Stef Smulders

Was this book terrible? No. Was it good? Also no. I think maybe I was disillusioned by the title and summary, since I was expecting more cute adventures around Italy, or maybe some more personal anecdotes that weren't just: house reno is stressful and Italians are stressful.

I don't know where the comedy of this book is. Instead it just reads as incredibly petty 'I hate Olita', 'I hate the antennae guy', 'I hate Torti but for 1/2 of the book'. It was also condescendingly nationalistic? Everything was "Us [positive adverb] Dutch" (sober Dutch, rational Dutch, thrifty Dutch etc.) versus the "Silly Italians". Like a kid watching an ant colony or something. I wasn't a fan.

Oh and just the attitude towards Romanian and Albanian 'unskilled' workers being paid under the table and how since they're not part of the EU so it's ok?? Somehow? I'm not European but the concept isn't lost on me.

The ending was nice, wish more of the book was about positive encounters like that.

TL;DR petty thoughts during a stressful time made into a book and probably only funny to fellow Dutchmen. Has a decent turnaround, but would not recommend.… (mais)

What a delight this book was to read! It's the story of 2 Dutchmen, Stef and his husband Nico and their dog emigrating to Italy to open their B & B, Villa Due Padroni in the Pavia area. It's down to earth with the realistic stories of their trials with the bureaucracy that are resolved in true Italian fashion.
The characters are all people you can identify with, Torti the dictator, is the one that I found to be the most amusing, but can't leave out mention of the shady real estate agent, the crazy neighbors, the owners and staff of the wineries, all charming in their own ways. I loved the ravioli story in particular. Makes me want lessons from Lena.
We come to know Stef quite well, but I wish more of Nico's personality came out in the book.
I really enjoyed Stef's writing style, it was as though I read short stories from his individual style, but he brings it all together so well that it also seems like a book.
At the end a link is provided for the B & B, make sure to look it up and see what a beautiful villa it is and like myself, be tempted to book a trip to Italy and enjoy the beautiful B & B and area that they are living in. Thank you for the goodreads giveaway book Stef. I will think back on it often.… (mais)

Anyone who has listened to someone who is ESL or tried out their alleged Foreign Language skills in another country can't help but recognize the awful things that can happen! This book is about learning Italian in classes and in the real world. Fortunately it is of a nice size and doesn't get into dialects! Good thing, because I am addicted to Inspector Montalbano. But I was happy to see that Stef noted that many in Italy are similarly enthralled with another of my favorites: Inspector Rex! Anyone can relate to this fun exploration of language and humor!… (mais)