Salento by 5

SALENTO BY 5 is an informative book about Salento, a region at the southern tip of Puglia, in the heel of Italy's boot. The book is written (in English) by five authors: three Salentinians and two travelers from California who have been visiting the area for many years. The Italian contributors are each teachers of English-related subjects in Italian high schools and each brings his or her own singular voice to their writing.

Together, the five authors introduce themselves and write about Salento and why they love the area. The Italians also write about their family history, the land, the distinctive pizzica music and, of course, the traditional food of the area. Although the book contains various tips for travelers to Salento, it is primarily a Travel Memoir and Salento Love Fest. Sixty-one drawings and sketches in the book are contributed by one of the authors and colorfully depict the sea, the ancient towns, the olive trees, and more.

The authors' stories and descriptions are each from a different perspective—on the book's cover, they identify themselves as The Traveler, The Raconteur, The Music Maker, The Sketcher, and The Cook—and each offers the reader a more insightful picture of Salento than is typical of the usual travel guide. Dr. Vincent Fausone, former President of the Board of San Francisco's Italian Museum observes, "Each contributor reveals his/her personal and family history, blemishes and all. . . .  What particularly strikes me is that the inhabitants, representative of the peasant class (contadini), were able after World War II to attend institutions of higher learning, thus entering the middle class, an economic and social status previously denied to them.

     Being of Northern Italian heritage, I am also struck by the uniqueness all Italians share as revealed in this book. Their values, their superstitions, their faith and most of all their passionate love of family, the land and its bounty are something that everyone who is not Italian recognizes as defining attributes of Italians, be they from the Alps or the heel of the Peninsula.

     I highly recommend this delightful book of personal stories, recipes and descriptions of enchanting vistas."