Extra Virgin by Annie Hawes

Overview

When Annie and her sister Lucy arrive in a remote Italian village to prune roses for the summer, they expect a short escape from their ordinary lives. Instead, they fall in love — not just with the landscape and food, but with the people, traditions, and unpredictable rhythms of life in the hills above the Mediterranean.

What begins as a temporary adventure turns into a life-changing journey as the sisters buy a crumbling farmhouse and slowly become part of a community both endearing and exasperating. From grape harvests and olive picking to misunderstandings and friendships, Extra Virgin is a celebration of simple pleasures, resilience, and the art of belonging.

---

Themes

Annie Hawes paints a vivid portrait of cultural discovery and self-reinvention. Extra Virgin explores the clash — and eventual harmony — between British sensibility and Italian passion, showing how slowing down and embracing imperfection can transform a life.

The book is also a love letter to food, nature, and the timeless rituals of rural living. Olive oil, wine, and laughter flow through every page, offering readers a taste of a slower, richer world.

---

About the Author

Annie Hawes is a British author and horticulturalist whose memoirs of life in Liguria, Italy, have earned her an international following. Her writing blends sharp observation with warmth and humour, inviting readers to share in her love of Italy’s people, traditions, and landscapes. Extra Virgin is the first in a beloved trilogy that continues with Ripe for the Picking and Journey to the South.

---

Why You Will Love This Book

If you dream of rustic Italian villages, sunlit terraces, and meals shared among friends, Extra Virgin is pure delight. With its irresistible mix of humour, humanity, and sensory detail, it will transport you to a world where time slows, wine flows, and life is savoured. Perfect for fans of Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in Provence, and anyone longing for a slice of la dolce vita.

---

Keywords:
Extra Virgin, Annie Hawes, Italian memoir, travel writing, Liguria, expat life, rural Italy, food and culture, Mediterranean lifestyle, humorous memoir, la dolce vita, A Year in Provence style

Publisher’s Synopsis:

A small stone house deep among the olive groves of Liguria, going for the price of a dodgy second-hand car. Annie Hawes and her sister, on the spot by chance, have no plans whatsoever to move to the Italian Riviera but find naturally that it’s an offer they can’t refuse. The laugh is on the Foreign Females who discover that here amongst the hardcore olive farming folk their incompetence is positively alarming. Not to worry: the thrifty villagers of Diano San Pietro are on the case, and soon plying the Pallid Sisters with advice, ridicule, tall tales and copious hillside refreshments …