Arriving in Naples as a naive young intern at the American Consulate, Katherine is set up on a blind date - at least that's what she's expecting. Instead, Salvatore brings her home to eat pizza with his family. But this is no ordinary pizza, and Raffaella, the woman who makes, it is no ordinary woman. From that moment, Katherine's education begins: never eat the crust of a pizza first, always stand up and fight for yourself and your loved ones, and consider mealtimes sacred - food must be prepared fresh and consumed in compagnia . Immersed in Neapolitan culture, traditions and cuisine, slowly and unexpectedly falling for Salvatore and longing for Raffaella's company and guidance, Katherine discovers how to prepare meals that sing, from hearty, thick ragù to comforting rigatoni alla Genovese to pasta al forno, a casserole chock-full of bacon, béchamel, and no fewer than four kinds of cheese. The secret to succulent, tender octopus? Beat it with a hammer. While Katherine is used to large American kitchens with islands and barstools, she comes to appreciate the beauty of small, crowded Italian ones, where it's easy to offer a taste from a wooden spoon. Through courtship, culture clashes, Sunday mass, marriage and motherhood (in Naples, a pregnancy craving must always be satisfied), Katherine comes to appreciate carnale, the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of comfort and confidence in one's own skin.

Raffaella and her famiglia are also experts at sdrammatizzare, knowing how to suck the tragedy from something and spit it out with a great big smile. Part travel tale, part love letter, Only in Naples is a sumptuous story and a feast for the senses. Goethe said, 'See Naples and die.' When Katherine Wilson saw Naples, she started to live.