Pietro's Book: The Story of a Tuscan Peasant

The Tuscan countryside has inspired and been celebrated by many famous writers and artists, but here it is explored""not by a foreign intellectual but by a Tuscan peasant""; as such, readers are given a real and honest view of the region and life in it. Written in refreshingly simple language (made smooth by Bawtree, a former teacher who now runs a riding academy), the volume provides a glimpse into Pinti's life, from his birth in 1927 (he was mother's 12th child) through his schooling during the Fascist regime and World War II. He describes his life working as a contadino (farmer of low social status)--complete with pleasing anecdotes of days of celebration and feasting; from there he explains post-war Tuscan peasant life, which he left in order to earn pay as a""builder's mate."" Black and white photos, maps and illustrations, plus a glossary of Italian terms (such as casa colonica, a sharecropper's house) that were relevant to the life of a peasant render a more thorough understanding of a compelling life that is neither glamorous nor romanticized.