{"product_id":"9781742693866","title":"Sicily, It's Not Quite Tuscany","description":"Packed with history, culture, misadventure, and a little Mafioso action, the story of a newly married couple and the year they spent in Sicily  Gill and I had dreamt of living in Italy for as long as we'd been together.  This is the story of an Aussie couple who sought a Mediterranean Sea change only to find themselves in the sprawling Sicilian city of Catania—the \"anti-Tuscany\" of Italy. There, any romantic visions they'd had of restoring a villa or stamping their entwined feet in vats of Chianti grapes disappeared faster than the chief witness in a Cosa Nostra trial. Shamus and Gill's tiny apartment in Catania was located in a grim neighborhood opposite a triple-X cinema and a shop selling coffins, nearby Mount Etna erupted soon after their arrival, a mystery ailment left Shamus in a neck brace, they crashed a Vespa, and they had regular dealings with at least one Mafioso. This, then, is an Italian sea change with grit. But it's also a story of optimism, endurance, and acceptance; an exploration of the minutiae of Sicilian culture, history, food, and religion; and an example of how to find beauty—and humor—in the most unexpected of places.","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47174191612144,"sku":"9781742693866","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781742693866_p0.jpg?v=1763704110","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781742693866","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}