Thank You for Visiting Santa Lucia!

Luckily, like any great small town, something wonderful waits just around the corner. The Silent Madonna: Book Two in the Santa Lucia Series has hit bookshelves, so you don’t have to wait to discover what happened to Fatima, Isotta, Chiara, and the rest of the villagers.

Can’t get enough of Italian village life? I’d love to welcome you The Grapevine, your source for extra stories as well as book releases and sweet giveaways.

One more thing, could you leave a review of Santa Lucia on Goodreads? It only takes a few moments, and reviews are like gelato on a summer day for independently published authors.

Now, don’t be a stranger! Stay connected via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and michelledamiani.com.

Until then, keep dreaming,

— Michelle

Italian Words in This Text

Conversations

a dopo/a presto/alla prossima volta — see you later

allora · well now

amore mio · my love

anch’io · me too

andiamo · let’s go

arrivo · I’m coming

aspetta · wait

(un) attimo · just a moment

auguri · congratulations

basta · that’s enough

bella · beautiful

bentornato · welcome back

boh? · no real translation, similar to “who can say?” and often given wth a shrug

bronzato · tanned

buono/a · good

buonasera · good afternoon

buongiorno · good morning

cara · dear

castello · castle

che succede ? · what happened?

ciao · hello and goodbye

come no? · why not?

comunque · anyway

davvero? · isn’t that right?

eccoci qua · here we are

fa un freddo cane · literally “it makes a dog cold”, used to express that it’s freezing outside

fidanzato/a · fiance/e

gita · field trip

grazie · thank you

lo so · I know

ma dai! · Come on!

maestro · teacher, often used as an honorific

moda · fashion

nascondino · hide and seek

nonno/a · grandfather/mother

paesano · country boy

per favore · please

piacere · nice to meet you

poverino/a · poor

prego · you’re welcome

pronto · literally “ready” but used as “hello” when answering the phone

ragazzi · guys

salve · greetings

senza peli sulla lingua · without hair on the tongue (plain speaking)

sono d’accordo · I agree

stronzo · bastard, piece of crap

tesoro mio · my treasure

tutto bene/tutto a posto · everything’s okay ·

va bene · it’s okay

zio/zia · uncle/aunt

About town

alimentari · shop that sells cheese and cured meats, as well as some other basic foodstuff and household supplies

Ape · a three-wheeled truck with a small motor

comune · where administrative aspects of the town happen

farmacia · pharmacy

festa · celebration/party

forno · bakery

fruttivendolo · produce shop

macelleria · butcher shop, often with other fresh items

palazzo · palace

palazzo comunale · seat of civic authority, like a town hall

Perugino · Umbrian Rennaisance painter; his paintings (or those of his students) adorn many Umbrian buildings

piazza · town square

polizia municipale · police department ·

rosticceria · shop to buy pizza by the slice, and sometimes cooked items for takeaway like fried rice balls (arancini)

trattoria · informal restaurant

Food & Drink

albicocca · apricot

aperitivo · cocktail

Barolo · a red wine from the north of Italy

biscotto/i · cookie/s

buono/a · good

cacio e pepe · pasta with grated cheese and pepper

caffè · espresso specifically, or coffee more generally

caffè lungo · espresso pulled slowly so that there is more water and a fuller cup

cappuccino · espresso with milk

cenone · a big, festive dinner (typically on New Year’s Eve)

ciambella/e · donut/s

cornetto/i · Italian croissant/s ·

cornetto con marmellata · Italian croissant filled with jam

cornetto con crema · Italian croissant filled with cream

farro · an ancient grain, similar to barley

frizzante · bubbly water

frutti di bosco · literally fruits of the forest, mixed berry

lampredotto · tripe sandwiches

latte caldo · hot milk

mandarino · mandarin orange

panino · sandwich

pecorino · sheep’s milk cheese, sold at different levels of ripeness; Pecorino is also a kind of white wine from Le Marche

lumaca · snail

normale · my usual

prosecco · bubbly wine, Italy’s version of champagne

salumi · cured meats, like salami and prosciutto

tagliata · sliced, grilled beef, often scattered with rosemary and olive oil

tagliatelle · fresh pasta, cut similar to linguini

tartufata · black olive and truffle

torta · cake

vigili · police officers

vino · wine

A word on Italian meals

Italian meals are divided into appetizers (antipasti), first course of pasta or soup (primi), second course of meat or fish (secondi), side dish of vegetables (contorni) and dessert (dolci).

Also by Michelle Damiani

Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center

The Silent Madonna

The Stillness of Swallows

Into the Groves

The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and

Live Your Family Adventure Abroad

More on these books and works in progress can be found at

michelledamiani.com

Acknowledgments

I first conceived of this book as a serial, publishing three chapters a week on my website. I envisioned Santa Lucia as a telenovela in espresso form—a sort of caffeine-loaded, dialogue-heavy, plot-driven story that draws the reader into a sweeping narrative.

The next step was editing the story into the novel you hold in your hands. I would not have been able to translate my vision onto the page without the patience, grace, and talent of Emily Morrison, who shepherded Santa Lucia through draft after draft (after draft after draft) to pull out the best in me. Other friends generously offered their editing skills and I am endlessly grateful to: Paul Ardoin (without him, the fire would have all the emotional intensity of a sluggish barbecue), Christina Ball who corrected and improved my Italian (and Italian-isms), and Kristine Bean and Nancy Hampton who offered their discerning eye to every misplaced comma and typo, as well as sharpening my writing. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a stalwart team.

Bless my family for shoving me out the door to write and for believing in me when my own confidence flagged. My children—Nicolas, Siena, and Gabe—bore the brunt, but Keith is the one who would hear the quaver in my voice, shove everything aside, and walk me through each and every impasse.

It was with my family that I experienced life in Umbria for a year. My children’s stories about their days in Italian public school,