Thank You for Visiting Santa Lucia!
Luckily, like any great small town, something wonderful waits just around the corner. The Silent Madonna: Book Two in the Santa Lucia Series has hit bookshelves, so you don’t have to wait to discover what happened to Fatima, Isotta, Chiara, and the rest of the villagers.
Can’t get enough of Italian village life? I’d love to welcome you The Grapevine, your source for extra stories as well as book releases and sweet giveaways.
One more thing, could you leave a review of Santa Lucia on Goodreads? It only takes a few moments, and reviews are like gelato on a summer day for independently published authors.
Now, don’t be a stranger! Stay connected via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and michelledamiani.com.
Until then, keep dreaming,
— Michelle
Italian Words in This Text
Conversations
a dopo/a presto/alla prossima volta — see you later
allora · well now
amore mio · my love
anch’io · me too
andiamo · let’s go
arrivo · I’m coming
aspetta · wait
(un) attimo · just a moment
auguri · congratulations
basta · that’s enough
bella · beautiful
bentornato · welcome back
boh? · no real translation, similar to “who can say?” and often given wth a shrug
bronzato · tanned
buono/a · good
buonasera · good afternoon
buongiorno · good morning
cara · dear
castello · castle
che succede ? · what happened?
ciao · hello and goodbye
come no? · why not?
comunque · anyway
davvero? · isn’t that right?
eccoci qua · here we are
fa un freddo cane · literally “it makes a dog cold”, used to express that it’s freezing outside
fidanzato/a · fiance/e
gita · field trip
grazie · thank you
lo so · I know
ma dai! · Come on!
maestro · teacher, often used as an honorific
moda · fashion
nascondino · hide and seek
nonno/a · grandfather/mother
paesano · country boy
per favore · please
piacere · nice to meet you
poverino/a · poor
prego · you’re welcome
pronto · literally “ready” but used as “hello” when answering the phone
ragazzi · guys
salve · greetings
senza peli sulla lingua · without hair on the tongue (plain speaking)
sono d’accordo · I agree
stronzo · bastard, piece of crap
tesoro mio · my treasure
tutto bene/tutto a posto · everything’s okay ·
va bene · it’s okay
zio/zia · uncle/aunt
About town
alimentari · shop that sells cheese and cured meats, as well as some other basic foodstuff and household supplies
Ape · a three-wheeled truck with a small motor
comune · where administrative aspects of the town happen
farmacia · pharmacy
festa · celebration/party
forno · bakery
fruttivendolo · produce shop
macelleria · butcher shop, often with other fresh items
palazzo · palace
palazzo comunale · seat of civic authority, like a town hall
Perugino · Umbrian Rennaisance painter; his paintings (or those of his students) adorn many Umbrian buildings
piazza · town square
polizia municipale · police department ·
rosticceria · shop to buy pizza by the slice, and sometimes cooked items for takeaway like fried rice balls (arancini)
trattoria · informal restaurant
Food & Drink
albicocca · apricot
aperitivo · cocktail
Barolo · a red wine from the north of Italy
biscotto/i · cookie/s
buono/a · good
cacio e pepe · pasta with grated cheese and pepper
caffè · espresso specifically, or coffee more generally
caffè lungo · espresso pulled slowly so that there is more water and a fuller cup
cappuccino · espresso with milk
cenone · a big, festive dinner (typically on New Year’s Eve)
ciambella/e · donut/s
cornetto/i · Italian croissant/s ·
cornetto con marmellata · Italian croissant filled with jam
cornetto con crema · Italian croissant filled with cream
farro · an ancient grain, similar to barley
frizzante · bubbly water
frutti di bosco · literally fruits of the forest, mixed berry
lampredotto · tripe sandwiches
latte caldo · hot milk
mandarino · mandarin orange
panino · sandwich
pecorino · sheep’s milk cheese, sold at different levels of ripeness; Pecorino is also a kind of white wine from Le Marche
lumaca · snail
normale · my usual
prosecco · bubbly wine, Italy’s version of champagne
salumi · cured meats, like salami and prosciutto
tagliata · sliced, grilled beef, often scattered with rosemary and olive oil
tagliatelle · fresh pasta, cut similar to linguini
tartufata · black olive and truffle
torta · cake
vigili · police officers
vino · wine
A word on Italian meals
Italian meals are divided into appetizers (antipasti), first course of pasta or soup (primi), second course of meat or fish (secondi), side dish of vegetables (contorni) and dessert (dolci).
Also by Michelle Damiani
Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center
The Silent Madonna
The Stillness of Swallows
Into the Groves
The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and
Live Your Family Adventure Abroad
More on these books and works in progress can be found at
michelledamiani.com
Acknowledgments
I first conceived of this book as a serial, publishing three chapters a week on my website. I envisioned Santa Lucia as a telenovela in espresso form—a sort of caffeine-loaded, dialogue-heavy, plot-driven story that draws the reader into a sweeping narrative.
The next step was editing the story into the novel you hold in your hands. I would not have been able to translate my vision onto the page without the patience, grace, and talent of Emily Morrison, who shepherded Santa Lucia through draft after draft (after draft after draft) to pull out the best in me. Other friends generously offered their editing skills and I am endlessly grateful to: Paul Ardoin (without him, the fire would have all the emotional intensity of a sluggish barbecue), Christina Ball who corrected and improved my Italian (and Italian-isms), and Kristine Bean and Nancy Hampton who offered their discerning eye to every misplaced comma and typo, as well as sharpening my writing. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a stalwart team.
Bless my family for shoving me out the door to write and for believing in me when my own confidence flagged. My children—Nicolas, Siena, and Gabe—bore the brunt, but Keith is the one who would hear the quaver in my voice, shove everything aside, and walk me through each and every impasse.
It was with my family that I experienced life in Umbria for a year. My children’s stories about their days in Italian public school,
