In Tuscany

By: Frances Mayes, Edward Mayes

Narrated by: Frances Mayes, Edward Mayes

A lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany’s people, food, landscapes, and art, from the bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and See You in the Piazza

“A love letter to Italy written in precise and passionate language of near-poetic density.”—Newsday

In Tuscany celebrates the abundant pleasures of life in Italy as it is lived at home, at festivals, feasts, restaurants and markets, in the kitchen and on the piazza, in the vineyards, fields, and olive groves. Combining essays by Frances Mayes and a chapter by her husband, poet Edward Mayes, with more than 200 full-color photos by photographer Bob Krist, each of this book's five sections highlights a signature aspect of Tuscan life:

La Piazza: the locus of Italian village life. With photographs of the shop signs, the outdoor markets, medieval streets, people, their pets and their cars, and snippets of conversations overheard, Mayes reveals the life of the Piazza in her town of Cortona as well as out-of-the-way places such as Volterra, Asciano, Monte San Savino, and Castelmuzio.

La Festa: the celebration. Essays and photos of feasts and celebrations, such as the Christmas dinner for twenty-seven at a neighbor's house and a donkey race around the church at Montepulciano Stazione, illustrate how the Tuscans celebrate the seasons--their open ways of friendship, their connection to nature, and most of all, their sense of abundance.

Il Campo: the field. Here Edward Mayes evokes the deep sense of the shift of seasons as he picks olives before he and Frances head off to the olive oil mill and enjoy the first bruscette with new oil.

La Cucina: the kitchen. An intimate view of the all-important role of the kitchen in Tuscan culture, including photographs of her own kitchen and gardens, menus from great local cooks, the elements of the Tuscan table, dishes with cultural and culinary notes on each, and, of course, delectable recipes.

La Bellezza: the beauty. From the quality of the light falling on sublime landscapes in different seasons and Tuscan faces in moments of laughter to a silhouette of cypress trees in the early evening and a wild bird perched on a neigbor's head, In Tuscany features views of beauty that reveal the singular splendor of one of the world's best-loved and most artistic regions.©2000 Frances Mayes; (P)2000 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Tuscany may have found its own bard in Frances Mayes.”—The New York Times

“Irresistable . . . A senuous book for a sensuous countryside.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“An intense celebration of what she calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life' . . . Appealing and very vivid . . . [The] book seems like the kind of thing you'd tuck into a picnic basket on an August day . . . or better yet, keep handy on the bedside table in the depths of January.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A love letter to Italy written in precise and passionate language of near-poetic density . . . Maye's sequel offers something different, even richer and more complex, than her first account of life in Tuscany. . . . This is a book to treasure, as the author so clearly treasures the life she engraves on our hearts.”—Newsday

“Frances Mayes is, before all else, a wonderful writer. . . . She never loses sight of the fact that millenniums-old Tuscany, with its immemorial customs and folksways, is not to be domesticated or made familiar. Her Italy remains intransigently foreign, exotic, a continuing revelation of strangeness and unexpected beauties.”—Chicago Tribune

Disappointing but not a total waste

I listened to & loved Bella Tuscany & Under the Tuscan Sun. Looked forward to Frances' next book. This was not nearly as engaging & entertaining as the other two. Had it not been for Frances' voice & accent (I like) & the promise of hearing her husband Ed (I like)I would have bailed out. Fortunately I did not. I thoroughly enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book. Lots of interesting info. & insights into Tuscan food, culture, & hospitality.

So disappointed

Would you try another book from Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes and/or Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes ?

I usually LOVE Frances Mayes books but this one really fell flat.

Would you recommend In Tuscany to your friends? Why or why not?

no, could not recommend this book.

Could you see In Tuscany being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

nope

Author’s Narration Is Annoying

I am a Southerner and am used to Southern voices but I am sorry to say, Ms. Mayes’ voice just grates on my nerves. She pronounces even Italian words with a nasally Southern twang. Expected so much more! Returned it after 30 minutes and several attempts to get over it.