Death in the High City first anniversary

Successful year for Bergamo’s first English crime novel

 

Death in the High City, the first British detective novel to be set in Bergamo in northern Italy, has had an exciting first year.

The novel, which was published in Kindle format on Amazon 12 months ago today, has sold copies in the UK, Italy, America, Australia and Canada. A paperback version of Death in the High City was published in July 2014.

Val with the newly published book

Author Val Culley has had some heart warming emails and messages about the book from readers both in the UK and abroad and has been delighted with the level of interest in her first novel.

In October 2014 Val was a guest at the fifth anniversary celebrations of Bergamo Su e Giù, a group of independent tour guides in the city. She was invited to present Death in the High City to an audience in San Pellegrino Terme and sign copies of the book and she also made an appearance on Bergamo TV to talk about the novel with presenter Teo Mangione.

In November the book was purchased by Leicestershire Libraries and is now in stock at Loughborough, Shepshed, Ashby de la Zouch, Coalville, Castle Donington and Kegworth Libraries and is going out on loan regularly. In April this year Val was invited to Bergamo again to present her novel to a group of 80 Italian teachers of English and to sign copies. She made a second appearance on Bergamo TV and also formally presented a copy of Death in the High City to the Biblioteca Civica (Civic Library) in Piazza Vecchia, a location that is featured in the novel itself.

Death in the High City centres on the investigation into the death of an English woman who was staying in the Città Alta while writing a biography of the composer Gaetano Donizetti.

The novel is the first of a series to feature the characters of Kate Butler, a freelance journalist, and Steve Bartorelli, a Detective Chief Inspector, who is of partly Italian descent and has just retired from the English police.

Val signing copies of the book

The victim had been living in an apartment in Bergamo ’s Città Alta and much of the action takes place within the walls of the upper town. The local police do not believe there is enough evidence to open a murder enquiry and so Kate Butler, who is the victim’s cousin, arrives in Bergamo to try to get some answers about her death.

Kate visits many of the places in the city with Donizetti connections and her enquiries even take her out to Lago d’Iseo and into the countryside around San Pellegrino Terme. But after her own life is threatened and there has been another death in the Città Alta, her lover, Steve Bartorelli, joins her to help unravel the mystery and trap the killer. The reader is able to go along for the ride and enjoy Bergamo ’s wonderful architecture and scenery while savouring the many descriptions in the novel of local food and wine.

The novel will be of interest to anyone who enjoys the ‘cosy’ crime fiction genre or likes detective novels with an Italian setting.

Death in the High City by Val Culley is available on Amazon.com.

 

 

Spend a day at the lake

Within easy reach of Padova and well worth visiting is the beautiful and popular Lago di Garda (Lake Garda).
Italy’s largest lake has been praised by writers and poets over the centuries for its clean water, mild and sunny climate and for the beauty of many of the towns that lie along its shores.

The old harbour at Desenzano

From Padova there are direct trains to Desenzano del Garda, a resort at the foot of the lake. The journey takes about an hour and from there you can go by boat across the lake to visit other resorts.
Desenzano is a lively town with plenty to see and do, upmarket fashion shops and good restaurants, bars and hotels.
You can enjoy views of the lake if you walk along Lungolago Cesare Battisti or you can climb the steep streets away from the lake if you want to explore the town.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants around the port as well as at the Porto Vecchio (old harbour), which is a short walk away. Desenzano’s Ufficio di Informazione Turistico (Tourist Information Office) is located there.
The Romans also enjoyed holidays in Desenzano. In 1921 the remains of a fourth century Roman villa were unearthed close to the lake. These are now open to the public and can be accessed from Via Antonio Gramsci.
There is also a medieval castle within walking distance of the lake in Via Castello.
Il Duomo, which is dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena, in Piazza Duomo, off Via Mazzini, is full of art treasures, including an 18th century version of The Last Supper by Giambattista Tiepolo.  
Un Servizio di Navigazione (boat service) operates from Desenzano to Sirmione, Bardolino, Peschiera and Moniga del Garda.
The resort of Sirmione lies in a dramatic setting on a narrow, four kilometre peninsula reaching out into the lake.

The castle at Sirmione

Sirmione has a medieval centre, full of interesting shops, bars and restaurants, and a fairytale castle, la Rocca Scaligera - the first thing you see as you approach by boat.
The castle was built by a powerful family from Verona in the 13th century and the Italian poet Dante is reputed to have once spent the night there, but it is worth visiting la Rocca Scaligera for the views of the lake from the battlements alone.

There are beautiful views of Lake Garda from many different vantage points in Sirmione that have inspired writers over the centuries, from the Roman poet Catullus, to Ezra Pound and James Joyce in the 20th century, who are reputed to have once met up in the resort.
You can visit the ruins of a Roman villa, built in the first century BC, that perch on a rocky promontory. Although they are known as Le Grotte di Catullo, it is by no means certain that the poet ever lived there. Born in Verona , Catullus is believed to have lived in Sirmione for part of his life and his poetry singles out the resort for special praise from ‘…all peninsulas and isles, that in our lakes of silver lie…’
Opera singer Maria Callas also appreciated the beauty of Sirmione, choosing to spend part of her life living in a secluded villa here.
The resort of  Bardolino is just a short boat journey from Desenzano and exploring the pleasant town is as enjoyable as quaffing the light red wine of the same name that is produced there.

|A wine bar in Bardolino

There are regular boats to Bardolino from Piazza Matteotti, which is at the side of the lake.
You will see the tower of an old castle that is now part of a hotel as the boat approaches Bardolino.
Walk down the short main street into the town, which is lined with shops, restaurants and bars where you can sample Bardolino by the glass.
Make a point of visiting the church of San Severo , which dates back to the 11th century and is a popular location for weddings, and the small church of San Zeno , which dates back to the eighth century and still contains traces of its original frescoes.

If you want to learn more about Bardolino wine and the history of wine making, visit the fascinating wine museum run by the Zeni family of winemakers at Via Costabella 9. The museum is open from mid March until the end of October and individual visitors are admitted free of charge. For more information, visit www.zeni.it.

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Look out for Lugana wine

If you enjoy a light, white wine with a hint of flowers, try a bottle of Lugana when in restaurants in Padova or other towns in the Veneto.

Lugana can be enjoyed with many local dishes

Lugana is a straw yellow, almost pale green, colour and is a very delicate wine, with a slight hint of fruit. 

It is made from Trebbiano di Lugana grapes by several of the vineyards set on the hills around the southern shores of nearby Lago di Garda.

Lugana wine can be enjoyed as an aperitivo in a bar, is particularly good with antipasto or risotto made with fish, and makes an excellent accompaniment for the chicken and duck dishes you will see among the secondi piatti in many restaurants in Padova.

Check the date on the bottle because Lugana is at its best when drunk young.  It should be served chilled, preferably between eight and ten degrees centigrade.

Respected producers of Lugana include Ca’ dei Frati, Visconti and Zenato. Salute!

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Vino Novello 2014

Visitors to Italy can enjoy Vino Novello, this year’s new wine, from Thursday, 6 November 2014 when it goes on sale in the shops and is served in bars and restaurants.

The light, fruity, new red wine is enjoyable to drink and is a bargain buy to take home as a holiday souvenir.

Vino Novello on sale in Padova

Vino Novello is similar in taste, body and colour to the French Beaujolais Nouveau, which is exported to a number of other countries after its release in the third week of November.

Like Beaujolais Nouveau, Vino Novello has a low alcohol content and is meant to be drunk while it is still young. The wine should be consumed quickly after the bottle is opened and unopened bottles should be kept for only a few months.

A major area for production is the Veneto, with the merlot grape being the one most used by wine makers to make Vino Novello. Many wine producing areas around Padova hold feste to celebrate and will serve Padovan culinary specialities to eat with the new wine.

Whereas 100 per cent carbonic maceration is used to produce Beaujolais Nouveau, only 30 per cent is required for Vino Novello.

However, one Italian Vino Novello that is produced using 100 per cent carbonic maceration is Bardolino Novello, which is made in the area around the resort of Bardolino on Lake Garda in the Veneto .

According to the Bardolino wine consortium (Consorzio Tutelavino Bardolino Doc) 100 per cent carbonic maceration is used in order to produce an excellent wine. 

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Palazzo del Capitanio

See the oldest clock in Italy

The beautiful clock tower of the Palazzo del Capitanio is on the east side of Piazza dei Signori, a square in the historic centre of Padova.

The elegant Torre dell'Orologio

The palace was originally part of a complex of buildings that had served as the court of the Carraresi, but after Padova came under the control of Venice in the 16th century, it was remodelled to house the head of the militia and be the seat of the governing authority.

In 1532 the entrance was rebuilt to a design by Giovanni Maria Falconetto with a clock tower over a triumphal arch in classical style surmounted by a statue of the lion of St Mark.

The Torre dell’Orologio was intended as a symbol of Venetian power, which then extended over the mainland of Italy. The tower houses clockworks that are believed to be the oldest still in existence in Italy.

They were designed by Maestro Novello copying an invention by astronomer and physician Jacopo Dondi in the 14th century. As well as depicting the hours, the blue clock face features a weekly and monthly lunar calendar and displays the astrological signs.

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Death in the High City

Brand new detective story set in northern Italy

The first British crime novel
to be set in Bergamo

A new crime novel set in northern Italy has just been published on Amazon.

The novel is the first in a series featuring detective duo Kate Butler, a freelance journalist, and Steve Bartorelli, a retired Detective Chief Inspector who is of partly Italian descent.

Believed to be the first British crime novel to put the spotlight on Bergamo in Lombardia, Death in the High City centres on the investigation into the death of an English woman who was writing a biography of the composer Gaetano Donizetti.

Of interest to anyone who enjoys the cosy crime fiction genre or likes detective novels with an Italian setting, the book is currently available as a Kindle edition, but can also be read on smartphones, tablets and computers using Amazon’s free Kindle app.

The dead woman had been living in an apartment in Bergamo’s Città Alta and much of the action takes place within the walls of the high city. The local police do not believe there is enough evidence to open a murder inquiry and so Kate Butler, who is the victim’s cousin, arrives on the scene to try to get some answers about her cousin’s death.

Kate visits many of the places in Bergamo with Donizetti connections and her enquiries even take her out to the beautiful Lago d’Iseo. But after her own life is threatened and there has been another death in the Città Alta, her lover, Steve Bartorelli, joins her to help her unravel the mystery and trap the killer. The reader is able to go along for the ride and enjoy the wonderful architecture and scenery of Bergamo and the surrounding area while savouring the many descriptions in the novel of the local food and wine.

Death in the High City by Val Culley was published in May, 2014 and is now available on Amazon.

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Enjoy a taste of Bardolino while in Padova

Vibrant, ruby red Bardolino wine is produced in the Veneto region and therefore does not have to travel far to be available in restaurants in Padova.

Look out for Bardolino Classico, made from grapes grown in the area immediately round the resort of Bardolino on Lago di Garda (Lake Garda), which will have DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status on its label.

Buonissimo Bardolino!

Among the most acclaimed producers of Bardolino Classico are Guerrieri Rizzardi, who are based at No. 4 Via Verdi in Bardolino.

They make their version from Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Sangiovese, Merlot and Molinara grapes grown in their vineyards along the shores of Lago di Garda.

Guerrieri Rizzardi recommend serving their Bardolino slightly chilled to accompany white meats and cheeses.

You will sometimes see in the shops and on wine lists, bottles of Bardolino Novello, (new Bardolino), which should be drunk as soon as possible after the grapes it has been made from were harvested. Wines labelled Bardolino Superiore will have been aged for at least one year.

But most Bardolino is best drunk young if you want to be able to appreciate the wine’s characteristic scent of berries and almonds.

Language point

DOC and DOCG

Wines are graded according to a system that refers to their place of origin, la denominazione.

Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) applies to wines made from grapes grown only in a defined area.

Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) is reserved for wines that have met particularly rigorous standards throughout their production.

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