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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In this memoir of her buying, renovating and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the colour, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll. --Amazon.com
Product Description
Frances Mayes - widely published poet, gourmet cook and travel writer - opens the door on a wondrous new world when she buys and restores an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. She finds faded frescoes beneath the whitewash in the dining room, a vineyard under wildly overgrown brambles - and even a wayward scorpion under her pillow. And from her traditional kitchen and simple garden she creates dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, all included in this book.
In the vibrant local markets and neighbouring hill towns, the author explores the nuances of the Italian landscape, history and cuisine. Each adventure yields delightful surprises - the perfect panettone, an unforgettable wine, or painted Etruscan tombs. Doing for Tuscany what Peter Mayle did for Provence, Mayes writes about the tastes and pleasures of a foreign country with gusto and passion. A celebration of the extraordinary quality of life in Tuscany, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN is a feast for all the senses.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Frances Mayes, an American professor in her late 40's, buys a derelict house near the Tuscan village of Cortona. She is recently divorced, and having spent many happy holidays in Italy before, decides to take a big risk in buying this small estate with 5 acres of land that is half way across the world. This book is about "what happens next" as she and her partner Ed begin the long process of renovating an old house that has not been lived in for over 30 years.
Due to their teaching schedules, they are able to devote an entire summer every year, plus a Christmas break, to the renovations. In between removing eco-systems of spiders and scorpions, linseed oiling the cotto floors, cleaning windows, designing the new kitchen and bathrooms, clearing the terraces of weeds, they also make trips to other parts of Tuscany where Mayes describes the food, the architecture, the people, the landscape. As the renovations progress, you get to meet the local tradespeople, some of the villagers, as well as Mayes' guests who visit from America.
I love this book and read it about once a year. Warning! By the end you will be longing to jump on the next plane to Italy, if only to find a good trattoria and sample some of the foods & recipes Mayes presents in her book. It is a quiet book, which may not appeal to those who saw the movie starring Diane Lane, but if you are looking to read something heartwarming on a cold winter's day, do read this one.
Due to their teaching schedules, they are able to devote an entire summer every year, plus a Christmas break, to the renovations. In between removing eco-systems of spiders and scorpions, linseed oiling the cotto floors, cleaning windows, designing the new kitchen and bathrooms, clearing the terraces of weeds, they also make trips to other parts of Tuscany where Mayes describes the food, the architecture, the people, the landscape. As the renovations progress, you get to meet the local tradespeople, some of the villagers, as well as Mayes' guests who visit from America.
I love this book and read it about once a year. Warning! By the end you will be longing to jump on the next plane to Italy, if only to find a good trattoria and sample some of the foods & recipes Mayes presents in her book. It is a quiet book, which may not appeal to those who saw the movie starring Diane Lane, but if you are looking to read something heartwarming on a cold winter's day, do read this one.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book quite funny at the beginning. As a foreigner living in Italy for these last 12 years I laughed out loud reading those everyday life incidents and lets call them diplomatic misunderstandings that different cultures bring with them.
I could just simply relive the bizarre situations that the authors describes and in a way feeling a bit relieved I wasn't the only one having problems.
Somewhere in between the book became a bit boring and I had to plod my way through the pages. The author seems to love a lot Italian cuisine because she's always describing what she's eating in the various restaurants she's been at, in different places in Italy, especially Tuscany.
I could just simply relive the bizarre situations that the authors describes and in a way feeling a bit relieved I wasn't the only one having problems.
Somewhere in between the book became a bit boring and I had to plod my way through the pages. The author seems to love a lot Italian cuisine because she's always describing what she's eating in the various restaurants she's been at, in different places in Italy, especially Tuscany.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My goodness - she does eat a lot! And she does go on a bit too long about the Etruscans in the middle of the book ... and (as others have commented) she is a little 'wordy'.
But apart from that, she certainly conjures up the lifestyle, the countryside & the FEEL of Italy - sorry, the feel of TUSCANY - quite unlike other parts of Italy. At times I could almost smell the air filled with the scent of hay, peaches & herbs. We have relatives there with friends who renovated an old house - she could have been describing their place, on the same hillside!
If you haven't been to Tuscany, this will make you wish to be there ... ***
But apart from that, she certainly conjures up the lifestyle, the countryside & the FEEL of Italy - sorry, the feel of TUSCANY - quite unlike other parts of Italy. At times I could almost smell the air filled with the scent of hay, peaches & herbs. We have relatives there with friends who renovated an old house - she could have been describing their place, on the same hillside!
If you haven't been to Tuscany, this will make you wish to be there ... ***
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Too many words
I love the good-life-in-the-sun genre books. They tell of a dream so many of us share. I admire Frances Mayes' courage in pursuing her dream of the good life in Tuscany. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Simba the Lion
Bit flowery
A well written book however rather flowery language that can give the wrong impression that moving to Italy is a joyful and easy thing to acheive, when the reality is rather... Read more
Published 7 months ago by David Fletcher
a bit ga-ga, with the underside rumbling underneath
When I move to a different country, I almost always read books by other foreigners about what it was like for them. Read more
Published 13 months ago by rob crawford
wonderful
I enjoyed this book a good deal. I originally watched the film with Diane Lane which I liked a great deal. That is why I decided on buying the book. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Frank Bierbrauer
Escapism
I am really enjoying this book, which allows me an escape to rural Italy, but with a touch of realism and practicality, so that one's feet just touch the ground. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Ana Charles
Under the Tuscan Sun
The title of this book encompasses the essence of the book. Frances Mayes retires to Italy and obtains a rural farmhouse and olive trees. Read more
Published on 30 May 2010 by bernie
Under The Tuscan Sun
I bought this book for my husband for his birthday as we got engaged in Tuscany and subsequently returned for our second honeymoon as we love the country so much! Read more
Published on 6 May 2010 by Mrs. Kathryn Green
Sunshine
Pleased with purchase, clean pages for a secondhand book, no dust sheet supplied with this book.
Published on 4 May 2010 by Jillian Murray
satisfied customer!
How pleasing that choosing and ordering the products on amazon's user-friendly site is so quick and easy; the book arrived promptly and was exactly as described.
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by Alison M. Shields
Excellent reading and great film to watch
I saw the film first on tv and had to go and buy the book and dvd immediately, thank goodness for Amazon on line. Read more
Published on 1 April 2009 by Morticia DeCat
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