NORTH OF NAPLES, SOUTH OF ROME

Promised as the Italian equivalent to Peter Mayle's PROVENCE and Frances Mayes's TUSCANY, this book may disappoint. The author, who divides his time between Italy and Ireland, gives amusing anecdotes of life in Gallinaro. But soon these funny little stories turn into longer treatises on politics and the history of Italy, and we find ourselves being more educated and less amused. The haughty voice of Frederick Davidson drones with its own repetitive cadence. He offers no warmth, charm or smiles. The upper-class British intonation, not suitable for Italian volubility, leaves the listener believing he is being talked down to. J.P. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]