Songbirds, Truffles, and Wolves - by Gary Paul Nabhan (Paperback)

About the Book

Arousing the mind and the appetite, Nabhan tells of his adventures as he walks through northern and central Italy along a route used by St. Francis of Assisi. From his talks with peasant farmers and others rich experiences, Nabhan offers profound reflections on the spirit with precise observations of nature as well as lively asides on Italian cuisine.

Book Synopsis

By the winner of the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing

"Gary Nabhan went to walk in old Italy like a pilgrim. . . . This is a story about moving from sad uncertainty to part-time joyousness. It is a great book."--William Kittredge

"In part to ponder my Mediterranean roots and in part to learn of the land of my saint, San Francisco," Gary Paul Nabhan, one of America's finest nature writers and author of The Desert Smells Like Rain decided to walk the two hundred miles from Florence to Assisi. Along the way he met peasant farmers eager to share the love of their plants and seeds, recipes and customs. The fruit of this pilgrimage is writing that imaginatively traverses the boundary between nature and history.

"Unusual but important . . . entertaining and informative . . . the book afford[s] an evening retreat as satisfying as a shot of grappa with a plate of anisette cookies."--The New York Times Book Review

Review Quotes

"Unusual but important . . . entertaining and informative . . . the book afford[s] an evening retreat as satisfying as a shot of grappa with a plate of anisette cookies."--The New York Times Book Review

"Gary Nabhan went to walk in old Italy like a pilgrim. . . . This is a story about moving from sad uncertainty to part-time joyousness. It is a great book."--William Kittredge

Praise for Gary Nabhan:

"Gary Nabhan is one of the most important food writers we have in this country." -- Alice Waters

"Ever since his first book, The Desert Smells Like Rain, I love to read his finely tuned descriptions of the natural world..." - Diana Kennedy

About the Author

Gary Paul Nabhan, a prizewinning essayist and agricultural ecologist, serves as the W. K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems with the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona. He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.