Eric Dregni seems to live la dolce vita. The growing list of books by the Minneapolis writer and Concordia University professor suggest an endless (and sometimes endlessly weird) vacation: Several Midwestern guide books are the culmination of many road trips across the Midwest to admire scenic and strange wonders; “In Cod We Trust” chronicles his experiences living in Norway with his wife and newborn; and his newest book, the food memoir “Never Trust a Thin Cook,” recounts the amazing foods he encountered in Italy over the course of several extended stays, including a year in Modena in the 1990s. “I simply wanted to live in the place with the best food in the world,” he writes.

Sounds like a pretty nice job, being a writer, eh?

Of course, he doesn’t sit around sipping cappuccini and eating pizzas the whole time he’s in Italy, although there are pizzas — and award-winning prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar more valuable than gold, and coffee savored slowly and respectfully in proper cafés. (Caution: Do not attempt to read this book on an empty stomach.)

But Dregni pays for those meals by working as an English teacher in a school that is corrupt in every way possible, while trying to track down a series of stolen bicycles, navigate a bureaucracy so tangled and nonsensical the locals discourage him from obeying any laws, and dodge the terrifying old ladies that make him their personal attendant whenever he ventures into public. In other words, sometimes life gets in the way of food.

“Italians get this reputation for being backwards and corrupt, and yes, there are definitely things about the government and culture that are completely crazy. But at the same time, they produce Ferraris, the best, fastest, most beautiful sports car ever. And they have the best fashion, the best food, amazing art everywhere. They are an incredibly talented people. Really, going there for the first time [in high school] blew me away.”

Dregni’s wandering tendencies started early. As a young child, he lived in Belgium, and the family traveled to Britain and Northern Europe before settling in Minnetonka. During high school, Dregni went to Italy for the first of many trips. During college years, he took a semester off and traveled throughout Central America and Mexico for six months on $1,000. So living in Italy and Norway felt natural.

“People tell me, ‘Wow, I really want to do this! It’s so amazing that you go to these places,’ ” he says. “And I say, ‘Well, you can.’ ”

Now Dregni has resettled in the Longfellow neighborhood, where he and his wife, Katy, are raising two boys. His books give him the chance to stretch his legs; his book tour will take him across the Midwest in search of Italian-American readers and eaters. His work as dean of the Italian Village at the Concordia Language Villages gives him the chance to speak the language, although he speaks Italian at home, too. “I told my kids that I left my English in Italy, so I can only speak Italian with them,” he says.

He also cooks a fair amount of Italian cuisine at home, although he missed the availability of top-quality, fresh artisan ingredients. But one place in Minnesota gets Italian pizza right.

“I can’t really afford to go to the good Italian restaurants here. I can make it at home a lot easier,” he says. “The place, though, that is really addicting, is Punch. They’re good. I was in Rome in January, and ate a bunch of pizza, and Punch is better.”

Events
• Friday, Oct. 2, noon. Concordia University
Buenger Education Center,
Hamline and Marshall avenues,
St. Paul.

• Sunday, Oct. 4, 4:30 p.m. Roseville Lutheran Church,1215 Roselawn Ave. W., Roseville.
651-487-7752.

• Thursday, Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m. Common Good Books
165 N. Western Ave., Suite 14,
St. Paul. 651-225-8989.

• Tuesday, Nov. 3, 4 p.m. University of Minnesota Bookstore,
Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. SE.,
Minneapolis.

• Thursday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Dakota County Heritage Library, 20085 Heritage Drive, Lakeville. 952-891-0370.

• Saturday, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. Barnes & Noble Booksellers,8040 Wedgewood Lane, 
Maple Grove.