narration.

The fact that this person thought that a stereotypical and insulting Italian accent, where virtually every word ended in “a”, was a satisfactory representation demonstrates a lack of thought and research and an ignorance of stereotypes that were erased a generation ago. Shame on the author, editors, and production crew for not stopping this travesty.

A sweeping story of fierce survival

I gripping story of the II WORLD WAR and the events that spurred a heartbreaking tragedy and how it is finally put right after generations.

Thought I had bouth a YA novel by mistake

I tried, really tried to like this, but the prose was very Young Adult and the protagonist could be irritating; let me explain--she spent a lot of energy feeling sorry for herself, then she bristled at someone looking at her with pity in their eyes, and this is representative of other ironies. The narration: It lost me, and I finally had to agree with other reviewers that the Italian accents were, at best, very stereotyped, much like some of the radio plays of the 1940s centered around Italians. I finally just had to stop listening. I bought it on sale which softened the blow. Like I say, I really wanted to like it, but couldn't make it happen.
If I had to list a single reason for my rating it would be the more juvenile-like prose.

Do the sample before you buy

Could not stand the reader. Got about 3 minutes in before I quit. Very disappointing!

Italian villa

I enjoyed it from beginning to end! I am half Italian, is the strongest side of me. I decided to attempt to learn the Italian language and I will read more of Danielle‘s books!

Okay read

This book was just okay I think it was missing some parts un answered.

Could not finish this one

It was honestly too boating and basic. It tries to be multi generational (which I normally love ) but it doesn’t work here. Just too elementary for me.

Beautiful story that kept me entertained!

Loved the story and the character development. Excellent descriptions and wonderful narration. This is my first book by this author and I am hooked. Already downloaded the next one!

Gripping.

Loved every minute, thank goodness for Audible that opens the world of wonder ful author's,stories, & narrators.

terrible

An awful book and I so hate the fake Italian accents. I live in Italy so this is clcouod not be so unlike whsyvi know of living here.

captivating

really nice good. really good story, I think it did come to a very abrupt end but i was lovely didn't want it to end

Couldn't put it down

This was a book I couldn't put down. The characters all had their own secrets from the past that they had to come to terms with. Really enjoyed it.

Good story.

The narrator was good. Loved the Italian accents. Enjoyable story. Going back in the family to the present day makes it entertaining.

A good read

This is a bit of a nagging reminder that many Americans long for a European, preferably French or Italian romantic connection. It’s a pleasant story and the writing is similarly pleasant, but it doesn’t sparkle or have terribly much depth.

Nevertheless, I did listen to the end and found the book to be pleasant and undemanding.

Easy listen

A dual time frame novel set during the 1930's and the present. Callie living in Texas discovers her past is not what she thought and travels to Italy to discover the truth. With a diary belonging to the mysterious Elisa can she discover the truth and will the locals tell her what they know.

The writing brought to life the town and villa, painting a picture of the setting and some of the food (which sounded delicious). A story of secrets, heartbreak and romance it was an easy listen which swept you along with the story.

Easy, light listen

The Italian Villa is told in dual time frames – the present and during the Second World War (using diary entries). It is a tale of romance and family secrets and I loved the descriptions of the glorious Italian countryside, the village of Montevino and life in an Italian village. This was an entertaining, light and easy listen, though perhaps a bit too much romance for me!

Dual time period story with romance and mystery

This is a story set with two time periods and follows the stories of Callie, an orphaned young woman from Texas who discovers her family roots in Italy, and Elisa with a story told through her diary and set in the late 1930's as Mussolini's power set Italians against each other.
There was much to enjoy in this tale with romance and family secrets but I think I might have enjoyed it more without the slightly jarring Italian 'sing song' accent from the narrator - having stayed in Italy many times I found it unconvincing and I think I would have preferred it without the accents.
It has some touching moments and is an easy listen - a good book for your holiday case as well.