Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Etain Addey's diary of her life on an Italian hill farm is a "faithful account of what it means to re-inhabit one's self and one's place, omitting neither the practicalities nor the feelings the experience calls forth."—Giuseppe Moretti

Set in the Umbrian hills of central Italy, where a modern Benedictine abbey rises above the ruins of a temple dedicated to Genio Silvanus—god of forests, fields, shepherds and human fertility—Addey's book details the difficult process of "becoming native again" in a world dominated by technology and urban culture. A SILENT JOY is the tale of a life lived in direct dependency upon nature, and evokes an alternative vision of life in which our "non-human neighbours...fill our days with delight and disaster."

Etain Addey came to Italy from England several decades ago, eventually found the farm Pratale, near Gubbio, in the Umbrian hillside, and began the process of learning to "become native again", learning the rhythms and stories of her chosen place. This new book is the record of her adventure.