Donna Leon grew up in New Jersey, but after teaching stints in Iran, China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed in Venice. In this book the bestselling author vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when serving as a "chaperone" to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their grocery shopping at the Rialto Market. Donna Leon at her most personal.