Bleeding Espresso

Remember back when G.G. Husak, author of Passeggiata: Strolling Through Italy, guest posted here? Well today we’re talking more about the book; here is my review:

Passeggiata by G.G. Husak is a memoir about the author and her husband’s travels through Italy, to which they return every year. The book covers their visits to Florence, the Italian Riviera, Siena, Assisi, Orvieto, Naples, and more; from big cities to small hill towns, they’ve done it, and you can read about it.

Husak’s love for the Bel Paese and all it offers really shines through her tales—and especially in the fact that she and her husband continue to choose Italy instead of other destinations. “Italy has been a theme that enriches our shared experiences by being integrated into our lives after we get home,” Husak writes.

The book can be a bit slow-moving in parts as Husak seems to want to fit in all the details—and perhaps justifiably so, as the details in Italy are certainly not to be missed. Still, the editing could have been stronger as some parts seemed repetitive or simply went on for a bit too long without enriching the overall story.

For this reason, I recommend reading this book a chapter at a time, taking in each destination by itself and giving yourself time to reflect on their journeys; imagine yourself sharing a caffè with G.G. and her husband in Florence or walking for miles around a huge wall in Siena that blocks off the old city from the train station.

This book would be especially good for novice travelers to Italy, even for those who have yet to make their first visit. Many of Husak’s stories involve the types of mishaps, confusions, and glitches that often accompany Italian travel tales; newbie travelers will find it particularly encouraging to know that even when things look dire, they’ll eventually work out—and that strikes, changes in schedules, etc. are just normal, Italian travel experiences that everyone battles.

I give this three espresso cups out of five, mostly because I would have liked it to have been edited better; I enjoyed reading about Husak’s experiences, but aside from the fact that the narrative could have been much tighter, there are also quite a few Italian mistakes (gender, incorrect place names, words sometimes confused with similar Spanish words). This is a pet peeve of mine and could potentially make this book confusing for those newbie travelers I mentioned.

Still, true Italophiles will find a lot to like in this passeggiata through Italy; indeed, it could even be used as a supplemental guidebook as it covers so many wonderful Italian locations.

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