The Road to San Donato

Fathers, Sons, and Cycling across Italy

By: Robert Cocuzzo

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

The Road to San Donato is an adventurous and nostalgic bicycling memoir of an American father and son tracing their Italian heritage. Riding rental bikes and carrying a bare minimum of supplies, Rob Cocuzzo and his 64-year-old father, Stephen, embark on a 425-mile ride from Florence to San Donato Val di Comino, an ancient village in the mountains outside of Rome from which the Cocuzzo family emigrated a hundred years earlier.

Prompted by Rob's ailing grandfather, who regrets having never visited his home village, the two cyclists pledge to make the trip in the old man's honor. Despite an expired passport, getting lost, some near misses, and other misadventures, the father and son finally reach the quirky village of San Donato. For Italian Jews in the 1940s, the road to San Donato was one of exile, and many of the people in the village banded together to protect nearly a hundred Jews. While meeting his many new cousins, Rob attempts to unlock this history and glean what role his family played at the time - resistors or collaborators? The Road to San Donato is a generational story that many Americans share and a travel adventure not to be missed.

©2019 Robert Cocuzzo (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Marvelously Human and Empathetic

This book was meaningful, entertaining, poignant, and all other possible positive adjectives. I have listened to hundreds of books. This is one of my favorites. The narrorator was great. The quality of writing was equally exceptional. The empathy, understanding, and challenging aspects of this autobiographical story are meaningful for today and speak strongly to humanity as a whole. Now, I want to see if this author has any other creations. Thanks for writing. Don Hohmann

Couldn’t stop listening - so moving!

It’s been a long time since a book grabbed me like this. I loved everything about the story and didn’t want it to end. Robs descriptive vocabulary and the audible readers’ tone made me feel like I was right there with them. I admire both Rob and Steve for making the journey and coming to terms with their heritage. Would be a great movie!

Stunning and memorable

I never wanted this book to end.

What is most striking about this beautifully written account of a father and son's bicycle journey through Italy, is that it is far more of an introspective dive into the authors soul; but with candor, humor and descriptive prose that leaves the reader (listener) squarely alongside. This vivid depiction of the human condition; fraught with all of the things said and left unsaid, done and left undone, intimately weave into one of the best memoirs that I have ever read. There are historical perspectives that enrich the personal narrative in a particularly powerful way. A must read!

Good quick listen

This was included with my audible subscription and I love a good travel story so I decided to give a shot. It was really sweet and entertaining.

A great book!

This is a great book! It gave a perspective that non-cyclists may not experience otherwise

captivating

Transfixed the moment I started listening. I loved the narration by James Patrick Cronin. A combination of bike adventure, coping with loss, and insight into family and origins.

Good read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the depth the author went into. Highly recommend.
Well done.

Great Story.

This is a very well written book with a great story. So much to relate to and I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Entertaining and Heartfelt Story

This book surprised me. The descriptions of the dad were hilarious. The family connection to an Italian village in the mountains was enlightening in how it described the many facets of Italian life during WW2 when Mussolini joined Hitler. The end of the book packed a punch with colorful personalities and internal dialogue about what family is really all about. It’s a multi-generational coming-of-age story. The narrator was especially good. The author wasted no time but still slowed down enough for the beauty of bicycling in Italy. The connection to historic cycling in Italy was a bonus I didn’t see coming. A trip to repair a bicycle at a bike shop becomes something more.

Neat story. Fowl language

This book is a great story about family, fathers and sons building meaningful relationships. The book is read well with a clear, pleasant voice and nice accent. Some of the characters use a lot of fowl language so I would not suggest it for young people.