Alba Donati

Under the Tuscan Sun meets Diary of a Bookseller in this charming memoir by an Italian poet recounting her experience opening a bookshop in a village in Tuscany. Alba Donati was used to her hectic life working as a book publicist in Italy—a life that made her happy and allowed her to meet prominent international authors—but she was ready to make a change. One day she decided to return to Lucignana, the small village in the Tuscan hills where she was born. There she opened a tiny but enchanting bookshop in a lovely little cottage on a hill, surrounded by gardens filled with roses and peonies. With fewer than 200 year-round residents, Alba’s shop seemed unlikely to succeed, but it soon sparked the enthusiasm of book lovers both nearby and across Italy. After surviving a fire and pandemic restrictions, the “Bookshop on the Hill” soon became a refuge and destination for an ever-growing community. The locals took pride in the bookshop—from Alba’s centenarian mother to her childhood friends and the many volunteers who help in the day-to-day running of the shop. And in short time it has become a literary destination, with many devoted readers coming from afar to browse, enjoy a cup of tea, and find comfort in the knowledge that Alba will find the perfect read for them. Alba’s lifelong love of literature shines on every page of this unique and uplifting book. Formatted as diary entries with delightful lists of the books sold at the shop each day, this inspirational story celebrates reading as well as book lovers and booksellers, the unsung heroes of the literary world.

A Memoir

Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

La libreria sulla collina

HOW A BOOKSELLER INSPIRED A NATION The diary of a publicist-turned bookseller who left Florence to open a tiny bookshop on a Tuscan hill. 'A work of significant beauty... Inspiring about the continuing life of books, and about the ways in which our lives can change and our dreams can come true, if only we insist on believing in changes and dreams' Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours 'Romano, I'd like to open a bookshop where I live.' 'Right. How many people are we talking about?' 'A hundred and eighty.' 'Right, so if a hundred and eighty thousand people live there, then . . .' 'No, not hundred and eighty thousand, Romano. Just a hundred and eighty.' 'Alba . . . Have you lost your mind?' Conversation between Alba Donati and Romano Montroni, founder of Italy's largest bookselling chain Alba used to live a hectic life, working as a book publicist in Florence - a life that made her happy and led her to meet prominent international authors. And yet, she always felt like she was a woman on the run. And so one day she decides to stop running and go back to Lucignana, the small village on the Tuscan hills where she was born, to open a tiny bookshop. With a total of only 180 residents, Alba's enterprise in Lucignana seems doomed from day one but it surprisingly sparks the enthusiasm of many across Tuscany - and beyond. After surviving a fire and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the 'Bookshop on the Hill' soon becomes a refuge and beacon for an ever-growing community of people: readers who come to visit from afar, safe in the knowledge that Alba will be able to find the perfect book for them. A tale of resilience and entrepreneurship and a celebration of booksellers everywhere: the real (and often unsung) heroes of the publishing world.

The heartwarming story that inspired a nation, now an international bestseller

Elena Pala

The Heartwarming Story That Inspired a Nation, Now an International Bestseller

Bookshop on the Hill

La inspiradora historia de una librera y su librería que se ha convertido en un fenómeno editorial «Un libro pequeño y magnífico. [...] La historia de un lugar mágico y de ensueño [...], de una niña infeliz salvada gracias a la literatura y a su amor por los libros». Caterina Soffici, La Stampa Huyendo de la agitación de la ciudad, Alba Donati decidió cambiar el rumbo de su vida y regresar a su Lucignana natal, un pueblo de ciento ochenta habitantes en la campiña toscana. Tras lanzar una campaña de crowdfunding y pedir una donación de libros a las editoriales de Italia, en 2019 abrió las puertas de la librería Sopra la Penna. Su día a día transcurre entre recomendaciones de lecturas, pedidos e ideas para hacer de esa cabaña cerca del bosque un lugar único donde, además de las novedades literarias que Alba elige con mimo, el visitante se sumerge en un universo lleno de sorpresas: una estantería pirata para libros olvidados, calcetines con citas de Orgullo y prejuicio, calendarios de Emily Dickinson, o meriendas con un té que lleva el nombre de Charlotte Brontë y una mermelada que sabe a Alicia en el país de las maravillas. Y a su alrededor gravita otro universo: el de los clientes, amigos, ayudantes, vecinos y familiares para los que la librería en la colina, con su hermosa ventana al valle, se ha convertido en una enorme ventana al mundo. La crítica ha dicho: «Un libro maravilloso y único, unas memorias, un poema familiar, pero también la historia de una aldea de montaña y una novela de aventuras. [...] Leedlo y recomendadlo. Estoy segura de que irradiará más magia». Cristina De Stefano, Elle «Un libro inspirador y de singular belleza que habla de la eterna vida de los libros y de cómo nuestra existencia puede cambiar y nuestros sueños hacerse realidad cuando nos empeñamos en creer en ello». Michael Cunningham «La gratitud de Donati por la vida y por lo que la rodea ilumina cada página. [...] Un libro lleno de amor y literatura, un objeto luminoso que alimenta el espíritu y la mente». Francesca Pellas, Il Foglio «No es solo la historia de una librería, es mucho más: es el relato vivo, inmediato, espontáneo, tierno, de una elección de vida». Gazzetta di Parma «Un lugar que parece salido de un cuento de hadas inglés. [...] Una historia de arrebatado amor por los libros mezclada con la de una vida y una familia únicas». Daria Bignardi, Vanity Fair «Un libro lleno de magia, que habla de un lugar igualmente mágico, pero que, afortunadamente, existe de verdad». Fiorella Corti, La Nazione «Lucignana, una Macondo de ciento ochenta almas. [...] La historia de una salvación a través de la vuelta a los orígenes, del diálogo con la naturaleza y, sobre todo, a través de los libros». Corriere della Sera

La librería en la colina

Marco Paoli

The beauty of Tuscany between nuances and contradictions. A journey out of the classic iconography, known all over the world, looking for those places that can still amaze and astonish.

Alba Donati

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