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.
