My Modena: A Year of Fear, Laughter, and Exhilaration by Andrea Susan Valentine Gelfuso Goetz

Come with me to my Modena, an Italian city that hilariously frustrated every attempt to complete the simplest transaction. With my husband and two kids, I spent a year in Italy in an apartment that was like camping, with tile, in a town so full of ancient churches it was like God’s attic. Meet Melanie, a fashionista who can make ATMs bend to her will from a hundred miles away. Our landlady Giovanna, who taught me to make risotto as golden as her smile, and her husband, Raimondo, who stood by serenely as six firefighters tried to get us back into our 7th floor apartment – using a ladder truck. Meet Piero, an artist who told me Modena’s most fascinating secrets, and Fabio – my heart-stoppingly gorgeous neighbor. And a mime who knew a lot more than he was saying.
The whole time I was in Italy I was afraid – to buy a phone (“Phonezilla”). To buy a stamp: (“Deliver This.”) To find the street market (“All Was Not Lost, But I Was”) and to buy clothes (“Agoraphobia Means I Miss TJ Maxx”), until the magical moment I bought a fabulous Italian gown (“Piccolina”).
My Modena is a book of funny stories about discovering Italy’s fascinating past – and thrilling present.