BOOKS

LANDING ON A STAR TO UMBRIA

This is a true love story of a Dutch immigrant woman, married to an American man of Italian descent and how they followed their unimaginable dream of buying a vacation home in Italy.

Feeling emotionally drained and sad after my mother died without warning, my loving, insightful husband was my “rock” and supported me through my grief. “You need a project,” he said. “Why don’t you find us a home in Italy?” I couldn’t believe it! He couldn’t be serious, but that inane suggestion was the incentive I needed to veer me from the sadness. Suddenly I had a new and exciting goal on which to focus, dream and talk about. We had visited Italy several times and always enjoyed the time we spent there. Italy is full of those welcoming and engaging Italians who know how to make you feel right at home and with Vince’s Italian heritage, the “ole’ country” was a natural place for us to buy a second home. In our quest to follow our dream to Italian homeownership, we learned a lot about our love and each other. Although many books have been written about acquiring property in Italy, most are about buying a structure to restore into a dwelling. This uniquely different story tells the heartwarming tale of the perils and the wonderful people we encountered during our search to find the perfect home in Morcella; a meticulously well maintained medieval Borgo built in 975AD, in the middle of the country; Italy’s beautiful green belt region of Umbria.

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Reader's Favorite Book Review ★★★★★ 

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite.

Landing on a Star in Umbria by Joyce Di Lorenzo is an interesting autobiography that follows one woman’s life after a devastating loss as she struggles to give sense and meaning to her existence. After the untimely death of her mother after suffering a stroke, Joyce becomes listless, unfocused, and absorbed by grief. Then one day, her husband, Vince, makes a proposition that takes her off guard and gives her life a new direction: find a home in Italy. In this autobiography, she takes readers on a journey to one of the most exotic places in Italy, Umbria, making them feel the ambiance of the place, its beautiful cuisine, its great architecture, and its rich culture.

This is a lovely story that explores an individual’s struggle with loss and how the search for a new home allows her to reconnect with herself and the world, and to heal. Readers will be gripped by the compelling narrative voice, by the author’s gift for storytelling, for capturing details in her narrative without losing sight of the broader picture. The story is emotionally rich and it also offers powerful insights into what it takes to find a new home. I enjoyed the way the individuals come out through this narrative and how the narrator establishes relationships that are essential in the progress of the story. The setting is well captured and it is developed in a way so that readers can easily feel as though they were part of that beautiful world. Joyce Di Lorenzo’s writing is impeccable and Landing on a Star in Umbria will both entertain and inform readers.