The Stone Boudoir
Travels through the Hidden Villages of Sicily
by Theresa Maggio
Overview
From the Publisher
A remarkable collection of intertwined stories about the unknown hill towns and villages of Sicily, from the acclaimed author of Mattanza.In this sparkling book, Theresa Maggio takes us on a journey in search of Sicily's most remote and least explored mountain towns. Using her grandparents' ancestral village of Santa Margherita Belice as her base camp, she pores over old maps to plot her adventure, selecting as her targets the smallest dots with the most appealing names. Her travels take her to the small towns surrounding Mount Etna, the volcanic islands of the Aeolian Sea, and the charming villages nestled in the Madonie Mountains. Whether she's writing about the unique pleasures of Sicilian street food, the damage wrought by molten lava, the ancient traditions of Sicilian bagpipers, or the religious processions that consume entire villages for days on end, Maggio succeeds in transporting readers to a wholly unfamiliar world, where almonds grow like weeds and the water tastes of stone. In the stark but evocative prose that is her hallmark, Maggio enters the hearts and heads of Sicilians, unlocking the secrets of a tantalizingly complex culture.Although she makes frequent forays to villages near and far, she always returns to Santa Margherita, where she researches her family tree in the municipio, goes on adventures with her cousin Nella, and traces the town's past in history and literature. A beautifully wrought meditation on time and place,
The Stone Boudoir will be treasured by all who love fine travel writing.
My thoughts
Again, a very well written travel essay. You'd think I'd be getting tired of these books by now but I just love seeing the world through the eyes of other travelers.
Theresa Maggio did an excellent job with this book. It's one of the better travel books I've read and I'll probably pick up some more of her books when it's time to go shopping again!
Favorite Passage
When I'm on the road in Sicily I eat street food. It's cheap, it's good, and it's a way to watch Sicilians. Street food feeds a need in them much deeper than hunger - thier need to be close. Sicilians telephone each other from the back of the bus to the front, and seek out the crowded beaches, the piazzas packed with people, and markets where they're likely to get mauled. They must have company, or at least an audience, for whatever they do. In Sicily, where food is love and the street is a stage, street food is more than a cheap meal, it's Communion.
