Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

'Alba Donati's Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is not only a work of significant beauty, it's inspiring. It's inspiring about the continuing life of books, and about the ways in which our lives can change and our dreams can come true, if only we insist on believing in changes and dreams'

Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours

'Romano, I want to open a bookshop where I live.'

'Great. How many people are we talking about?'

'180.'

'Right, so if 180,000 people live there, then...'

'No, not 180,000, Romano. 180.'

'Alba... Have you lost your mind?'

Conversation between Alba Donati and Romano Montroni, former CEO of Italy's largest bookselling chain

Alba used to live a hectic life, working as a book publicist in Italy, and yet she always felt like a woman on the run. And so one day she decided to stop running and go back to Lucignana, the small village on the Tuscan hills where she was born, to open a tiny bookshop.

Alba's enterprise seems doomed from day one but it surprisingly sparks the enthusiasm of many across Italy. And after surviving a fire and multiple Covid lockdowns, the 'Bookshop on the Hill' becomes a refuge for an ever-growing community of people: from local friends and family to the many, many readers who come to visit from afar or place orders online, safe in the knowledge that Alba will be able to find the perfect book for them.

An eccentric and charming little book... It's like Chocolat meets Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop, set in the Tuscan hills, with gardening tips, interior design ideas and gossip woven in... A celebration of writing, words and people.... In luscious language, the book rejoices in all the things that bring people together... Delightful. Mail on Sunday
Who doesn't want to open up a bookshop in a gorgeous part of Italy? Just add a cosy armchair and a lazy, cold winter's day (each chapter comes with a useful list of books sold). Stylist, Christmas gift guide for book lovers
Alba Donati's Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is not only a work of significant beauty, it's inspiring. It's inspiring about the continuing life of books, and about the ways in which our lives can change and our dreams can come true, if only we insist on believing in changes and dreams. Michael Cunningham, author of THE HOURS
For immediate transportation to Italy without having to check in your baggage, Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop is alive with kindness and inspiration and will double your to-be-read list. Pure bliss The Times

Alba Donati worked for years in publishing before moving back to her home village of Lucignana, near Lucca in Tuscany, and opening the 'Bookshop on the Hill', which has since become a refuge for countless readers from all over Italy. In 2020 the shop was included on a list of the 20 most beautiful bookshops in Europe. An award-winning poet, this is Alba's first work of non-fiction.

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