'Sad, funny, wise and unblinkingly honest, this is truly wonderful.' Daily Mail



'I like the smell of pines and the aroma of freshly washed laundry. I like the rattle of hail on windowpanes and the texture of volcanic rock. I like the light in the sky when the sun has gone down.'



Cesare is an unlikely hero. As he says himself, 'I am seventy-seven years old, and for seventy-two years and one hundred and eleven days I threw my life down the toilet...' Is it too late for him to rediscover his passion for love and life?



Already an international bestseller, The Temptation to Be Happy is a coming-of-age story like no other.



'Immensely charming... Uplifting and very much on the side of life.' Mail on Sunday

Translated by: Shaun Whiteside