'A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE' | A review Romance, travel & amp; recipes

By THERESA M. HEGEL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
"A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance" by Marlena de Blasi (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $23.95)
A search for a touching love story, a wise and witty piece of travel writing and a delectable cookbook usually leads you through several sections of the bookstore, but Marlena de Blasi's "A Thousand Days in Venice" combines those three elements into one book.
What would you do if, during a visit to the watery byways of Venice, a handsome Italian stranger professed to having loved you at "half sight" -- your profile enough to spark his fancy? Would you sell your recently purchased house, pack up your belongings, move to Italy and initiate marriage plans?
That's exactly what de Blasi did when the unexpected happened to her, and the story of "A Thousand Days in Venice" really begins once she makes that leap into the unknown.
Romance
Fernando, whom de Blasi refers to as "the stranger" even after their marriage, is not your stereotypical Latin lover. He is a manager at a branch of Banca Commerciale Italiana, and his life is ruled by precise routine and a bachelor's asceticism. He has allowed his childhood dreams to die. Instead of being an active participant in shaping his destiny, Fernando describes himself as an "observer" of life.
That all changes when he meets and falls in love with de Blasi. He is moved to feats of romanticism and eventually quits his job to pursue his reawakening desires.
De Blasi's romance with "the stranger" is marked by several difficulties. Neither speaks the other's native tongue with a great degree of fluency when first they meet, and de Blasi's somewhat flamboyant personality causes minor clashes with the more stoic Fernando. Initially, Fernando finds former chef de Blasi's gourmet meals too rich, calling them "festival cooking," and de Blasi is frustrated with Fernando's resistance to change.
Despite personal and cultural barriers, however, true love wins out. The couple build a life together and learn that their differences bring balance and flavor to their relationship.
Travel
De Blasi's book is also the story of an American learning to live in another culture. She writes with humor and insight about her encounters with the Venetian mindset, and her descriptions of the Venice many tourists never see, especially the outdoor markets where she shops for groceries, are lovely. The book is as much about de Blasi's passion for Venice as it is about her love for Fernando.
Lush foods and extravagant meals add some narrative spice to "A Thousand Days in Venice." De Blasi even includes a short appendix with recipes for some of the meals she cooked for Fernando.
The recipes are named in Italian and English, and each contains a short paragraph describing the circumstances behind the meal or "the stranger's" reaction to the fare.
"A Thousand Days in Venice" is a delicious morsel of a book, and it will leave you daydreaming of gilt gondolas on moonlit canals.
hegel@vindy.com