Join us in welcoming author Gudrun Cuillo to debut Casalvento: House of the Wind. Copies are available for purchase and signing.
Romance and family secrets intertwine in a breathtaking Tuscan vineyard. Erika Germoglio is a self-made woman who has it all—a successful consulting career, a tawny Upper East Side apartment she shares with Craig, her well-connected fiancé, and now, a date for their wedding. Then, she suddenly has more than she knows what to do with: an Italian grandfather she has never met wills to her Casalvento, a house and vineyard in the Chianti region of Tuscany.
When Erika travels to Italy to settle the affairs of her inheritance, she finds more surprises. Not only does the estate come with, Livernano, a medieval hamlet remodeled into a bed-and-breakfast, it also comes with Paolo, the intelligent, compassionate, and strikingly handsome estate manager and wine maker. But the inheritance also comes with a catch—she must live at Casalvento and learn the estate business for five months before she is allowed to make a decision on whether to keep the estate or sell it.
Should she uproot her New York life and embrace all Italy has to offer? As she grapples with that question while fulfilling the stipulations of the will, Erika struggles to make sense of unusual things going on around her, from Craig’s unpredictable attitude when she calls home, to strange noises around Casalvento, to a series of letters left for her by her late grandfather, to her own feelings whenever she sees Paolo.
Set in the real Casalvento (House of the Wind) of Radda and Livernano in Chianti Siena, Italy, Casalvento will captivate readers as Erika explores how beautifully wine, enterprise, romance, and family can intertwine. In her debut novel, author Gudrun Cuillo combines her passion for winemaking with her gift for storytelling to show us not only in vino veritas, but also possibly in vino amore e felicità.
About the author:
Gudrun Cuillo spent her childhood in Leibnitz, Austria. As a young adult, with her instinctive artistic flair, she joined the opera as an artist-in-residence for stage scenery and makeup. That work eventually took Gudrun to New York to continue her education.
While enjoying traveling throughout the U.S., Gudrun came to Florida where she fell in love with a successful entrepreneur and Broadway producer, Robert Cuillo, who was also Italian American. They married and in the ensuing years they established Casalvento Winery in Radda, Chianti Siena, Italy, and restored Livernano, a nearby medieval village, to its original splendor.
Gudrun has had two career passions: winemaking, which has garnered numerous awards and much recognition for Casalvento Winery, and writing. In her debut novel, Gudrun combines her life experience with her gift for storytelling. Gudrun spends her time between Austria, Italy, and Palm Beach, Florida.
Author Gudrun Cuillo will be signing books purchased at the Palm Beach Book Store.
RSVPs are encouraged but not required.