In her debut memoir “Pinch Me,” Los Altos native Barbara Boyle reflects on her decision to leave the Bay Area for what she described as the “rolling hills of Piedmont, Italy.”
Published earlier this year, the book follows Boyle’s journey from advertising executive to full-time resident of a 300-year-old farmhouse. It blends humor, gratitude and resilience in the face of unexpected challenges.
“It’s sort of like Alice in Wonderland,” Boyle said. “I came upon this amazing little town – gorgeous views, incredible food and fantastic people – and of all crazy things, decided to uproot my life and my husband’s life to live here. Once we got in the boat, it just kept going. It was the best thing we ever did.”
A 1970 graduate of Los Altos High School, Boyle attended Almond Elementary and Covington Junior High before earning degrees from Santa Clara University and San Jose State University. In the span of 20 years, she worked in advertising in San Francisco, New York, Paris and Frankfurt before finding her second home in northern Italy in 2012.
Boyle said her “love” of the country began on her honeymoon the year before. While exploring the Piedmont region, she and her husband, Kim, discovered an abandoned stone barn with sweeping views of the valley.
“It was falling apart, but the view was amazing,” she said. “We thought, maybe we could fix it up for the summer. But the more we worked on it, the more we realized – we wanted to be here all year.”
In 2017, Boyle was diagnosed with breast cancer and returned to San Francisco for treatment. After a year of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, she returned to Italy with a renewed appreciation for life.
“It was very hard,” she said. “But when I came back after that year, it was like an exclamation point on our decision. Life is short. You never know. And even though I’m in my 70s now, this is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”
Boyle said her experiences in Italy have given her a sense of community she never expected. Locals appear as characters in her book – neighbors who bring wine, women who hand-make ravioli and shopkeepers who know everyone’s name.
“Only in Italy would someone make you feel beautiful at your weakest,” Boyle said.
For Boyle’s English teacher at Los Altos High, Tom Jenkins, “Pinch Me” is both a “moving memoir” and a remarkable reunion story. The two reconnected by chance more than 50 years later – in an Italian café 6,300 miles from Los Altos.
“About 10 minutes into our conversation, she looked at me and said, ‘Did you ever teach school?’” Jenkins said. “And I said yes – and she said, ‘You were my English teacher at Los Altos High.’ Can you believe that?”
Jenkins said Boyle was a thoughtful and talented student whose writing stood out even then.
“She became a very good writer – she already was, despite having me as her teacher,” he said. “She uses language beautifully, with humor and imagination. Her ability to describe – the castles, the churches, the hills – she brings it all to life.”
Boyle said the coincidence of meeting her former teacher in Italy felt symbolic.
“To run into my high school English teacher in a tiny Italian village – it’s surreal,” she said. “Life has this funny way of reminding you how small and magical the world can be.”
As for the title of her book, “Pinch Me,” Boyle said it’s a reflection of both the wonder and humility in her story.
“Every morning I wake up here, I still can’t believe it’s real,” she said. “But also, the little ravioli made in our town are called plin – which means ‘pinch.’ So, it’s a double meaning: the pasta and the feeling of wonder. I’m still pinching myself.”
Published by She Writes Press, “Pinch Me” is available online at Barnes and Noble, Target and Amazon.