Dear Olivia : An Italian Journey of Love and Courage

On 2 July, 1940, the Arandora Star, a cruise liner covered in barbed wire and carrying 734 interned Italian 'enemy aliens' from Britain to Canada, was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Irish Sea. Some 450 people lost their lives in what remains the biggest tragedy Italy has ever suffered outside her own frontiers.

In this fascinating follow-up to the hugely successful Dear Francesca, Edinburgh delicatessen owner and restaurateur Mary Contini relates the history of three generations of her family to her younger daughter, through letters, anecdotes and the occasional recipe. She tells the heartbreaking account of the journey Mary's ancestors made to Scotland to escape poverty in southern Italy, the wartime experience of the Italian immigrants, the women who were left to cope with their families and businesses alone when the menfolk were rounded up and taken away during World War II—all are brought vividly to life in this charming and moving story of the first Italian Scots.

This is a tale of prejudice and courage, bigotry and heroism; a tale of love and hope. It is ultimately a recipe for a rich and rewarding life.

Praise for Dear Olivia:

'Mary Contini's hauntingly beautiful Dear Olivia tells a timely tale of immigrants battling for acceptance: one family's journey from dire poverty in the mountains of Italy through the courage and terrors of wartime to fame and fortune as luxury grocers to le tout Edinburgh.'

Scotsman

‘Dear Olivia is the sentimental address from the celebrated Scottish foodie to her daughter. Its purpose is to unfurl the family's remarkable history. Indeed it is a unique history—the birth of one of Edinburgh's most influential culinary dynasties. For Mary Contini is the Director of Valvona and Crolla - the famous Italian delicatessen founded by her grandfather, Alfonso Crolla in 1934. The story of how newlyweds Alfonso and Maria Crolla farmers from the Southern Italian village of Fontitune, emigrated to Scotland hoping for a better life is both touching and inspiring. But there is an added pleasure to reading Mary Contini, that comes from the importance of food in her life…The book bursts with flavour, too.’

Financial Times