When in Rome

9215 When in Rome
9215 When in Rome

By Nicky Pellegrino
Published by Hachette New Zealand, 28 August 2012, $36.99 RRP

A captivating tale of love, food, music and passion, let Nicky Pellegrino take you on a journey to a city of beauty and heartbreak at one of the most glamorous points in its magical history.

Rome in the 1950s, there's nowhere quite like it. The narrow stone streets, the fountains and piazzas full of life in the heat of the day, the cafes and bars full of music and desire by night…

This is where Serafina calls home. Having grown-up with her sisters in a tiny apartment tucked in the top of a tumbledown building, she has watched her mother get by on next to nothing, and turn herself beautiful with a sweep of eyeliner and a hand-sewn dress.

When her mother goes out, Serafina and her sisters go singing in the nearest piazza, busking for spare change and cinema tickets. The girls long to meet their matinee idols and Serafina daydreams of Mario Lanza and his spellbinding voice. But the sisters will grow up quickly and for Serafina, a choice opens between the world she knows and the life she dreams of.

Nicky Pellegrino has enjoyed huge success both locally and internationally with her novels, which include The Villa Girls, Recipe for Life, The Italian Wedding, Summer at the Villa Rosa and Delicious. Nicky’s Italian father instilled a passion for food in his family and taught them what all Italians know – that you live to eat instead of eating to live. This Italian mantra is the inspiration behind Nicky’s luscious novels. When Nicky met and married a New Zealander she moved from England to Auckland where she balances work as a freelance journalist with writing her novels. She hordes her holiday time so she can return to Italy to meet up with family, eat mozzarella and research her books.

Visit www.nickypellegrino.com