Ferenc Máté

Author Ferenc Mate and his wife Candace did what many of us would love to do – moved to a country where the food, wine and ambiance leaves you with a permanent vacation state of mind.

OK, maybe that didn’t happen to them (the vacation mind set) but I would wager it could be that way for me and my husband. Tuscany. Just stating Tuscany evokes images of rolling green hills, vineyards, small local cafes serving strong coffee and homemade pastries.

This memoir details their experience with a show more foreign culture, the procedures of purchasing a place to live, Italian laws as well as new markets, foods and finding a place in their new society. Making friends, enjoying life and living the dream.

The industrious folks who have faced challenges of remodeling and language barriers (the likes of Frances Mayes, *Carol Drinkwater and Marlena De Blasi) impress me. I am a lazy soul….imagining sitting on a terrace with a local wine, swirling the glass, nibbling on fresh bread and watching wildlife and/ or the local vineyard activities or a view of Mediterranean sea.

All the work that the author and aforementioned writers tackled smacks of being much more diligent than I fear I am capable. Perhaps if we are offered a place in Provence or Tuscany or anywhere olives, garlic and wine are abundant…ok, then I would work hard and make the ruin our own castle.

* I know Carol Drinkwater is in Provence….I am equally jealous and impressed

Of all the dishes I could have made – crostini, crepes with ricotta, pasta, rabbit ragu……….I made a Tuscan Pot Roast. Why? Because it’s hot and I wanted to use a slow cooker and it had the name Tuscan in the recipe. It was overdone, but alas, this is just another learning experience. Should have stuck with crostini
You may find the recipe at Squirrel Head Manor

More about the author:
Ferenc Máté has made a career of out documenting his own quests—whether it’s restoring a Tuscan ruin, building a vineyard from scratch, or sailing the seven seas.
Born in Transylvania, he escaped at age eleven when the Hungarian revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. He grew up in Vancouver and has lived in California, Paris, Rome, the Bahamas and New York. He has worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boat-builder, photographer, deckhand and book editor. He is the author of 16 books translated into 12 languages. show less

A clear disappointment. It starts in Tuscany, but it’s a mythical Tuscany that may never have actually existed. According to the author it was, but is not quite now, idyllic in every way. He begins with each of those excellent qualities and then takes you along to other parts of the globe that compare poorly with his ideal.

There are one or two nice thoughts at the beginning, but the book is tiresome after just a little bit.

A more entertaining take than most on what's happening in the world environment. Gives his suggestion for how individuals can do their bit to improve things. I've read a fair number of articles and books on this subject, & if I needed to recommend one to someone not so well versed, this is the one I'd recommend.
The part that felt a bit off was his continual reference to "we", meaning Americans. I don't know how much time he spent in the US, but he was born in Hungary & stayed there until at show more least 11, has lived in Canada, and currently appears to have abandoned the US in favor of Tuscany. show less

Cardboard characters in a creaky plot surrounded by wonderful descriptions of the natural world with large doses of anthropological information.