About TO ROME, WITH LOVE

It’s a summer of second chances…

Just a week before her big day, Sarah returns home to find a note from her husband-to-be – the wedding’s off! So when her boss decides to send her on an epic cycling trip, from Venice to Rome, it seems like the perfect distraction…

Although she never expected the distraction to come in the form of her oh-so-handsome, but slightly serious, cycling companion, Miles. And with still 600 miles of beautiful scenery, mouthwatering food and delicious wine yet to cover, anything could happen!

Where to find TO ROME, WITH LOVE

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Guest Post: 

T. A. Williams (Trevor) tells us why he decided to set his latest romantic comedy in Italy.

 

  Why is To Rome, with Love set in Italy? Easy answer – I love the place. After university (I did French and German) I couldn’t find a “sensible” job in the UK, so I decided to learn another language. I was offered a job teaching English in Italy and it changed my life forever.

  I spent almost four years living in the very north of Italy, in the Alps, and then moved to Florence for another four years. In the course of my time in Italy I met and married Mariangela, my wife of 41 years now, and made a lot of friends. If you live in a country for all that time you get to learn the language really well and get to know the people really well, with all their quirks.

  So, what do I really love about Italy?

  Well, there’s the climate. I come from Devon, down in the southwest of England where the winters are normally mild, but grey, and the summers occasionally warm, but often punctuated by a lot of rain. The thing about Italy is that it has a climate, not just weather. If you want to invite friends round for a barbecue on a summer night, you can be pretty sure it won’t suddenly develop into a mad rush for cover as the heavens open. All right, in spite of what some people say, this global warming business seems to be a real thing and climates aren’t quite as predictable as they once were but still… summer in Italy generally means hot and dry, and winter cold and dry. The way I like it.

  The people are wonderful. When I arrived in Italy, unable to speak a word of the language, I found people only too happy to help me out with odd words of English, French or, on one memorable occasion, Latin. I have been invited into so many people’s homes for dinner, I have lost count. If you ignore the pickpockets in the big cities and, of course, the Mafia, the Italian man (and woman) in the street is almost invariably warm, welcoming and very generous.

  So, I like the place and the people. So why set the book on a bike ride? Venice to Rome is a ride I did myself a few years back with a group of friends and the experience has stayed with me. Hopefully, as you read To Rome, With Love, you will get a sense of the overwhelming beauty of what it’s like to cycle round the Venice lagoon, through the wonders of Umbria, or up the infernal climb to the little Republic of San Marino. I would like to think that my love of the historical splendours of Italy will shine through, particularly as my group of cyclists visit amazing places like Ravenna, Gubbio or Orvieto and, of course, Rome itself.

  My books always tend to be set in lovely places like Tuscany, Cornwall, the south of France (my next book is set in Provence) or rural Spain. I always like to try to transport my readers away from their own lives for a few hours, to somewhere different, beautiful and fascinating. Hopefully, as you read To Rome, With Love, you will get a taste of why I love Italy so much.

About T.A. Williams

Where to find Trevor