Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy (Paperback)

What I missed most - but this is personal - is some self-irony, some critical looks at Italian life and often some research/background. The latter improves thoughout the book, although we end with moving house in California, a quick marriage or two, a quick move back to the US for tragic family reasons and back to lovely Italy.
On the whole its an easy accesible book, though nowhere near to benchmark 'One year in the Provence' in my view. The book reads like a lot of little stories spun around diary entries.

What annoyed me most, was the extent of rosyness and sometimes the 'over the top' comments. Also Mrs Hayes dispersal of Italian phrases can become a little weary. On the whole it is the speed at which things occur that was the most annoying in the end. It left me without knowing much about Italian life, but with the Californian perception of it fimrly established. Nice, though, but not something I would buy for my friends.

The current book started whilst still under the Tuscan sun is a very different matter - Tim Parks' Italian Neighbours is a joy - a real ex-Pat living and working near Verona - this book captures the real Italy without the distractions contained in Bella Tuscany.

I have still to read the third book In Tuscany which I bought for the photographs - sorry Frances, if I wanted another recipe book I would have bought one. If Under The Umbrian Sun appears I don't think I'll bother.

The reader is introduced to the sights, sounds, and smells of this magnificent dreamy region of the world. The book is interspersed with Italian phrases, increasing the allure of her exotic choice for a second home, Tuscany, Italy. All the senses of the reader are aroused into full alert by the aroma of freshly baked bread, the smell of newly turned earth awaiting seeds for the vegetable garden, and the enticement of early morning capuccino ...One can just hear the Italian accent in the greeting, "Buon giorno, una bella giornata" ("Good morning, a beautiful day")!

Along with the author, the reader participates in selecting flowers for a garden path and making a trip to the wine region for "sfuso" (house wine) ... bought from local vintners from their own local brew. We take side trips to Venice, and a gondola ride down the main canal, reminiscing of the past. We take a trip to the famous Capella Palatina, a former residence of kings. It has Arabic and Byzantine architechtural influences from many hundreds of years historical importance ... We go to Sicily and taste the local seafood at a restaurant recommended by the hotel clerk, who assures us, this the restaurant the locals choose for the "best seafood". Indeed, there is no disappointment, the appetizer is "futta di mare", a variety of fried fish and a spicy eggplant dish made with cinnamon and pine nuts. We are served stuffed squid and veal, rolled around with a layer of herbs and cheese. The day concludes with a visit to the market, where lamb, fish, shrimp, candied fruits and various cooking utensils as well as a large variety of food is sold.

This book is richly detailed with the experience of creating a new life in a foreign country. The reader along with the author is learning many things ... building a garden with hearty plants that survive all year round, planting the proper vegetables by the right season, remodeling a home, and partaking of customs and religious feast days of the region. It has wonderful descriptions of side trips to local and distant places of historical interest and of physical beauty ...I have never read Frances Mays first book so have no basis of comparison. However, this book is clearly an artistic achievement similar to a painting on canvas. This author possesses the power of selecting the right words to create nostalgia and longing in the reader ... to experience *her* Tuscany. Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)