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From the bestselling author whose memoirsUnder the SunandBella Tuscanyhave captured the voluptuousness of Italian life comes a lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany's people, food, landscapes, and art.In Tuscanycelebrates 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, show more 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. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
She writes so eloquently and with such great love. Tuscany comes alive.
Book of photographs of Tuscany, to accompany her memoirs on the subject.
Prachtige beelden en lekkere recepten uit Toscane
May 19, 2010Dutch
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Author Information
36+ Works 13,515 Members
A native of Georgia, Frances Mayes received a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.A. from San Francisco State University. She is a creative writing professor at San Francisco State University. Mayes' memoir "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy," about buying and restoring an abandoned villa in Cortona, was a national best seller in show more 1996. It became the basis of a feature film of the same name in 2003 starring Diane Lane. In addition her travel writing, Frances Mayes is the author of six books of poetry and is a respected essayist and gourmet cook. Frances' title Under Magnolia is a 2015 New York Times bestseller. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
5+ Works 578 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- In Tuscany
- Original publication date
- 2000
- Important places
- Tuscany, Italy; Bramasole
- Quotations
- The more you know, the more you love, the more you enjoy.
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Statistics
- Members
- 470
- Popularity
- 64,569
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.83)
- Languages
- Dutch, English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 3
