Photo of Pomarico, Italy, by John Glionna

There’s a lovely interview with my old friend John Glionna in L’Italo Americano (bilingual) about his book “In the Land of the Midday Sun: An American Grandson’s Search for his Southern Italian Roots.” The former Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent says to the writer Serena Perfetto,

“When I started writing books, I thought I could apply that same reporting to my own life,” Glionna, now a San Francisco resident, reflects during a conversation about the origins of his book, published in April 2026 by Bordighera Press. Drawing inspiration from British author Tim Parks, whose writing details the nuances of living as an expat in Italy, Glionna recognized he had a unique advantage over other travel writers. “This place meant something to me. I didn’t choose it because it was close to somewhere else, or because I’d heard good things about it. I did have a reason to be there.” …

The book does not follow a strict plot line. It moves through a series of unexpected, yet independent moments: “You can almost open the book and read a chapter independently,” Glionna notes. This is because the narrative structure mirrors his journey: rather than offering a chronological diary, the chapters focus on different themes and local characters, from women of the town and local politicians to extended cousins and friends made along the way. Over time, Glionna transitioned from an American relative dropping in for a brief hello to an active participant in the town’s daily social life, complete with its warm hospitality and inevitable friction.

“When I first started going there, I had cousins all over the place,” Glionna recalls. “I made friends, too. I became good friends with the vice mayor, the mayor, and others. I started to get incorporated, because I now had a whole life outside my relatives.”

Yet, living in a close community comes with high demands for social maintenance. Unlike American culture, where distance or busy schedules are forgiven, relationships in Southern Italy require constant care. “You need to nurture relationships with Italian friends and relatives like plants,” Glionna observes. “You need to water them to make sure they get enough sun, because if they feel that you’ve given up on them, they will make a decision, and then you are dead to them. In America, if you disagree, you take a ‘friendship timeout.’ In Italy, friendship timeouts can last decades.”

It’s a terrific book.