The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and Her People

From the bestselling author of The Land Where Lemons Grow, a luminous account of Sicilian history, geography, culture and cuisine, as seen from the slopes of Etna For centuries, Mount Etna has sent lava to engulf the towns and villages, terraced fields, orchards, vineyards, and citrus groves that nestle across its slopes. But still it remains home to a quarter of Sicily's population. Why? Because Etna has always rewarded its people after every eruption with a landscape of unparalleled fertility, richness and drama. In this extraordinary new book, Helena Attlee combines travel writing with history, mythology, geology, gastronomy and horticulture to tell a unique story of life in the shadow of Sicily's most dangerous and alluring landmark. Venturing through lava-strewn fields and pistachio groves patrolled by armed guards; past dusky, basalt-built farmyards, and caves once used to store snow, Attlee gathers tales of the artists, writers, farmers, and scientists who have for centuries been drawn to this unpredictable landscape- from the early Roman, Arabic and Norman settlers, Romantic poets and Victorian geologists, to the local families who live and work there today. It is at once a compelling account of Sicily's rich and varied past, and a powerful meditation on humanity's ever-changing relationship with landscape.

About the Author :
Helena Attlee is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Land Where Lemons Grow and Lev's Violin. She has worked in Italy for much of her life, and it has been the inspiration for many of her books.

Review :
Helena Atlee’s acutely observed account of the Etna region is refreshingly different. This is travel writing of the quietly classical kind. Attlee tells great stories… It is the food writing, though, that brings you closest to Sicily… It is full of curiosity, personality and, above all, what the wine people call terroir A scholar of all things Italian, and especially Sicilian, with an eye for the quirky and the poetic, Attlee does for Etna what she did for lemons: she delves deep into the history of the volcano and the relationship of its people to their unpredictable land - - Praise for Helena Attlee Thrillingly sensual, and zesty in every sense, Helena Attlee is the best of companions as she leads us through sundrenched citrus groves and in and out of history She writes with great lucidity, charm and gentle humour, and wears her considerable learning lightly . . . [with] elegant, absorbing prose and [a] sure-footed ability to combine the academic with the anecdotal Charming and original ... Attlee has the natural storyteller's gift Attlee has that rare gift of being able to know an inordinate amount about a subject and yet wear her knowledge so lightly that the tone is anecdotal, not academic. It's a big thing, to pull off such lightness Attlee has such a wonderful way with words