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Living in Italy: the Real Deal - Hilarious Expat Adventures by [Stef Smulders, Emese Mayhew]

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Stef Smulders

Living in Italy: the Real Deal - Hilarious Expat Adventures Kindle Edition

by Stef Smulders (Author), Emese Mayhew (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

273 ratings

Read the Dutch bestseller, now available in translation! Already over 30.000 copies sold!

Would you dare to follow your dream and move or retire to Italy to live La Dolce Vita? Have a Reality Check first!

Stef & Nico did take the leap, although their dog Sara had her doubts. Now from your comfortable armchair you can share in the hilarious & horrendous adventures they experienced when they moved to Italy to start a bed and breakfast.

For lovers of amusing travelogue memoirs who like a good laugh. And for those interested in practical advice on how to buy a house in Italy there is useful information along the way, pleasantly presented within the short stories.

Glossary of Italian words included! Learn the true meaning of Italian phrases and expressions like "non ci sono problemi", "di fiducia", "persone serie", "tutto a norma" and many more. Learn a bit of the foreign language before going to Italy.

Recognition:

Reader Views 2016/17 Literary Awards Winner
Readers Favorite 2017 Award Winner Travel category
Eric Hoffer Award Finalist
2017 ELIT Award Winner Travel category
IAN Book of the Year Finalist Travel & Humor/Comedy/Satire categories
New York & Amsterdam Book Festival Honourable Mentions

Reviews:

"a comical, often downright hilarious account" Reader's Favorite Review ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
"Smulders' storytelling artistry is wildly entertaining" Blogcritics/Reader Views ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
"Stef Smulders ... does what a good writer does: He writes what he observes and leaves the judgement to you, the reader. No constant bellyaching from Mr. Smulders. I like that. I really like that." James Martin, Italy expert, wanderingitaly.com
"Fantastico! I am a tough critic and have nothing but kudos for this book. Buy this book!!" Elliana on Amazon
"There is more of the flavor of Italy in this book than in ... Frances Mayes' 'Under the Tuscan Sun'" Amazon review by Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100
"now I can add Stef Smulders to the list of my favorite expat authors" N.N. Light

Summary:

In 2008 Stef Smulders, his partner Nico and their dog Saar emigrated to Italy to start a new life and set up their B&B Villa I Due Padroni. They sold their home, left their friends and family behind and took a leap into the unknown. Now Stef shares his experiences in a collection of witty short stories. The book treats the trials and tribulations of an emigration.

The reader is introduced to a full range of Italian characters, from the trustworthy to the rogue, from the gentle to the shameless, flesh and blood Italians. Some are stereotype, others unexpectedly original. Yet they never fail to amuse and entertain.

For lovers of books like

Michelle Damiani's Il Bel Centro
Katherine Wilson's Only in Naples
Tim Parks' Italian Ways & Italian Neighbours
Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun & Bella Tuscany
Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy
Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There & The Road to Little Dribbling

Readers' reviews:

"I was hooked"
"Couldn't put the book down"
"What a fantastic read!"
"Hilarious!"
"Addicting!"
"Recommended!"

Print length

282 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Babelcube Inc.
Publication date

March 4, 2018
File size

627 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Kirkus Reviews

"Smulders provides a running commentary on Italian culture that's both perspicacious and sharp-witted."
"... this is a charmingly lighthearted recollection, even when the author faces genuinely exasperating trials, and it's as good an introduction to the inimitable Italian ways of everyday life as one is likely to find."

Reader's Favorite Five Stars Review ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Stef Smulders' Living in Italy: The Real Deal is a thoroughly entertaining read and a unique introduction to 'the Italian way'!
The book is a comical, often downright hilarious account of the setbacks and unforeseen obstacles Stef and Nico encounter while they navigate through the endless red tape of the stressful Italian bureaucracy and become acquainted with the Italian lifestyle.

Blogcricics and ReaderViews Five Stars Review ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Crisp, concise chapters take the form of short stories and weavetogether seamlessly to create a whimsical, light-hearted, and refreshing memoire of the author's complete Italian experience.
The characters are delightful and I laughed aloud throughout the reading at some of the obvious stereotypicalcharacteristics of Italians, like the obsession with their health, theirfashion sense, and the overall chaos that surrounds the average person.

Feathered Quill review:

For those who wish to laugh and see a more up-close-and-personal Italy, this is most definitely the book for you!

The US Review of Books:

Smulders' hilarious recollections bespeak a great humorist no matter what the language
a series of amusing cross-cultural vignettes that will be highly recognizable to world travelers and very useful to those embarking on a similar change of place
Recommended (outstanding book)

From the Author

Interview with Stef Smulders

Q: What's the story behind your latest book?

I moved from The Netherlands to Italy in 2008, originally for what was supposed to become a 6 month study period at the University of Pavia for me and a sabbatical for Nico, my husband. But we had another, more or less secret plan: to find a beautiful house and start a bed & breakfast! What happened was that within two months we came across a perfect house, meeting all, I mean ALL, our requirements, located in a beautiful region on a panoramic position. At that point we had to decide: do we take this chance or not? If not, we might just as well forget about the whole idea of emigrating as we certainly would not find a better house than this one. Better sorry than safe, we said and jumped blindfoldedly into the dark. From the start we kept a blog about all our adventures (finding the house, buying it, reconstructing it, dealing with the real estate man, the builder, the notary et cetera). After having settled for a few years I decided to convert these stories into a book.

Q: What motivated you to become an indie author?

I am a perfectionist and usually I am not satisfied with what others produce. I looked at some other books in my genre (emigration stories) and found them unsatisfying in lay-out and content. I can do better, I thought, so I researched a bit and found that nowadays you can manage almost the entire publishing process yourself. And with the result I am very satisfied. It took some effort but at least the book is precisely what I wanted it to be and it sells even better than 'profesionally' edited and printed books.

Q: What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

The creative process. Starting out with a few elements that should make up the story and finding out what happens while you're on it. Finding the best way to convert an atmosphere, mood, situation. The satisfaction when you succeed and the result surprises even you.

Q: What are you working on next?

I am working on a translation of second book with stories about our life in Italy and another, language oriented book about funny misunderstandings when speaking with Italians.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

I like Coetzee, McEwan, Alice Munro to name a few famous English-language authors. There are some other lesser-known writers which I specifically admire like the South-African writer Damon Galgut and Keith Lee Morris. Then John Williams' Stoner blew me off my feet, as well as Cloud Atlas of David Mitchell.
I have a Goodreads-account where you may find what I read and you may read my reviews: goodreads.com/author/show/7538348.Stef_Smulders

Q: When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

Hosting guests of our B&B, reading, gardening, swimming, whatching TV-series like Homeland, Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Sopranos. Walking the dog, travelling. Marketing our B&B and my books!

Q: How do you discover the ebooks you read?

Goodreads for a large part and reading reviews and articles in papers, like the Guardian.

Q: Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

Not the first story I read but one that did have a major impact on me in that it showed me what a good story could do and what it should be like (and probably it stimulated me to start writing myself): a story by Nabokov (can't remember the title right now) about the visit of a boy to a family estate in Russia, where he hides in the house while his nieces and nephews are playing in the garden. A marvelous evocation of atmosphere and psychologgy.

Q: Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?

I grew up in a few small towns in the eastern part of The Netherlands. My father used to change jobs every year which implied our having to move to another place, another school, other friends. Then when I was 12 my parents separated and we stayed with our mother, without the need for further moving. I was (very) lonely as a child, finding it difficult to comunicate with other children (or so I thought) and making friends. Finding out that I was was gay (about at the age of 13) made things only more difficult. When I came 'out' at 18 I had to find a way to meet other guys, which was not that easy in the late '70s in a relatively small town as where I lived. Then at 24 I moved to Amsterdam where things where much more open and I met my current husband. I have finished a manuscript of a novel that is based on my experiences as a child and young adult.

ASIN : B01N7OY6DM
Publisher : Babelcube Inc. (March 4, 2018)
Publication date : March 4, 2018
Language : English
File size : 627 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 282 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #339,758 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4 in Milan Travel
- #12 in Sicily Travel
- #15 in Tuscany Travel

Customer Reviews:
273 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		49%
4 star		26%
3 star		14%
2 star		4%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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ulysses4

Ex=Pat's Revenge?

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

Stef Smulders and his partner Nico have a dream and a goal-moving to Italy from the Netherlands and crafting a B&B in the hill country near Pavia. They have apparently no experience in the hospitality or building trades and learning Italian is a work in progress. As with most dreams, there are hurdles before a relatively happy ending.

There are good and bad people everywhere. It is their misfortune that they wind up with a real estate agent and a general contractor who have, shall we say, multiple character flaws. Fortunately, there are good people, workers, an architect, restauranteurs, some tradespeople and neighbors, who help them overcome setbacks and chicanery.

Stef skewers the lazy academics at Pavia University that he briefly and theoretically works with. The massive work project turning their semi-abandoned hulk of a house into an attractive tourist destination seems an almost daily nightmare. If you are an HGTV addict, this is a Fixer Upper with a builder who is not your friend. The line between humor and revenge is a thin one. From my legal background, they come close to defamation. But getting back at some folks whose professional and character flaws are both annoying and almost comical may be fair game. Whether it is entertaining or not is debatable.

The book is well written and affords some interesting perspectives on the problems ex-pats face. There are chapters on what they do love about Italy. The bulk of the book is focused on the nearly daily tribulations. Whether that is painful or insightful depends on your point of view.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

L. Martin

Entertaining and informative cautionary tale for moving to Italy.

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Becoming an ex-pat always has its challenges, but Dutch author Stef Smulders and his partner faced more than their fair share of complications in their move to northern Italy. Most travelers are charmed by Italy; who can resist the fabulous food, love affair with wine, picturesque villages, and enthusiasm for life that typifies Italians? But emigrating there and starting a B&B business is another story. Smulders tells that story with wit and humor, demonstrating more patience and tolerance for unrelenting bureaucracy, changing requirements, irresponsible contractors, nosy neighbors, and promises reneged than seems humanly possible.

The writing style is contained and the stories seem to end abruptly. Chapters are very short and left me feeling the action was incomplete. Each chapter relates their experiences with a different person or aspect of getting the house renovated, with short episodes while Stef was in school, and in Holland selling their home prior to the move. It felt a bit disjointed. Descriptions of food, cooking, village gatherings and characters, and the countryside provided a nice visual reading experience. Overall, an entertaining and informative book that anyone considering a move to Italy should read.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lydia Granda

I want to go to Italy now!

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

What a delight this book was to read! It's the story of 2 Dutchmen, Stef and his husband Nico and their dog emigrating to Italy to open their B & B, Villa Due Padroni in the Pavia area. It's down to earth with the realistic stories of their trials with the bureaucracy that are resolved in true Italian fashion.
The characters are all people you can identify with, Torti the dictator, is the one that I found to be the most amusing, but can't leave out mention of the shady real estate agent, the crazy neighbors, the owners and staff of the wineries, all charming in their own ways. I loved the ravioli story in particular. Makes me want lessons from Lena.
We come to know Stef quite well, but I wish more of Nico's personality came out in the book.
I really enjoyed Stef's writing style, it was as though I read short stories from his individual style, but he brings it all together so well that it also seems like a book.
At the end a link is provided for the B & B, make sure to look it up and see what a beautiful villa it is and like myself, be tempted to book a trip to Italy and enjoy the beautiful B & B and area that they are living in. Thank you for the goodreads giveaway book Stef. I will think back on it often.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

md22

Tries to be amusing but came across as more complaining

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

Book was ok. I liked it at first, it then after a while I got sick of hearing all of the negative experiences the author had while remodeling their home in a country other than their own. They went into similar details describing every aspect of their move. I prefer to focus on more positive things life has to offer vs hearing all of the negative things. If it was so bad, go back to where you came from. ...why did you move?

2 people found this helpful

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Gailirob

Something lost in translation

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

I though I'd like this book more than I did. There were too many untranslated words and phrases so I lost context of the paragraph. All chapter titles were in Italian so l had .o idea of the just of the chapter. There is a large glossary of Italian words at he end but I didn't realize this until I had finished the. The author is Dutch. Maybe something was lost in translation.

3 people found this helpful

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candy vee

Enjoyable and entertaining!

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

What a delight! Stef Smulders keeps his wits about him in the middle of his escapade of turning a house in the countryside into a beautiful bed and breakfast. Stef's humor seemed to help. This is definitely an entertaining look at a couple who decides to go after their dream with everything they have, and battling contractors, language barriers and bureaucracy along the way. Their home and new business is complete, and the after photos are amazing! Stef's writing interspersed Italian throughout, but most notably with the translation. I hate having to stop and look these things up, which made reading this book a breeze.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

reader

Useful read for anyone relocating to Italy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

A charming book about the experiences of two Dutchmen settling in Italy, and their attempts relocate to the Pavia area and renovate an old building to run a B&B. Clearly two highly organised and meticulous people, we follow their fortunes as with great forbearance they wend their way through inexplicably complicated regulations and officialdom and have to grapple with the vagaries of Italian services. This is all described with great humour, and although what I have said might make the book sound condescending – it isn’t. The author is plainly devoted to the country, but he has a keen eye for the oddities of human nature, which means the book is full of entertaining stories.
The book consists of a series of separate tales, but it hangs together as a whole. I think a fierce editor might have come in handy to reduce the length of the book, as the detail with which the building works are described is sometimes lengthy, but it reads very easily. It is one of those books that you can pick up and read a chapter when you have time. It is also a joy to read; it is crisply and stylishly written, and the translator has done a splendid job in putting this over.
Above all, it should be read by anyone thinking of relocating to Italy

One person found this helpful

A Mother’s Musings 🌹

Brilliant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

Wow, what an adventure that was! I actually felt like it was me who bought a house in the beautiful wine region of Oltrepo in Italy and developed it into a Bed and Breakfast! I felt so involved in all the stages of the intricate procedures and building activities! "Living in Italy - The Real Dream" written by Stef Smulders is a self told book about two Dutchmen and their dog, who wish to emigrate to Italy to buy a house with the intentions of turning it into a B and B.
I loved the way this interesting story was told with humour, showing how Stef and his partner were able to keep their sanity during probably the most tense and worrisome times of their lives. I really can't imagine staying that calm and stress free myself!
The author has a brilliant way of describing each of the complicated stages from choosing the house to finally completing their dream venture in full and colourful detail. So many complicated Italian regulations, bureaucracy, procedures, language barriers and culture changes to take into account when you undertake a project like this is quite unbelievable. The amount of obstacles that was faced but overcome just showed how strong and determined Stef and Nico were in ensuring everything still went to plan whilst staying so passionate towards their adopted country.
This is a really charming book to read, fully enjoyable and very interesting. So many quirky chapters that will have you laughing to yourself. I particularly thought the library and the toilet chapters very funny and their crazy contractor....well, you need to read the book to find out!
I highly recommend "Living The Dream", I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and hope you will too. It's light and easy, full of fun and truly entertaining.
5 stars.

Clare W.

Very Enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

I always read my Kindle in bed for about an hour. Unfortunately I was enjoying this book so much I carried on reading making me really tired the next day. One of my son's always says I am easy to buy presents for as anything German Shepherd Dog or Italy/Italian will always be very welcome. I loved reading about their house renovations and their dreadful builder and his long suffering workers. I enjoyed the Italian phrases scattered through the book. I was sorry when the book came to an end. It was a thoroughly entertaining read.

littlemissfun

Fabulous

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

Informative and funny, just what I needed whilst planning our own move to Italy.I learnt many useful things and I am looking forward to our own adventure soon!

One person found this helpful

Marylke

Lost in translation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

Lost in translation!!!! Am really struggling to find any humour, just a lot of whinging. The book would be half its size were it not for the repetition of Italian phrases followed by their translation- feels like the author just wants to show how good his Italian is!!!! Very boring, going to abandon it now.

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