In Tuscany Reviews
In Tuscany
In Tuscany
From the bestselling author whose memoirs Under the Sun and Bella Tuscany have captured the voluptuousness of Italian life comes a lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany’s people, food, landscapes, and art. 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 all-new 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 photgraphs 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.
Frances Mayes continues her love letter to Italy in this sequel to Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. The restoration of her home, Bramasole, is complete, but Tuscany keeps unfolding. While the earlier books chronicled her and her husband’s first years in Italy, this one is less full of stories than meditations on the elements of Tuscan pleasures, accompanied by photographs that give color to the place Mayes has described so lovingly and well.
“What makes the people so friendly, no, not just friendly, so genuinely kind and generous?” Mayes asks an Italian friend, then turns her intense attention to answer the question herself. Her answers range from baci (kisses), an intimate expression that “keeps alive the joy we all are born with,” to la piazza, the navel of Italy’s intense sense of community, to a deep love affair with food and seasonal delights. (Mayes shares the latter and once again gives recipes from the traditional to the idiosyncratic while her poet-husband Edward treats us to a description of the olive harvest). Then there is the Tuscans’ territorial attachment to the land. Place, Mayes writes, makes you who you are and it is by reading the landscape that you find the story of how the people lived. Like a guidebook written by a good friend who reveals to you all the secret places they’ve found, Mayes leads us from out-of-the-way towns to great frescoes to tiny restaurants with exquisite delicacies (and even gives you their addresses). Turn down any one of Mayes’s streets and there is something to contemplate.
In the distance you see villages crowning a hill or protectively stacked against a slope. Every one pulls me toward its altarpiece, special triptych, arched gate, gothic window, or fountain. Every one has its opinionated, eccentric, friendly, and intrinsic characters who make each place deeply itself.
Once again, Mayes presents Tuscany as an irresistible place where the pleasures are unexpected, sumptuous, and downright enviable. Immersing yourself in In Tuscany is the next best thing to being invited home to Bramasole. –Lesley Reed
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(out of 29 reviews)
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Review by M. Morgan for In Tuscany
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Having read Frances Mayes’ first two books about Bramasole, I found myself wishing that I could see all the fascinating places and people she described in such loving detail. It is obvious that she is a poet, for who else would notice the little everyday things that she re-creates so vividly for us? When I heard that her new book would have photographs, it seemed too good to be true. Would the little shrine down the terrace from Bramasole be there? Would the marketplaces in Cortona? Would there be portraits of the people whose character studies have made us wish we could have them for friends and neighbors? Not to worry, all these and so much more is there. The photographer is an artist, and the quality of his work belongs in a gallery. Mrs. Mayes must have known that many of her readers would want to own a book like this, and I feel as though it is my own personal trip to Tuscany to keep forever.
Review by for In Tuscany
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This is a necessary companion to Mayes’ earlier books about the restoration of her home. This book is all about photos of Tuscany and the hill town (apparently Italy’s oldest) of Cortona in particular. These photos compliment her previous works very well by showing you what she is seeing in an area of Italy she knows so well. Tuscany and Umbria are beautiful places. I have seen other photograph books with better pictures of Tuscany and Umbria, but this one goes along with Mayes’ previous books. I have driven down the road on the cover and it is truly a site to see. Don’t get confused by other reviews which reference the images from this book as “Italy” in general. Not all of Italy is like this, but the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria are and a must see for the traveller who is looking to relax for a week or two in the Tuscan or Umbrian hillside.
Review by Brenda S. Weeaks for In Tuscany
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Frances Mayes’ love for Tuscany has traversed in to a third book. Before In Tuscany, there was Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. In Tuscany has been written with Edward Mayes and the famous photographer Bob Krist provides some rich awe inspiring pictures that show the reader why the author is so in love with the splendor of Tuscany. His pictures give an artistic appearance that captures and keeps the reader’s eye. Frances writes that Tuscany is a world; Italy is a universe. She has spent a notable amount of time exploring Tuscany in order to experience more of the wonder and pleasure it beholds. Each chapter is organized and presented in a clear manner. The author’s bounty of information flows in a pleasurable reading style making it easy to read and enjoy; the author’s passion shines through in every word.Here are the chapters and the subjects they deliver:Baci (Kisses) – An introduction of sorts La Piazza (Piazza) – Where everyone enjoys life La Festa (Celebration) – Elaborate celebrations and how history plays a part Il Campo (Field) – The countryside and vineyards La Cucinal (Kitchen) – Menu and cooking traditions La Belleza (Beauty) – The beauty and light of TuscanyIt’s a joy to read and the pictures a pleasure to look at.
Review by for In Tuscany
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I had been waiting eagerly for the next book in the Tuscany series and I am not disappointed. The format is certainly different than the other 2, but Mayes’ love for and delight in her Tuscan home and adopted land comes through as clearly as ever. Her use of language is absolutely perfect, the photos beautiful and evocative, and the author’s love of detail comes through wonderfully! At times, I felt I could almost touch the objects she describes, and taste the food so lovingly depicted! Bravo, and I’m already looking forward to the next volume!
Review by Llewellyn C. Douglass for In Tuscany
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After having lived in Italy, I can say that this book catches the true essence of that country. The quietly beautiful photographs recall the Italian masters and the scenes portray the everyday life of Italy and it’s people. This 3rd book of Frances Mayes is not filled with the hilarious anecdotal stories of the first two, but it is broader and told with more assurance of time and place. How can one read and look at this book and not fall in love with Italy ?