The Dolce Vita Diaries

by Cathy Rogers, Jason Gibb

A deliciously different travelogue

In 2005, Cathy and Jason threw in successful careers as TV presenters and producers to become olive farmers in Italy. With their one year old daughter and Italian dictionary in tow, they found themselves in the middle of a European nowhere untouched by modernity. They were on a steep learning curve in more-or-less everything – finding out how to prune an olive tree so that a sparrow can pass through its branches, learning what beauty products are de rigeur in the changing rooms of a local Italian football team, being trained, by a local Italian choir, how to sing in English but with an Italian accent – and learning the rigorous rules of when one is allowed to consume a cappuccino. Armed with their indefatigable love of food, they headed off many a potentially tricky situation by cooking their way out of it, a sure route to the heart of any Italian.

They discover that olive farming is dominated by the big boys and desperate to turn their new home into a way of making a living they cast around for ideas of how they can do so. A flash of inspiration led them to launch an 'Adopt-an-Olive-Tree' scheme. For a fee buyers could adopt a tree, receive produce from it and even go and visit it to give it a hug. The scheme became hugely popular with trees selling out way ahead of expectations. A contract with Selfridges followed and suddenly Cathy and Jason's dream is realised. Or nearly anyway. It's a hard slog and they meet every challenge with fortitude and humour but what they hadn't expected was that the biggest challenge would be the quiet of the countryside. Soon they find themselves hankering for the sounds and stench of the city and facing a difficult decision on what they should do next.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Italy

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2009

Reviews

[Mariano Pallottini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the book with lots of curiousity finding a foreign point of view on my area very interesting, but I have to stop when I have found an articles where the authors revealed their Italian Dream was ended.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...

[Anna 💖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school and I’m really happy I did because it is not something I would pick up and read on my own. I enjoyed it ad would definitely recommend it to people. I feel like you could read this book in one sitting if you wanted to, and I did finish the majority of the book in one sitting, but it was a tad bit boring. Overall still a really good book and I would definitely recommend it.

[Suzanne Huier · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story and good recipes!

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich, rewarding read. Rogers and Gibb were involved in reality TV shows and decided that they wanted more from their lives. They looked to the things that they loved most in life - one of which being cooking and good food. Opening their own restaurant beckoned as an option but the couple decided that this would be too much of a commitment - hard, long hours, being tied down to their business, no guarantee of a reward, no time off. Rogers and Gibb next looked at the components of a good meal, one of which being olive oil. They decided to investigate opening their own olive oil business.

The pair went to Italy and combed the countryside for a suitable house and orchard. The house had to be suitable for a family and the orchard large enough to support that family. After several trips, they found their 'dream'. The narrative takes us through their journey from the initial idea to learning the in's and out's of growing and processing olive oil to actually marketing and selling their product.

I loved the irony of how their new lifestyle was similar in so many ways to that of a restauranteur, indeed, even more of a commitment! A perfect book for those who are looking for something a little different or those needing a nudge to make positive changes in their own lives. An appropriate read for me just before the start of a New Year.

PS. The recipes at the end of every chapter are excellent!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed a whole lot reading this book. The fact that their story is real and packed with constant adrenaline rush as their business started to roll out makes me want to be there in person so badly. The insight into Italian culture and way of doing business is really enlightening and nerve wrecking at the same time. I'm not sure if it has something to do with Italian people's reverence for flair. Cathy and Jason's decision to make a move to Italy despite zero grievance with their normal if not too good to be true current affairs puts to test one's ability to snuggle out of the comfort zone and wander into murky water. The best part of the book comes with tons of recipes that beckon me to take cooking more seriously. Finally, I will definitely adopt an olive tree with my hard earned money soon enough.

[Naturegirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story about a couple who moves from smoggy LA and leaves their high powered careers to take a chance on an olive farm in Italy with over 900 olive trees. The refreshing thing about this story is they honestly talk about the challenges, the struggles, the lack of finances, the maddening navigation of the Italian system, all mixed in with their love of this new land they found themselves in.

They come up with a fascinating concept that has fueled their farm and allowed their business to grow, adopt an olive tree, or adopt one for a friend, and receive the oil from that tree. Look at this!! http://www.nudoadopt.com/italia It's a very exciting thing and I'm so thrilled that they are having success after reading their story and hearing about the blood sweat and tears involved.

Definitely a different approach to the typical "I'm so in love with Italy" story.

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I'm only loving this because I am a huge Cathy Rogers fan, but I am enjoying it more than I expected. I have never been one for travel writing or really for Expat-in-Italy narrative, so I waited to read this for quite some time. But it's a great little piece about how even optimists and generally competent people struggle with life change, which I totally (as a pessimist and someone with intense Impostor Syndrome) find comforting as hell, in a misery-loves-company way. Learning curves! We all have them! They are not fun! But they get better, yay.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of the :
' We threw everything up and went to live in rural France/Italy/Spain/Portugal etc. and grow things ' oh, and write a book about it.
Much the same as the rest, the struggles, the set backs, the triumphs, mixing in with the locals, blah, blah.
I read and it as interesting as any other in the same genre, some good recipes, a few b & w photos, even fewer colour.
Like some there are many conversations given, Paulo said " The tomatoes need picking " some short, some quite long.
Do these authors walk around with dictation machines or take shorthand notes all the time ?

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had seen Kathy Rogers host Junk Yard Wars and liked her humor and style go I Googled her and discovered this book she and her partner Jason Gibb wrote. It is about their adventure in growing olives in Italy. They quit their jobs and buy and old olive farm in Italy and try to sell olive oil using the business model of adopt a tree. It is entertaining reading and a good lesson for anyone so daft to think they could chuck it all and become happy little olive farmers. Farming is hard work.

[Robin Shreeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read about a British couple working in Hollywood that decide to follow their passion and grow olives in Italy for olive oil. You'll be inspired to follow your own passions after reading this.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous, good-natured account of a successful British/Hollywood couple, starting over with a baby daughter to become olive oil producers and their many trials. Funny, interesting cultural differences and details-- a vicarious way to imagine a total change of life.

[Ross Whamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

And even laughed out loud on the top deck of the number 3 yesterday.

Plus the recipes are a bonus.

And will check out the website to adopt a tree.

[Sylvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The writing is humorous, the recipes are really appetising and the whole thing was really inspirational. It's given me the impetus to revive our long term plan of starting a business. I borrowed it from the library but I intend to buy a copy.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love their olive oil, love their story

[Caroline Thorley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely interesting and enjoyable book. I read this book 11 years ago but enjoyed it even more the second time round.