<DIV><DIV>In a tiny, ancient Italian hill town, where the land gives littleand money and food are scarce, Don Francesco Falcone is a man to be reckoned with: rich, powerful, restless, intransigent. When he meets another force of nature, Concetta, a penniless but fiercely indestructible farmworker, the stage is set for the creation of an exceptional family: generations of strong, complicated boys and, especially, girls. The battles between them are many as they live through historical upheaval and private passions. <P></P>Their stories are told by Gioia, the last of the line, a womanof our times who fights tirelessly against convention. She is the product of a family of memorable women who know how to survive, and also how to make something fantastical and rich out of their lives: with their hands they create delicate and complex embroideries, while their minds embroider endless, elaborate stories. <P></P>In this sweeping, unforgettable novel, Mariolina Venezia portrays five generations of the Falcone family. Through their complicated, funny, tragic, and astonishing stories, Venezia also recounts a century and a half of Italy&#8217;s tumultuous history. <I>Been Here a Thousand Years </I>is a testament to the Falcone family, and also to the vibrant, irrational, irresistible country that produced it. <P></P></DIV></DIV>