La Dolce Vita: A True Story about Life in Italy

Stef Smulders

Nov 2022 · Babelcube Inc.

About this ebook

A TRUE STORY ABOUT LIFE IN ITALY
Would you dare to follow your dream and move to Italy to live La Dolce Vita?
Stef & Nico did take the leap to start a B&B and now from your comfortable armchair you can share in their hilarious & mindbending expat adventures.
Told in a fast paced, very entertaining and humorous firsthand voice.
A crazy contractor, a rubbish real estate agent, a fake plummer, an escaped electrician..., the mindbending burocracy: Stef and Nico confronted them all and miraculously survived.
This book is a mustread for lovers of amusing travelogue memoirs and for those interested in practical advice on how to relocate to Italy. An abc to Italian life and culture.
Glossary of Italian words and phrases included! Learn the true meaning of essential Italian expressions like "non ci sono problemi", "di fiducia", "persone serie", "tutto a norma" and many more.
Reviews A comical, often downright hilarious account (Reader's Favorite Review ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️) Smulders' storytelling artistry is wildly entertaining (Blogcritics/Reader Views ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️) A charming and light-hearted collection (Kirkus Reviews) A joy to read with many witty laugh out loud sections (a reader)
Recognition Reader Views Literary Awards Winner Readers’ Favorite Award Winner eLit Award Winner

Ratings and reviews

Italy, new beginnings, humor, nonfiction Culture shock plus bureaucracy makes for some really great stories,and I think that Emese Mayhew did a fantastic job of translating from the original book written from personal notes by the Dutch author. The publisher's blurb gives clues but can't begin to prepare you for all of the insanity of totally changing countries and lifestyles told with an irrepressible sense of humor. I really didn't want to put it down, but life is what it is. So grab a copy and laugh yourself silly! I am so glad that I entered and won the LibraryThing Giveaway!

About the author

Stef Smulders and his husband Nico are two adventurous Dutch men who decided to start a new life in Italy. In 2008 they made the big move with their dog Saar and set up Bed and Breakfast Villa I Due Padroni in the beautiful wine region of the Oltrepò Pavese to the south of Milan. In 2014 Stef published his first collection of amusing short stories (in Dutch) about daily life among the Italians, entitled “Italiaanse Toestanden - Leven en overleven in Italie”. It was so well received that he published a follow-up volume of humorous anecdotes in 2016. "La Dolce Vita - A true story about life in Italy" is the translation into English of the first volume.