Too Much Tuscan Sun and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £2.74
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
See all 4 customer images
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Too Much Tuscan Sun on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide [Paperback]

Dario Castagno (Author), Rob Rodi (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Price: £9.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 2 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Tuesday, 28 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £8.11   -- --
Paperback £9.99   -- --
Books Trade-In
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Frequently Bought Together

Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide + A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide
Price For Both: £21.57

Buy the selected items together

Product details

  • Paperback: 268 pages
  • Publisher: Falcon Guides (18 Sep 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1863255079
  • ISBN-13: 978-1863255073
  • ASIN: 0762736704
  • Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 2.1 x 21 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 529,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Dario Castagno Page
Dario Castagno
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Synopsis

Over the past several years, "the American in Tuscany," has become a literary sub genre. Launched by the phenomenal success of Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun, bookstores now burgeon with nimble, witty accounts of this clash in cultures - Americans trying to do American things in Italy and bumping against a brick wall of tradition. Before this sub genre exhausts itself, it's only fair that we hear the other side of the story - that of a native Tuscan and of dozens of Americans who have stormed through his life and homeland, determined to find in it whatever they are looking for, whether quaintness or wisdom, submission or direction. There is no one better to provide this view than Dario Castagno. A Tuscan guide whose client base is predominantly American, Dario has spent more than a decade taking individuals and small groups on customized tours through the Chianti region of Tuscany. Reared in Britain through early childhood, he speake English fluently and is therefore capable of fully engaging his American clients and getting to know them.

Too Much Tuscan Sun is Dario's account of some of his more remarkable customers, from the obsessive and the oblivious to the downright lunatic. It is also a primer on Tuscany - its charms and its culture. Structured around a typical Tuscan year, Dario takes us through the sights, smells, and sounds of Chianti during each of the twelve months, including the festivities and pageantry that accord with the season, most notable the Palio - the bareback horse race that consumes the social energies of the people of Siena for all of July and August. Dario also intersperses an account of his own life and times - that of a transplanted British "little lord" who learns to love the wilds of Chianti; of his discovery and adoption of abandoned peasant farmhouses; of his apprenticeship in the wine industry; and of his arduous transformation from bohemian layabout to thriving Tuscan guide. - A new twist on the theme of Americans in Tuscany, tourists through the eyes of the Tuscans as told by a tour guide. - Self-published in Europe, the author has sold 10,000 copies

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I confess at the outset I'm not a native-born chiantigiano: I was born in England. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
4 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Get me a ticket to Tuscany! 11 Oct 2004
By Graham Rigby
Format:Paperback
Having already spent a great holiday doing the culture vulture bit in Venice I thought I might like to keep my feet dry next time and see what Florence had to offer. A search in Amazon for Tuscan Travel threw up the ususal plethora of Lonely Planet and Rough Guide type publications but I thought I'd go for something a bit more personal and intimate. As Bill Bryson didn't seem to have written one, enter "Too Much Tuscan Sun".

I discovered a little gem in this book. Most travel guides are written by professional authors who don't normally live in the area they're describing. Dario Castagno is a professional guide who has an intimate knowledge of Tuscany in general and Chianti in particular, with a love for the region that shines from the pages. I thought his narrative drew wonderfully evocative pictures of the region. Dario's beautifully written and detailed description of the fierce local competition and raging emotions of Sienna's "Pallio" - a bareback horse race held every year in July and August - is a case in point.

As if being informative isn't enough, the book's also highly entertaining. In between the lush descriptions of towns and countryside there are autobiographical anecdotes and stories involving the American tourists he's guided around the place. Being a Brit I found myself alternately amused or bemused at their antics, most of whom seemed to express a total disregard and unwillingness to learn about the country they were in and the assumption that the whole world is like the USA.

Then I remembered how many of my own countrymen behave abroad!

It's not often I'm moved to write a review but this is one of those occasions. If I wanted to be picky I could say that some illustrative photos wouldn't have gone amiss but it's only a minor detraction.

If you want a travel guide that not only informs at a very high level but can also be read purely for pleasure then this is the book for you.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best author in the world...but funny 9 Oct 2008
By Leanne
Format:Paperback
After reading Under the Tuscan Sun this book came as a nice surprise. I work in Italy in the tourism industry and so many of the customers he depicts are true...some tourists really are ridiculous.
The book is rather simply written - but it is a funny book.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastico. 28 Feb 2013
By Mr Mark A Lusty
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I discovered this through other reading and it is a brilliant read, if you are interested in the region or just want a good read, this is the book for you.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       

      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback


      Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges