The Forgotten Italian Restaurant

Barbara Josselsohn

Dec 2025 · Bolinda · Narrated by Kate Handford and Daphne Kouma

About this audiobook

Italy, 1943. The girl rushes down the winding streets, tucking the handwritten menu into the wicker basket and thinking only of the code hidden on the delicate paper. Will anyone forgive her for what she's about to do to save the man she loves? Present day. Arriving in Caccipulia, Callie grips the faded restaurant menu. Found hidden in her family home, she is certain it will lead her to the truth about her grandmother's life in Italy during World War II. Why did her Nonna run away from this beautiful small town, never to return? Local café owner Oliver's eyes light up when he sees the menu. During the war, one brave family secretly fed desperate Jewish families. Callie's heart soars at the thought that her grandmother was involved. Diving into the town's history, Callie begins to feel at home under Oliver's soft gaze. Until they uncover a secret that changes everything ...

About the author

Barbara Josselsohn is a bestselling author of seven novels with a background in newspaper reporting. She is known for her captivating contemporary and historical novels. Her books include The Forgotten Italian Restaurant, Secrets of the Italian Island and The Lost Gift to the Italian Island, all set during WWII. Josselsohn's work is marked by richly developed characters, intricate emotional landscapes, and immersive settings that transport readers to the heart of each story. She has also written hundreds of articles and essays in major and regional publications about family, home and relationships. Her latest novel is The Secret Orphanage (2025).

Kate Handford is an English actress and award-winning voice-over artist who has featured in hit video games like Terminator: Resistance and Horizon: Forbidden West. She has narrated over 100 audiobooks, including the Detective Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan and Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman.

Daphne Kouma is a London-based actress who performs across theatre, television and film in her native Greek, French and English. She has narrated over 100 audiobook titles for multiple publishers, including Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees, Charlotte Higgins's The Greek Myths and The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. Kouma’s performance in Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment was Audie Nominated for Best Narrator and won AudioFile’s Best Narrators award.