Escaping to Italy was the easy part. Figuring out how to stay forever is where the adventure begins... When disheartened American Jacoby Pines arrives in Italy on vacation, he has no idea that a family photograph from the previous century would start a search for ancestry through the streets of Florence and the hills of Tuscany. Jacoby's quest includes encounters with a septuagenarian ex-pat, an elusive heiress in hiding, a charming Australian museum guide, a Pearl Jam-crazed artisan shoemaker, malevolent hunters, a needy border collie and one very large wild boar. Along the way there are magnificent, wine-soaked meals at every turn and immersion in the sensory splendor and la dolce vita of Il Bel Paese. At the end of the novel, on the morning of Jacoby’s dreaded return to America, a chance of remaining in Italy arrives in stunning news from abroad. But is it too late? "Cotto's writing style is eloquently descriptive, and I savored this book as one would a fine meal." - Online Book Club "Any reader with a passion for food, wine, literature, and, most of all, the streets of Florence and the hills of Tuscany, will find the release of Andrew Cotto's latest novel, Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure , a rare delight to the senses and intellect. Through Cotto's hypnotic prose, one finds themselves lost in Italy." - The Brooklyn Rail "Whether you love Italy, dream of visiting one day or just want to enjoy an incredible book set in a beautiful part of the world, I thoroughly recommend this story as the best I've ever read." - Midwest Book Review Andrew Cotto is an award-winning author and a regular contributor to The New York Times. He has also written for Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Parade, The Huffington Post, Italy magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, La Cucina Italiana, Maxim and more. Andrew has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. More about the author can be found at andrewcotto.com