Stories My Grandfather Told Me... And Other Tales

By Maria Grazia Swan

I grew up in a small Italian town at the foot of the Alps. We didn’t have television, computers, or any other type of home entertainment. During the long winter evenings we listened to stories. My grandmother could tell fantastic tales of fairies and monsters. Often cousins and other neighborhood kids will gather in our kitchen to listen to Grandma spin her magic.
There were a few occasions when she would be up until late to finish a chore, and I would ask my grandfather to tell me a bedtime story. My grandfather’s stories were ‘real life’ ones. According to him, of course. Back then I never doubted him and as I grew older and reflected on it, I began to think that indeed they were true slices of his life and that at some level they were meant to teach me something. That inspired me to blog about it at first, and finally I decided to share some of his and my stories with you. I hope we don't disappoint you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Grazia Swan
• Release date: Sep 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370387427

Maria Grazia Swan

Best selling author Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona--but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for--ooh-la-la--haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people find happiness.Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco--but then, who doesn't?And then there is her latest attempt at conquering the world of readers-who-love-Italy-and-anything- Italian. Yes, she has a new series out thanks to Gemma Halliday Publishing. The Lella York’s series has released 2 books to date;Murder under the Italian Moon and the newest addition, Death Under the Venice Moon

Book preview

the Smashwords edition

Stories My Grandfather Told Me

and other tales…

Copyright © 2015 Maria Grazia Swan

All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

I dedicate this book to my grandparents and my family.

This is not a work of fiction–it's a work of love. Probably the closest I will ever get to writing an autobiography. It is also my way of sharing a part of my life and the life of my loved ones with future generations.

Why I needed to share these stories…

I grew up in a small Italian town at the foot of the Alps. We didn’t have television, computers, or any other type of home entertainment. During the long winter evenings we listened to stories. My grandmother could tell fantastic tales of fairies and monsters. Often cousins and other neighborhood kids would gather in our kitchen to listen to Grandma spin her magic.

There were a few occasions when she would be up until late to finish a chore, and I would ask my grandfather to tell me a bedtime story. My grandfather’s stories were ‘real life’ ones. According to him, of course. Back then I never doubted him and as I grew older and reflected on it, I began to think that indeed they were true slices of his life and that at some level they were meant to teach me something. That inspired me to blog about it at first, and finally