Ok so it’s not great literature but it doesn’t pretend to be. This is a lovely feel good summer beach read kind of a book with a bit of history thrown in. What’s not to like about it?

I am a fan of historical fiction, but this one didn’t quite fit the bill for me. There was a story set during WWII, but it was told via diary entries, so it was fairly static. I think it might have been more impactful and dynamic if it had more connection to the contemporary storyline, as this is where the bulk of the story lies. I liked Callie’s story, but it seemed implausible at times. There were a few moments of connection between the two plots but would have been more enjoyable if it was correctly classified. As is, it was just okay. For a complete review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital pre-release ARC of the book.

I absolutely loved the story of Callie. How she found her Italian family and lots of love with lots of sadness on the way but happiness at the end.

I really hope there is a sequel to this as I'm sure there is lots more of Callie and Tommasso. I read till my eyes were dropping asleep. I just had to get to the end.

Thank you for a wonderful book.

The Italian Villa by Daniela Sacerdoti ⭐
Callie is 21 and she has had a hard life. Her parents passed away and she was a ward of the state. She has dreams of going to college and doing something with her life. On her 21st birthday she receives a call from her former case worker to come to her office. It is then that her life takes a dramatic turn. What she thought was true about her life, isn't true at all. And in order to find out what the truth is, she needs to go to Italy. (I absolutely loved the Italian setting in this book!) There she will find what she has always needed in her life and so much more! This book takes you back and forth in time in a different way than most historical fiction novels, and for me it worked. Wonderful, fast read! ⭐
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Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Although there were ups and downs and twists and turns, this was basically a feel good story which I thoroughly enjoyed. Having read other books by this author, I felt this was her best

The Italian Villa by Daniela Sacerdoti was the most beautifully written book I have read in a very long time and I just LoVed it. This was a book that just took my breath away and the author Daniela wrote this book with love throughout. The Italian Villa is written from 1940's and during the WW2 to the present day. Both stories are just gripping and I loved all the characters within this book.

Callie is a waitress in a small town received a letter in the post on her 21st birthday to make an appointment at a lawyers office. When she arrives there she finds out, she was adopted. She is given a set of keys to a villa that she has inherited in Montevio in Italy. Callie wants to find out more about her parents and takes a trip to Montevino in Italy to find out more bout her birth parents. Callie arrives at a stunning hillside villa she has just inherited and she is clutched the keys to it tightly in her hand. She opens the rusted gates and walks up to the large wooden door, all in front of her was beautiful sun-kissed flowers to the villa, only to find a villa that has been kept clean and tidy. No one lives there. But someone is going there and cleaning and looking after it.

Who is doing this?

Callie is shocked and then bumps into a mysterious young groundskeeper, Tommaso.
They become very close within a few days.

Whilst Callie was wondering bare foot Callie finds a diary wrapped in faded blue ribbon and is hidden in her birthmother’s antique wardrobe. She opens it and is swept back to her mothers past her mother is called Elisa and she searches it to find out more about her. As she reads more of this diary, she is taken to a place thats full of love, passion, heartbreak and betrayal as she reads how Elisa married her childhood sweetheart in secret before fleeing to the woods to join the resistance. They vowed to find each other again when the war was over.

WoW.................Do they find each other again when the war is over?

Too many secrets and Callie is in a country she has never been before.

I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward reading more from Daniela Sacerdoti in the future.

Big Thank you to the publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This is a stunning book. Written in the present and the 1940's before and during WW2. Both stories are really beautiful and gripping. I enjoyed both era's and the connection between the young women. The setting is so atmospheric and the characters leap out of the page. I can imagine having a coffee in this little Italian town. Both heartbreaking and heartlifting. A truly great read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by this author, I love finding new authors whose books I enjoy. Netgalley has opened up a whole new works of reading to me. This is sort of a dual timeline story; in the present, we are in Texas, we have Callie, young and trying to find her way, working as a waitress, saving money hoping to go to school one day, as an orphan, she has no family, few friends and doesn’t not find it easy to trust. She discovers on her 21st birthday that her now deceased parents were actually her adoptive parents and that her birth mother left her a villa in northern Italy. Disbelieving, Callie makes her way to Italy, hoping to find family and answers. On her way, she starts to read the diary that has also been bequeathed to her, of a possible ancestor, Elisa, beginning in 1941.

I enjoyed following Callie as she discovered Italy and her new home, I loved the diary entries and the story of Elisa. A lovely story, in a picturesque small Italian town. I will definitely be reading more books from this author.

It’s easy to see why best-selling author Daniela Sacerdoti is a publishing phenomenon. The Italian Villa is a stunning, evocative, poignant and unforgettable tale of love lost and found, explosive secrets, dangerous betrayals and the ties that bind that will take your breath away.

Callie Di Giacomo is a small-town waitress who got the shock of her life when she uncovered a shocking revelation about her parentage that compelled her to leave her life in Texas behind for Montevino in Italy, absolutely desperate for answers about where she came from and who she really is. Having inherited the keys to a stunning hillside villa, Callie’s new life is as far removed from all that she has ever known as it is possible to get. Amidst the bright blue skies, sun-kissed flowers and breath-taking natural beauty, Callie finds herself not just drawn to enigmatic groundkeeper Tommaso, but to a diary belonging to a woman called Elisa that could hold the key to the past and unlock decades worth of secrets and revelations.

Hidden in her birth mother’s antique wardrobe, Callie finds herself swept back into the past and into a story of passion, heartbreak, sorrow and anguish. Elisa was a strong, intelligent and courageous woman who defied her family to marry her sweetheart in secret and joined the resistance and had no qualms about facing all manner of dangers and atrocities. The more Callie reads about Elisa, the closer she feels to her and the more she is convinced that Elisa must be connected to her birth mother. Elisa’s diary gives Callie the courage to stop hiding in the shadows and to make her first tentative steps into the sunshine where she begins to gain confidence, make friends in Montevino and start living for the first time in a very long while. As the walls she had built around herself and her heart begin to crumble, Callie feels that the time has come for her to open her heart to the possibility of love. But just when Callie had begun to feel at peace with herself and ready to embrace change, love and happiness, she uncovers a shocking betrayal that unlocks a devastating secret about Callie’s birth mother.

With her new life in tatters, has Callie’s second chance at happiness been smashed to smithereens? Or can she finally lay old ghosts to rest and begin anew in Montevino?

A wonderful tale of healing, renewal and starting over, The Italian Villa is a tender, heart-warming and uplifting tale written with verve and style that takes you away to Italy and it is so evocative and lyrical that you can almost breathe the warm Mediterranean air and feel the sun on your skin. A book that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure, The Italian Villa is a brilliantly written tale about coming to terms with the past, forging your own path and finding the courage to be happy again that will steal your heart and make you want to book the first flight to Italy.

An exceptional tale you will not easily forget, Daniela Sacerdoti has written a fabulous novel that is simply outstanding.

I loved this book. It brought back to my mind places I lived and people I met.
I liked the descriptiong and the character development without any sterotype or touristic outlook.
It's a poignant, engrossing and entertaining read, I was hooked till the last page.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

There was something just so humbling about the storyline behind 'The Italian Villa, and the fact that it had some references to real life events really emphasised the importance of family bonds. It was heartbreaking to learn about what Italians went through during the war because of religion. I cant even begin to imagine what families went through during that time, and that's merely my thoughts after reading about it!

I loved how the storyline was a dual timeline read, switching between the 'present' with Callie's journey as she tries to find out where she came from, and the past via the diary written by Elisa. For a recently turned 21 year old, Callie had such an old head on young shoulders and her actions throughout the story didnt quite seem to match with the way her character was being portrayed. I'm not saying that that is a bad thing, however it left me feeling as though the overall storyline wasnt as seamless as it probably should have been.

'The Italian Villa' is such a picturesque, humbling novel which gives Italy the time in the spotlight to shine..and not just because of the beautiful sounding location. Callie's story was both thought provoking and emotive, and overall I really enjoyed getting to know her and following her on her journey of self discovery.

The Italian Villa
By: Daniela Sacerdoti.

This is the first novel that I have read by Daniela Sacerdoti (she has authored 12), but this is her first novel set in Northwest Italy, where she was born and where she lives.
The Italian Vila is a dual time line historical fiction novel, one story taking place in the present and the second taking place at the height of WW2, as Mussolini's #blackshirts invade the small villages in Northwest Italy. The backdrop of the story takes place in a fictional town of Montevino, but it is based on the village of #Caravino, "a village of 984 souls, (where Daniela now lives). Here everyone knows everyone, the roads are dotted with shrines, and all is watched over by a castle. Oh, the #wine and the #chocolate are very real too." The two main characters, Callie and Elisa, are both women coming of age, but they face very different obstacles. Callie, an orphan, feels very alone in the world, despite having friends, a job, and her own small apartment. Elisa, has a loving family, but, is a girl with a dream to be a #doctor, when women were supposed to marry and have children.
As Daniela Sacerdoti tells Elisa and Callie’s story, it is at times #humorous. There is #romance, and, as one would expect (of Italians), it delves into the importance of #family, including the existence of family secrets (& secret “recipes”), and finally, it deals with the power of #love and importance of #forgiveness, and sadly, the tragedy of #war.
It was a pleasure to read #theitalianvilla. Thank you 🙏🏻 @danielasacerdotiauthor , #netgalley and @bookcouture for the e-ARC. Available now in stores. #5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Italy #WW2

The perfect book to nestle down with in these wild weather days.

Leading an average and rather lonely life after years in care an unexpected 21st birthday gift leads Callie to Italy. Through a diary, village life where secrets are revealed, and a friendly face Callie finds her past, her present and her future.

Warmly told and evocative of scented breezes and the taste of fresh pasta, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about bravery during WW2, passion, healing and trust alongside the darker sides of humanity such as deception, loss and betrayal. Ultimately uplifting and easy to get lost in for a day.

The Italian Villa is the first book from Daniella Sacerdoti that she has written for Bookouture and what an absorbing and beautifully crafted read it was. This is a story that you will easily loose yourself in. It has just the right pace so as the reader can become accustomed to the setting, characters and main issues in the story but at the same everything is kept moving along nicely. I found it to be a quick read and was disappointed to find myself nearing the end as I was enjoying it so much. Prior to reading this book, I had only ever had one experience of the authors writing and found that book to be only ok but with this book it really felt that Daniella was writing about an area she loved so very much as the glorious descriptions of the Italian landscape, countryside and villages were just magnificent.The love and dedication for her subject matter came across very well right from the opening chapter.

In the end notes, I noticed that it mentioned that the author has settled in Italy and that the town which she based Montevino on is the one where she lives. They do say write about what you know and this proved very affective for the author as her knowledge and sense of time and place was just perfect throughout. I felt I was transported to Italy with Callie as she comes to terms with a new stage in her life and gets to grips with her heritage. This really is a book to take your time with and savour every moment (which unfortunately I just couldn't do) as a powerful tale is woven and you become engrossed and rooting for the two main characters. Two women separated by many years yet a unique and satisfying connection is developed between the pair.

The prologue and the opening few chapters were very well written and informative. There was no messing about providing us with surplus information in order to fill a few pages instead we were more or less immediately taken to the heart of the story and this made it much easier and quicker to relate to the characters and get a feeling for what they were going through. I instantly wanted to know who was it hiding in a cabin in the High Woods above the Italian village of Montevino in August of 1945? Why was the person hiding? How are they coping now that their life have been torn apart? We then move forward to Texas in the present day and straight away I wanted to know what was going to bring Callie from Texas to Italy? I mean its a major change and something big must occur in order for this to take place.

Callie is a character you feel like you have known her for such a long time right from the minute she is introduced. She is vulnerable and has been unable to establish firm roots since the tragic death of her parents in a house fire. She had been moved around from foster home to foster home, never been treated badly but still the traumatic events of her childhood linger long in her mind. On the day of her 21st birthday she is working as usual in the Windmill Cafe where she has some friends and is saving as much as she can to attend college. Although what she wants to do in college and with the rest of her life is a mystery to her. But on this most special of birthdays a monumental life change occurs and its whether she chooses to go on the path that she will be lead down and whether she will seek the answers, solve the mysteries and accept what is in store for her that provide us with the many themes, issues and emotions explored throughout the remainder of the novel.

Callie receives a call from her social worker whom she has not seen for some time. When she meets her she is instructed to go to a solicitor to retrieve a letter and a box containing a diary. She discovers that she had been adopted and her world is turned upside down. Whats more she has now inherited a villa in Montevino Italy and this is what sets Callie on a path to discover her true self and find the missing pieces which really deep down have always niggled away at her although she has never truly known what this feeling was up until now. She needs to know about her past before she can look to the future and by knowing the whole truth only will she be able to do this. The loss, bewilderment and isolation felt by Callie radiates from the pages but as she touches down on Italian soil it's like the minute she does so that changes begin almost like she knows with time she may discover who she truly is and this in turn will allow her to make rational, sensible and positive long term decisions.

From then on the story moved back and forth between Callie in present day Montevino but also interspersed throughout were diary entries ( which Callie reads from the notebook left to her) written by Elisa who lived in Firefly House during the time of the war. Usually I prefer when reading a dual time line story for the sections set in the past to be told by the person in chapter format rather than quick snippets of diary entries but here it worked perfectly as the writing was so good, so atmospheric and rich in both detail and emotion. I really got a sense of how Elisa's life was changing with the arrival of war and how her hopes for becoming a doctor were thrown into doubt. But Elisa was a spirited person and persistent and she was not going to let anything get in the way of her achieving her goals and dreams.

Elisa's story was very interesting and at its centre is heartbreak and some very surprising revelations which really did throw a spanner in the works but I loved how the author worked all out and very much turned a positive into a negative. As Callie reads extracts from the diary at various points in her own journey to uncover the past it's as if the veil to the past is being lifted and unfolding before her eyes but still she does try to make sense of certain things. There is always an air of mystery and secrets pervading throughout the story which only encourages you to keep reading on and on.

Callie's wish to not be alone in the world might just come true as she settles into Firefly House and meets Tomasso who has been the caretaker of the grounds for many years but she also meets Flora and soon discovers a family connection. Flora was very secretive and had created a wall around herself and one she wasn't willing to break down in a hurry. She was full of self loathing and hatred and I wanted to know what was she hiding that was making her feel and act this way?She seemed to have enemies in the village but was it with good reason? It was like the tables were turned in that Callie became the strong one and was able to cope with everything she was learning and experiencing but Flora was the one beginning to crumble.

As for Tomasso he too had his own painful past and I desperately wanted Callie to get through to him and see what was evidently troubling him. As the village of Montevino was small there were lots of connections between all the characters in the present and those of the past which slowly become apparent but the author wove a delicate tapestry with said contacts and networks revealing themselves bit by bit at the most pivotal of times. It made me realise that every character was there for a reason and not surplus to requirements and that forgiveness and belonging were two of the major themes being explored and this exploration was written in a stunning way that made for an extremely good read.

The Italian Villa was a real impressive read and I hope Daniella Sacerdoti writes more books set in Italy in the future. As elements of the story were drawn from her own grandmothers memories you could tell that she wrote the story with such respect, love and gratitude for her subject matter and throughout it a brilliant mystery packed full of emotion and depth unfolds. Both Callie and Elisa are inspirational women, both looking for their direction in life. But do they find it? Does Flora transform or stay all closed up?Will all the questions find answers? Well that remains for readers to discover but I suggest you do buy this book as soon as you can. It is a wonderful, heartfelt and captivating read which the cover alone should make you pick up but you will be pleasantly surprised by the imaginative, honest and at times intense story that awaits you inside. I'm already looking forward to more like this in the future from Daniella Sacerdoti.

Callie DiGiacomo is proud of the life she’s built for herself. It may not seem like much to others, but to her, it’s everything. She’s got her own tiny apartment, and a job that she loves as a waitress at The Windmill Cafe. Growing up in the care system from the time she was just 10-years-old, after losing her parents in a devastating fire, she’s learnt to be self-sufficient, and now that she’s almost 21, she’s determined to go to college, although she’s not quite sure what she wants to study. While she takes her time deciding, she continues to work and save money towards her college fund.

But then, on her 21st birthday, she receives news that changes everything for her, and she finds herself on a plane to the village of Montevino in Italy. It’s there that she will discover a past that she was completely unaware of: an inherited villa and the story behind the family she didn’t even know she had. But as with most things, the path to happiness is never smooth, and even though she meets the rather lovely Tomassino shortly after her arrival, this is a path that she needs to travel alone. It’s a journey of discovery that she never imagined she would be taking!

Daniela Sacardoti writes so visually that you can almost picture yourself in the gorgeous village of Montevino. She describes the scenery, the people and especially the food. Oh, my word … the food! I think I was hungry the entire time I was reading this book! Her sheer love for a particular place is clearly evident in the descriptive way in which her heart and soul has been poured onto the page, making Montevino almost a character in itself!

I loved the way that history intertwined itself with the present, helping Callie find her direction in life, and answers to questions that had been lurking in the back of her mind. While she had no way of knowing that this was where she would find herself, the sudden change in her life served to give her the clarity and peace that had been lacking ever since the tragedy that had haunted her since the time she lost her parents. And although she had managed to get on with living, learning to create a life for herself, she hadn’t realised that a part of her soul was still searching for something. In Montevino she finds out what that is. Following Callie’s journey left me with a smile on my face, satisfied that she’d found herself exactly where she was meant to be.

This is a beautiful 4-star read.

A story where the past and present collide in unexpected ways . . . . with romance at the heart of it all.

It is Callie Di Giacomo's twenty-first birthday when she learns she had been adopted and that her biological parents have left her a villa in Montevino, Italy. Callie, who thought all her family had died when her parents were killed, travels to discover if any of her family are still living there. Amongst the papers she has inherited is a diary which reveals events from the second world war. As she learns more about Elisa Stella she is intrigued by her story. Meanwhile, her reception in Montevino isn't as welcoming as she'd hoped and it is only through her persistence that she manages to unravel the truth behind her own past and find her biological family, help right a wrong and find romance.

This is an emotive family story from two different eras. As they differing threads are slowly untangled, a heartwarming, moving story emerges. It has fantastic characters and is a real page turner. I definitely didn't want to put it down until I'd finished it! The use of the diary to explain the past is used skilfully, linking current and historical events and bringing all the scenarios to life. Some of it is heartbreaking but love is at the heart of it and the ending is absolutely brilliant!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and, having chosen to read it, I have to say I have no hesitation in highly recommending it as it is an engaging read!

Though my students do study WWII, this story is better suited for their reading entertainment than for the historical perspective, I LOVED this book and I am inspired to make a trip to this town!!

Callie's world is torn apart when her parents die accidentally. She is further stunned when she gets to know that she is adopted, originates from a small town in Italy - Montevino and has inherited her mother's house there.

Nonplussed as to what to do, she pulls up her roots and flies to Italy to discover what life may have to offer there. She finds a community all of whom knew her mother, her aunt still living there maintaining the house immaculately and particularly upsetting her aunt is very antagonistic towards her. Stories and rumours abound as to why her aunt behaves in this manner but it is a story that unravels slowly.

The journey to this village, the beauty of a rural Italian countryside coupled with the story of Callie who is trying to come to grips with the suddenness of the change, is this story. The change in lifestyle from being all alone in the world in America and practically penniless to owning a house and being surrounded by friendly faces was a very nice feature of this story. The saga of loneliness is a hard thing to bear and this story shows how good it is to be surrounded by loving people.

Right...after pulling myself together a little I'm now ready to write this review. 

I'm not usually a huge fan of historical romances (although a few do catch my eye) but I was smitten by this one form the minute it arrived on my Netgalley shelf and it didn't disappoint.

When Callie discovers that she was adopted and has been left property in Italy she is left feeling betrayed, confused and broken but a little hopeful.  In the house Callie find a diary and becomes completely invested in the story within its pages.  But is she prepared for what it may reveal about herself?

This is my first Daniela Sacredoti novel and it is an author I cannot wait to read again.  The writing in this book is just beautifully captivating and so difficult to tear yourself away from. 

Every emotion from the character's is transported directly into the reader's heart causing little cracks of heartbreak followed by little zaps of joy to repair.  In the present timeline, Callie is such a gorgeous character and from the very beginning all I wanted for her was a happy ending and a little adventure along the way.  In the past (told through the diary entries) Elisa is a strong woman and her tale is one of heartbreak and devastation and this is part of the novel I found most upsetting but also the most riveting.  

The setting of Montevino past and present is so vividly described that I experienced every scent, sound and visual with the characters.

This is such a beautiful novel, with elements of romance and family drama but mostly about a young woman's journey to discover where she really comes from and who she really is.

I loved the timelines in The Italian Villa. Callie reading Elisa’s diary swept me back in time to experience Montevino at the time of WWII. I felt the same connection with Elisa and her life as I did with Callie in modern day.

I was eager to find out if Elisa’s dream for her career would manifest and the impact on her life. What I didn’t see coming was the Black Shirts, the resistance and the heartache that would bring …

Callie is indomitable. Used to fending for herself she doesn’t take no for an answer. Rivalries and secrets surface not long after her arrival in Montevino but her spirit of survival carries her through on her search to uncover the truth. I enjoyed seeing the connections she makes grow stronger and they filled my heart as much as they did for Callie.

I found it easy to get caught up in the life and rituals of this Italian village. A great way to experience a different culture. 🙂

The Italian Villa is atmospheric and full of intrigue. It’s a story about those invisible familial bonds that draw us close and give us our roots, a place to belong. Where love is a power that gives us the strength to make changes and sacrifice something of ourselves for others.

Recommended read!