Mezza Italiana

I've quite enjoyed Mezza Italiana by Zoe Boccabella. It is a memoir/family history which is written with passion for her Italian heritage. As the daughter of an Italian father, Boccabella did not embrace her heritage until she came of age. As a teenager in the 1980s she was embarrassed by her Italian grandparents, especially when they spoke loudly in public. So she resisted, wanting to be more "Australian". However, when she went to her ancestral village, Fossa in the Abruzzo region she was enchanted. She stayed in the family home and shared her experience with her partner (later husband) Roger who became a greater Italophile than she was. Boccabella was indeed fortunate to find such a man who fitted in so well with her family and enjoyed living in Fossa. This book is well researched and tells the history of her family as well as the Abruzzo region. The importance of food as part of the Italian culture is a constant thread throughout the book. Her grandparents and great grandparents came to Queensland and had property in New Farm, so for Brisbaneites there is a local flavour as well as being poignantly "up-to-date", mentioning the 2011 floods. 4/5