Pietro's Book

The Story of a Tuscan Peasant

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Pietro's Book by Pietro Pinti, Jenny Bawtree, Skyhorse Publishing
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Author: Pietro Pinti, Jenny Bawtree ISBN: 9781611459807
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Publication: January 23, 2012
Imprint: Arcade Publishing Language: English
Author: Pietro Pinti, Jenny Bawtree
ISBN: 9781611459807
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Publication: January 23, 2012
Imprint: Arcade Publishing
Language: English

“A very interesting account of the incredibly hard life of a peasant and his family living under the mezzadria system . . . A thoroughly worthwhile book” (Italy Magazine).

Growing up under Mussolini’s Fascist regime on a farm near Florence, Pietro Pinti and his family lived under conditions of extreme poverty, as sharecroppers to generally unscrupulous landowners. But during World War II, when millions in towns and cities suffered untold hardships, the hardy Tuscan peasants were well equipped to face the rigors of the era: war or no war, work on the land went on, and Pietro describes month by month a typical year in their lives: how they made wine and olive oil, planted and harvested the wheat by hand, made baskets and ladders from chestnut wood-skills now lost.

With sly wit and salty wisdom, Pietro—a natural storyteller who played the trumpet, wrote poetry, and grew famous for his tales of peasants, knights, and brigands—recreates in colorful detail a world and peasant culture that is fast disappearing. Jenny Bawtree, an Englishwoman long settled in Tuscany, was so fascinated by Pietro's stories that she helped shape them into this autobiography, full of color and humor, hardship and nostalgia.

“This small, cherishable book is as close to living history as one gets . . . The heart of the book, though, is Pinti’s month-by-month description of how it was to live . . . The stories are full of humanity and sly wisdom.” —Booklist

“Black and white photos, maps and illustrations, plus a glossary of Italian terms that were relevant to the life of a peasant render a more thorough understanding of a compelling life that is neither glamorous nor romanticized.” —Publishers Weekly

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“A very interesting account of the incredibly hard life of a peasant and his family living under the mezzadria system . . . A thoroughly worthwhile book” (Italy Magazine).

Growing up under Mussolini’s Fascist regime on a farm near Florence, Pietro Pinti and his family lived under conditions of extreme poverty, as sharecroppers to generally unscrupulous landowners. But during World War II, when millions in towns and cities suffered untold hardships, the hardy Tuscan peasants were well equipped to face the rigors of the era: war or no war, work on the land went on, and Pietro describes month by month a typical year in their lives: how they made wine and olive oil, planted and harvested the wheat by hand, made baskets and ladders from chestnut wood-skills now lost.

With sly wit and salty wisdom, Pietro—a natural storyteller who played the trumpet, wrote poetry, and grew famous for his tales of peasants, knights, and brigands—recreates in colorful detail a world and peasant culture that is fast disappearing. Jenny Bawtree, an Englishwoman long settled in Tuscany, was so fascinated by Pietro's stories that she helped shape them into this autobiography, full of color and humor, hardship and nostalgia.

“This small, cherishable book is as close to living history as one gets . . . The heart of the book, though, is Pinti’s month-by-month description of how it was to live . . . The stories are full of humanity and sly wisdom.” —Booklist

“Black and white photos, maps and illustrations, plus a glossary of Italian terms that were relevant to the life of a peasant render a more thorough understanding of a compelling life that is neither glamorous nor romanticized.” —Publishers Weekly

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