To Venice with Love: A Midlife Adventure

by Philip Gwynne Jones

Philip and Caroline Jones, a middle-aged couple living in Edinburgh, found themselves facing redundancy and an uncertain future. Until they received some advice from a complete stranger in a pub.

Their response was to sell everything in order to move to Venice, in search of a better, simpler life. They were wrong about the 'simpler' bit...

To Venice with Love recounts how they arrived in Venice with ten pieces of luggage, no job, no friends and no long-term place to stay. From struggling with the language to battling bureaucracy; the terror of teaching English to Italian teenagers, the company of a modestly friendly cat... and finally, from debugging financial systems on an Edinburgh industrial estate, to building an ordinary life in an extraordinary city, To Venice with Love is a love-letter to a city that changed their lives. It's a story told through the history, music, art, architecture (and, of course, the food) of La Serenissima.

Genres: Italy, Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the 2023 52 Books Challenge prompt #26 "has an epilogue". I have been reading a series of mystery books by this author set in Venice, so when I found he had also written this memoir about he and his wife's move to Venice I needed to read this one too. I was definitely not disappointed, and as an expat in Spain, I could relate to his story of moving to Italy with 10 suitcases (we got by with 4 and 2 backpacks), dealing with the bureaucracy of getting a residency permit, working on their proficiency with Italian, and gradually beginning to feel like they actually lived there. This is a great guide for the proper attitude for expats moving to another country, but it is also a highly entertaining tale written by a guy with a great sense of humor. 4.5 stars

[Nahanni McKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished two books in Venice and I couldn’t find any in English except this one, the cover looked cute so I bought it lol.
While I was in Venice I romanticized living there and walking the streets everyday speaking Italian and this book definitely brought me back down to earth. Like most tourist towns it’s not an easy or livable place. The journey of Phillip and Caroline was real and had many challenges but rewarding as well. It makes me not scared to leave comfort and try something new.

[sascha · Rating 2 out of 5]

{2,5 stars}
Although I liked reading about the author’s experiences, I found this book to be quite boring. That sounds so rude, but it is how I feel.
I liked learning about how the move to Venice went and how they managed to organize it all. I found myself laughing at the part where they sat outside a cafe, waiting for the keys to their apartment. While in reality, they could’ve just collected it.
However, there was really an abundance of describing holidays and festivals and operas. Especially operas. While I’m sure it is an interesting topic for some, I found it very boring.
But this book still holds some magic to it. That being that I bought this book in Venice and read it the day after visiting.

[Eda Akin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the author's writing style about starting a new life in Italy but sometimes the cooking recipe parts or the art history parts were a little boring or too detailed... I'm glad that i came across the book and am happy that Philip and Caroline realized their dream of the Venice Project.

[Pili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro que releeré cada dos o tres años, simplemente para no olvidar todo lo que conlleva vivir en otro país.
Mientras esperaba la publicación de la más reciente entrega de las aventuras de Nathan, descubrí que el autor había publicado este libro, en el que narra cómo él y su esposa decidieron dejar su país natal para mudarse a vivir a Venecia.
Su talento para hacer universal una experiencia tan personal se refleja en cada etapa. Reí, me emocioné y lloré a partes iguales.
Una lectura muy recomendable para quien tenga (o esté planeando) la experiencia de convertirse en residente de otro país.

"Should you try something like this yourself? I hope this book goes someway towards answering that question. We got away with it, but not everybody will. Don't attempt it in the hope of patching up a marriage or relationship: you'll end up divorced withing the first year. Be prepared for the culture shock. Plan for inevitably spending more money than you thought. And there will be bad times, dark nights of the soul when the thought 'Have we made a terrible mistake?' creeps into your head and refuses to go away.
Take the time to learn Italian. Your enjoyment of the experience will be in direct proportion to your knowledge of the language. [...] A common language will open up culture and literature [...] and enable you to make Italian friends. And friends will be the difference.
And no, we were not being brave - we just did something we really wanted to do."

[Lucy Condon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought as ‘holiday reading’ for a recent trip to Venice and it was perfect!

Following the footsteps of Philip and Caroline Jones to Venice as they decide to sell up in the UK and move their lives to Italy and the city they already know and love due to previous visits.

Peter has an engaging written voice which explained the highs and the lows of their adventure as a couple. I enjoyed the references to places we visited on our stay and turned the pages of the book over to mark all the places and festivals mentioned that I now want to go to next time.

All I can say is that I am seriously impressed with Peter and Caroline’s capacity to eat absolutely anything - nothing is off limits, including fried ‘nerves’! That is perhaps the one part of an Italian life (eating all aspects of the animal) which I might struggle with….

Quite an inspirational book for those in middle age thinking about a change of scene or direction. I am moving straight on to try one of Peter’s Venetian detective novels!

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I moved to Ireland 25 years ago and it is interesting to read a book by someone who also packed up and left his home country to live somewhere else. I had the advantage that I already had a good level of English when I moved and fair play to Philip and his wife for learning Italian. Even though I loved visiting Venice, I don't know if I could live there permanently. I'm too fond of my hikes in the Irish countryside and our half-an-acre wild garden. It was interesting to read about the difficulties they were facing when they made the move and about what's going on in a city that has a whole different pace from the rest of Italy. This was an enjoyable read and highly recommended. I also recommend his Nathan Sutherland series, set in Venice.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I was hoping for. The writing is simple and enjoyable. I'm thinking of a move to Italy myself and this is another book I'm reading to see what other folks had to deal with. PGJ is not a celeb so he's more relatable than some of the books I'd read about similar moves. Money is an issue for him like it is with most people. And it always seems like there will be hidden costs regardless. Finishing the book while in Veneto on vacation was a plus. I even made a trip to Calle dei Assassini and bumped into a Venice tour guide I've been following since the pandemic started. Now to read another of PGJ's mysteries!

[Paul Neaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book to read and I couldn’t put it down. It has an easy to read rhythm to it and you genuinely end up caring for the author and his adventures. This is not a book I would have chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did - other auto-biographies should be written as engagingly as this!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Philip Gwynne Jones' Nathan Sutherland novels, and really enjoyed reading about his real-life Venetian adventure. It makes me want to go back and re-read all of his books, now that I know a bit about how the series was created, and how the stories are influenced by the events and people in the author's own life.

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book after reading #8 in Philip gwynne Jones's Venetian series. As a real lover of Venice I adored this memoir. I did skirt over the 'how to teach English to Italians' bit as I have no plans on that front. Many of the churches, calles and areas he mentioned brought back wonderful memories. A great book for those who love the wonder that is Venezia.

[J.F. Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Philip Gwynne Jones's Venice based crime fiction - or have ever fantasised about living in Venice - you'll also enjoy this account of how he and his wife moved to the city. Read over two hot and sunny 'staycation' days: felt like I was there instead of in my garden.

[Ritva Murto · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad you made it!

This was such a fun book! I have read the crime novels and am eagerly waiting for the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that. Please keep them coming

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just discovered this author. This is the first book of his I have read. I loved it. Have been to Venice twice but wished I had read this before I went. It felt like a travel book to me. I loved it.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grappig en ontspannend geschreven, een btje reizen vanuit 'ons kot'

[Janet Camilleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the opera / culture stuff was of little interest to me ... what can I say I'm a philistine!

[Nez · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest more of a 3.5/5. I wanted to like this book a bit more, but I reckon the political and historical references were a bit lost on me.

[Beth Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all that this man has written. Found this interesting. Clearly heard Nathan’s voice and recognised much of those settings. Enjoyed his journey and the threads of real life snd fiction knitting

[Jock]

Great read - such a brave thing to do!

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost interest

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many festival, opera and cooking descriptions.

[Ligibookishmind · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this because Venice has always been my dream destination, and while some parts were interesting, it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. The little facts about Venice were lovely, and you could really tell how much they loved the city, which was sweet.

The whole midlife adventure idea was fun in theory, but it felt a bit slow at times, and some parts dragged on more than they needed to. I found myself wanting more personal stories and less of the logistical struggles, it got a bit repetitive after a while. The humour was there in bits, but it didn’t always land for me.

That said, the descriptions of Venice were beautiful, and I did enjoy the bits about the art and food. It’s a decent read if you’re into travel memoirs, but it didn’t quite sweep me away the way I’d hoped.🇮🇹🍕🍝🤓📖