“The Italian Way is a deep, rich, and complex analysis of food practices and the way they implicate and are involved in every aspect of society. The descriptions of the meals are elegantly informal, but probing and informative. The photographs are integral to those descriptions—not illustrations of some points the authors make, but points in their own right. Along the way you gain a complicated understanding of the nature of a ‘proper’ Italian meal: what it has to contain, how it has to be served, what the acceptable limits of variation are, and many other things. I’ve seldom read a work of sociology that left me feeling I had learned so much I didn’t know.”

Howard S. Becker, author of Tricks of the Trade and Telling About Society

“In The Italian Way Harper and Faccioli present an intriguing discussion of Bolognese foodways that reveals much about Italian culture. The authors focus on how food reflects Italian identity, on the contrast between Italy’s history of scarcity and its present abundance, and on food’s expression of sacred and profane value systems. Historical and contemporary photographs complement the interviews to make The Italian Way an original look at eating in Bologna.”

Carole Counihan, author of Around the Tuscan Table: Food, Family and Gender in Twentieth Century Florence

"An engaging and informative book, complete with photos and lively records of personal conversations."

Times Higher Education

"Offers interesting and often amusing snapshots of how Italians feel about their food, successfully showing how it sustains body and mind."

Times Literary Supplement