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Maria Olia

Goodreads Author

Born

Philadelphia

Website

https://mariaolia.com

Twitter

thebostonguide

Genre

Travel, History, Nonfiction

Member Since

February 2014

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Maria Olia is a travel writer and essayist. She has written extensively about Boston and New England and has authored several travel books on the region. Her articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, the Boston Globe, Working Mother and the Christian Science Monitor, among other publications.

Maria has lived in the Boston area since arriving as a college student to study at Northeastern University more than 30 years ago. She resides with her husband in Newton, just outside of Boston, where they raised their three sons and daughter. Maria has a passion for American history, Cape Cod beaches, the Boston Symphony and the Red Sox. She will always call Massachusetts home.

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Popular Answered Questions

What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Maria Olia The summer began with me behind on my reading (always) to finish my book club’s May read, Richard Power’s Pulitzer-winning Overstory. The novel begins…moreThe summer began with me behind on my reading (always) to finish my book club’s May read, Richard Power’s Pulitzer-winning Overstory. The novel begins with several character sketches and their “tree story”. The book then chronicles how the characters are drawn together as activists to save the forests. It is a dense read and was a little science-y for me, but tremendously thought-provoking. Like last year’s "Educated", this is a book that deserves to be passed around-one of my sons is reading it now.

And if you are inspired to take a small (but concrete) action to prevent deforestation and save trees, consider stopping the flow of junk mail that floods your mail box by signing up at www.DMAchoice.org to opt out of the bulk mail that you receive.

I visited the House of Seven Gables in Salem with my daughter in May and realized that I have never read Hawthorne. Since there are four marked-up copies of "The Scarlet Letter" in my kids’ bedrooms so it was an easy choice- and I love reading Hawthorne’s descriptions of Puritan- era Boston. My 30 year-old son commented “You are reading the Scarlett Letter for fun?”. Clearly, it was not his favorite required high school book!

Rummaging around the Falmouth Library Book Sale this summer I came across "Frenchman’s Creek" by Daphne DuMaurier. "Frenchman’s Creek" is historical romantic fiction and features an English lady and a French pirate (oh my!) set on the coast of Cornwall in the mid-1600’s. DuMaurier’s "Rebecca" was one of my favorite books in high school and I am a Poldark fan-so this was a win for me.

Finally, my book club’s selection for the summer was "Beneath a Scarlet Sky" by Mark T. Sullivan. Since I am Italian, I was inclined to like this book from the start. Set during World War II, the book is the true story of the life of 18-year-old Pino Lella who led many Jews escape the Nazi’s over the mountains to Switzerland and then worked as a spy for the Italian resistance as a driver for the German High Command. It was an exciting story- but I found the writing uneven and screenplay-like (it has been already optioned as a movie). The book makes me want to read "A Farewell to Arms"- Hemingway was a great writer.
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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Maria Olia There are so many ways ! Sometimes it's enough to just to force myself to start typing. Even retyping a paragraph can jump start my thoughts. I'm a bi…moreThere are so many ways ! Sometimes it's enough to just to force myself to start typing. Even retyping a paragraph can jump start my thoughts. I'm a big list writer in general, so breaking up my writing in small sections that I can check off as I complete them helps too. If I'm really on deadline I will put myself on a timer and see how many words I can write in an hour. On those days, I'm grateful to my high school English teacher Mrs. Harker who taught me how to write a timed essay !(less)

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Maria Olia’s books

Average rating: 4.03 · 71 ratings · 13 reviews · 16 distinct works

	Day Trips® New England: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler 4.10 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2012 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Access Boston: Beantown's Hidden Treasures, Haunts, and Forgotten Places 3.88 avg rating — 17 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Discovering Vintage Boston: A Guide to the City's Timeless Shops, Bars, Restaurants & More 3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Insiders' Guide® to Massachusetts (Insiders' Guide Series) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	New England's Colonial Inns & Taverns: Centuries of Yankee Fare and Hospitality 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Massachusetts Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun (Off the Beaten Path Series) 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Massachusetts Off the Beaten Path® really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Black Book of Boston it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Favorites from the Olia Kitchen 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Black Book of Boston, 2015 Edition by Maria T. Olia (2014-10-11) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Maria Olia's Blog

Casetta Firenze: A Charming Boutique Country House in Scandicci, Tuscany

Photo credit: Con Poulos

Bleary-eyed my husband and I drove 3 hours to Tuscany after an overnight flight to Rome. We turned our too small rental car off the highway and onto a gravel drive lined on both sides with cypress trees. Dating back more than 270 years, the hilltop Casetta Firenze sits on 100 acres of farmland in Scandicci, just 9 miles outside of Florence, making this a fine base for explo