Casalvento: Home of the Wind by Gudrun Cuillo
In vino veritas. The Latin phrase will be translated as ‘in wine, there’s reality.’ It’s an expression with some reality to it, given the impact alcohol can have on loosening the tongue. However in Gudrun Cuillo’s Casalvento: Home of the Wind, there’s a distinct type of reality that the protagonist finds in wine — not in draining a glass of it, however as a substitute by making it on the property of an Italian villa.
Casalvento follows Erika Germoglio, a profitable New York Metropolis businesswoman who stumbles into an inheritance of an impressive home, lodge and winery in Tuscany, Italy from a grandfather who she by no means knew — and by no means knew about. There’s a catch, nevertheless; to safe that inheritance, she has to first stay there for 5 months, all whereas studying preserve such an property operating. Erika’s torn — torn between her previous life within the metropolis and this new alternative in Italy, torn between the fiancé again within the US and Casalvento’s charming estate-manager-slash-wine-maker. This wealthy narrative captivates with a narrative of discovery, love, magnificence and what’s vital in life.
There’s one other component of reality to the story — that Casalvento is a real-life winery and villa, and is even the house of the creator herself. On this Q&A, Gudrun Cuillo shares the weather of reality to her story, and what she hopes readers can take away from Erika’s story.
Q: Casalvento is about within the stunning Chianti area of Tuscany, which performs a central position within the story. How did your private connection to Tuscany affect your depiction of the setting, and what components of the area have been most vital so that you can seize within the novel?
A: The story of Chianti Classico in regards to the Medici household. The nation sits on the rolling hills with the woodland, the vineyards and the olive groves. It’s an incredible feeling. I wished to let the world and readers meet, to set them again in time with their busy lives.
Q: Erika’s inheritance comes with the problem of staying in Tuscany for 5 months and studying to handle the estates. How do you assume this bodily and emotional journey displays frequent struggles individuals face when coping with surprising life modifications?
A: It modifications you internally. The expertise can also be self reflecting — I needed to learn to make wine, decelerate and see the sweetness round you (and me). On that land, each sundown or dawn is completely different. Some frequent struggles could be studying a brand new language, or rising older.
Q: Household secrets and techniques play a major position in Erika’s story, particularly by way of the letters left by her late grandfather. What impressed you to weave these secrets and techniques into the narrative?
A: I used to be impressed by my late husband’s story about his household coming to the states, and him wanting to return and purchase land in Italy. It was a promise he made to himself, if he would make it in life to be a self-made man. It was wonderful to listen to these tales from him.
Q: Erika is torn between her life in New York and a brand new potential future in Italy. How did you strategy writing her inside battle between profession, love, and the pull of a brand new way of life? Did you draw on any private experiences for this?
A: Sure, completely. My upbringing was completely different. That marriage was a brand new life. I obtained misplaced on this world and forgot about what was actually vital in life. Cash can purchase you issues, however not happiness and well being. However on the identical time I’m grateful for the chance my husband gave me, and his belief.
Q: The romance in Casalvento has a component of selecting between two very completely different males — Paolo in Tuscany and Craig again in New York. What themes did you goal to discover by way of these two relationships?
A: That love is round you, however you have to discover the actual cause why you like somebody. And to have an individual subsequent to you that makes you giggle, and in peace with concord.
Q: Within the e book, Casalvento and Livernano function extra than simply settings; they virtually act as characters themselves. How did you develop the estates’ significance in Erika’s life, and what position do you assume the historical past and legacy of the estates play in her decisions?
A: Casalvento was our first property in Tuscany within the historic city of Radda in Chianti. Now it’s my private residence. The quilt of the e book is definitely my residence and the view that I see each morning after I stand up. It additionally homes the cellar.
Livernano got here 4 years later — a hamlet, a small city that was deserted in 1953. We rebuilt one home after one other and now it’s a resort for our visitors, with a restaurant and a church for weddings and get-togethers.
Q: Your novel has been praised for intertwining romance, self-discovery, and household legacies. What do you hope readers take away from Erika’s journey?
A: To see the rainbow. To go to work completely happy, which generally means making modifications in your life. To be with household and revel in mates. You solely have one life to stay, so make the perfect out of it. And always remember to say thanks!
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About Gudrun Cuillo:
Gudrun Cuillo was born in Leibnitz, Austria. Quickly after commencement, together with her instinctive inventive aptitude, she joined the opera as an artist-in-residence for stage surroundings and make-up. That work ultimately took Gudrun to New York to proceed her schooling.
Whereas having fun with touring all through the U.S., Gudrun got here to Florida the place she fell in love with a profitable entrepreneur and Broadway producer, Robert Cuillo. They married and within the making certain years they established Casalvento Vineyard in Radda, Chianti Siena, Italy, and restored Livernano, a close-by medieval village, to its authentic splendor.
Gudrun has had two profession passions: winemaking, which has garnered quite a few awards and far recognition for Casalvento Vineyard, and writing. In her debut novel, Gudrun combines her life expertise together with her present for storytelling. Go to https://gudruncuillo.com.
Publish Date: 6/6/2023
Style: Fiction
Creator: Gudrun Cuillo
Web page Rely: 312 pages
Writer: Greenleaf E book Group Press
ISBN: 9798886450651