Carissima

In college, Pia Santore dreamed of going to NewYork and taking the Big Apple by storm with her younger sister Erica. Instead,Pia has arrived in Astoria, Queens, with a prestigious journalism internship ata celebrity magazine-and no Erica. Though the neighborhood has anabundance of appeal-including the delectable confections sold at her AuntAntoniella's bakery-the pain of losing Erica a few years ago still feels fresh.Pia'sarrival coincides with an unexpected sighting. Italian movie icon FrancescaDonata is rumored to be staying nearby, still every bit as voluptuous and divaesqueas in her heyday. With the help of a handsome local artist with ties toFrancesca's family, Pia convinces the legend to grant her a series ofinterviews, even traveling to her house in Rome. In the Eternal City, Piabegins to unearth the truth behind the star's fabled romances and tangled past.And here too, where beauty and history mingle in every breathtaking view andhope shimmers in the Trevi Fountain and on the Spanish Steps, Pia graduallylearns how to love and how to let go. For when in Rome, you may find your carissima-yourdearest one-and you may even find yourself.