Savor ‘Italy On A Plate’ For The Best Of Travel And Food Pleasures

La dolce vita! For lovers of Italian travel and food, the new Italy on a Plate by Susan Gravely (Vietri Publishers) is a banquet of uplifting insights, sightseeing escapes and memorable morsels. (A Mother’s Day gift idea.) “I’ve been lucky enough to spend years in this favorite country of mine,” says Gravely, an American, who, along with her mother and sister, was so enthralled by their 1983 trip to Italy that they launched a company, Vietri, which has succeeded as one of America’s most influential importers of handcrafted Italian tabletop ceramics and home accessories. Gravely — as founder and CEO, whose entrepreneurial acumen is impressive — celebrates her company’s 40th anniversary this year. “[Italy’s] enthusiasm, passion, style and romance live in its people, and, through my work, I have met many incredible Italians and enjoyed so many home-cooked meals,” she says. “These people have become as dear to me as family.” Indeed, this beautifully designed, 240-page, over-size hardcover affirms the positive power of treasured connections — both personal and professional — that nurture enriching experiences across decades. Many of those allies who have been pivotal to Gravely’s achievements are woven into the tapestry of this engaging narrative.

One of Gravely’s key accomplished pals is American Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, a New York Times best-seller, which was adapted for the film, Under the Tuscan Sun, a box-office-hit starring Diane Lane and Sandra Oh. Mayes pens the foreword to Italy on a Plate. “This book — part memoir, part travel lore, part introduction to friends — is a loving tribute to the good life we find around the table,” she writes. “Our feasts are our memories.”

Gravely jumpstarts the book’s introduction with colorful childhood flashbacks that portend her destiny, embracing a business journey and constructing a future that leans into the best of lifestyle surroundings. A horizon enlightened with adventure and travel. Her trajectory soared. Vietri products can now be purchased in more than 2,000 specialty retailers and department stores, in all 50 states and internationally.

Throughout the lively chapters — among them: A Love Affair in Florence, The Young Man of Positano, Venetian Vigor, A Chance Encounter and Bringing Italy Home — Gravely’s descriptions of and recommendations for travel choices are enticing. For example, peek inside Bramasole, the notable 250-year-old farmhouse of Frances Mayes and her husband, Ed, in Cortona, Italy. Set on a knoll above a curving road, Bramasole’s terra-cotta walls and green-shutter windows overlook a tiered garden and gorgeous grounds. Frescos, fireplaces, antiques and chandeliers dress the indoors. (Bramasole is available as a vacation rental.)

Gravely steers readers to charming restaurants, such as La Lanterna, an enchanting light in the hills near Florence. She strolls in beloved cities, towns and villages, such as Positano, with its vibrant cliffside buildings that hug the Almalfi Coast. In Positano, for example, she praises select hotels (Il San Pietro di Positano, Hotel Palazzo Murat and La Fenice), restaurants (Trattoria La Tagliata, Le Tre Sorelle and Michelin-starred La Sponda in Hotel Le Sirenuse, which she calls “euphoric”) and shops (Tre Denari for leather shoes, La Bottega di Brunella for chic casual clothes and Sapori e Profumi di Positano for lemon-infused treats — candies, cookies, honeys, jams and chocolates — and perfumes.

Eye behind-the-scenes stories of Italian artists, artisans, craftspeople and designers, glimpsing their factories, studios and workshops, exploring details and delicacies. Landscapes intrigue with vineyards, castles and hidden finds.

Gravely highlights dozens of palate-pleasing Italian recipes, many of which are from her friends, such as Almond Chocolate Cake, Apple Fritters, Beef-Parmigiano-Reggiano Meatballs, Chicken with Olives and Pine Nuts, Gnocchi in Lemon Sauce, Lemon Hazelnut Gelato, Mushroom Soup, Orange and Sage Scented Shortbread Biscuits, Pea and Shallot Crostini, Scalloped Oysters and Spring Risotto with Butternut Squash. Hungry yet?

Anchored in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Gravely also showcases images of her U.S. home, which she shares with her husband, Bill Ross. “I love trying to create a version of Italy in our own Southern home, with Italian paintings, fragrances, pillows, clothing, and — of course — with tableware,” she adds.

“My hope for Italy on a Plate,” she explains, “is that it will encourage you to try new recipes and enjoy them with friends and family. I hope my words have done Italy’s wonders justice, and that they inspire you to travel there, soak in its splendor, and bring some of it back with you to share with those you love, around a table, with a full plate and a full heart.”