Mary Lehman

In 2008, at the height of the U.S. housing crisis, and just when novice real estate investor Mary Lehman thought things couldn't get any worse... they didn't! Instead, she parlayed her financial woes and failed investments into a fascinating adventure, fulfilling her lifelong dream to travel.

No stranger to difficult times, Mary grew up working long hours on her family's backbreaking mid-western fruit farm while steering clear of her irascible father, only to end up a pregnant teenage army bride with an abusive husband. Single again and with a young son, Mary returned to college believing it would make a difference. Yet, her journey to better her life continued at a slow pace until she ultimately landed a dream job in the Florida Key's hot real estate industry. There she experienced a level of success beyond anything she had ever imagined, only to watch everything she had worked so hard to build vanish practically overnight. Fighting back against the depression that threatened to consume her, she cashed out what little she had left in savings and set out on a three-month trip to Europe.

Cappuccino Per Favore tells the story of that uplifting, life-affirming journey. Part memoir, part travelogue, part celebration, it is, first and foremost, a love story. Not for another person but for a magical place, northern Italy's incomparable Treasure Mountain with its breathtaking vistas, challenging hiking trails, great food, and generous and hospitable people.