Sagamore Bridge, Cape Cod - A Bridge Between

The 8th Child

Growing up 8th out of 9

& Other Lessons in Sibling Survival

The Bridge of Sighs, Venice, Italy - A Bridge Between

The Story of A Bridge Between

An Intergenerational Journey

Key Bridge, Alexandria, VA to Washington DC - A Bridge Between

Regarding the Parents

Six-plus Decades, 9 kids,

Still a A Love Story

A Bridge Between

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A Daughter's Journey

Traipsing off to visit her 91-year old father’s ancestral village in northern Italy, Velia Pola was an unlikely tour guide. Twice divorced, childless, a killer of plants and incapable of feeding her dog on a timely schedule, she was charged with safe guarding her elderly parents on the journey.

While Pola traces her father’s severed roots and discovers her inner-Italian, her parents do their best to kick dust in the face of Father Time. They keep their heads above water in Venice, nourished their bodies and souls in Emilia-Romagna, and reflect on love and loss across the still waters of Lake Como. Vivid landscapes and historic venues blend with lessons from the author’s childhood creating a kaleidoscopic view of the ever-changing challenges to our oldest-old and the resulting affect on the family dynamic. Against the beauty of northern Italy, in the vein of Eat, Pray, Love meets Tuesdays with Morrie, A BRIDGE BETWEEN demonstrates that aging is more a leap of faith than a free fall towards certain death.

As a generation of baby boomers confronts long-term parental care, en masse, A BRIDGE BETWEEN offers a socially relevant look at how familial roles are reshaped by time.