Amazon.com
In this memoir of her buying, renovating, and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy, and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the color, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden, and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced, and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll.
Book Description
Buying a villa in the spectacular Italian countryside is a wonderful fantasy -- even if 17 rooms and a garden in need of immediate loving care are included in the asking price. Frances Mayes -- gourmet cook, widely published travel writer, and poet -- changed her life by doing just that. Sprinkled liberally with delicious recipes for inspired Italian dishes, amusing anecdotes about the risks of being your own contractor, and a savvy traveler's reminiscences, Under the Tuscan Sun is Mayes's enchanting account of her love affair with Tuscany: of scouring the neighborhood for the perfect panettone and the perfect plumber; of mornings spent cultivating her garden, and afternoons spent enjoying its fruits in leisurely lunches on the terrace; of jaunts through the hill towns in search of renowned wines; and the renewal not only of a house, but also of the spirit. An unusual memoir that combines the appeal of M. F.K. Fisher, Peter Mayle, and Martha Stewart, Under the Tuscan Sun is a feast for the senses.
Download Description

---

Now a major motion picture froom Touchstone Pictures starring Diane Lane.

---

Frances Mayes entered a wondrous new world when she began restoring an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. There were unexpected treasures at every turn: faded frescos beneath the whitewash in her dining room, a vineyard under wildly overgrown brambles in the garden, and, in the nearby hill towns, vibrant markets and delightful people. In Under the Tuscan Sun, she brings the lyrical voice of a poet, the eye of a seasoned traveler, and the discerning palate of a cook and food writer to invite readers to explore the pleasures of Italian life and to feast at her table.

---

"This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it's so delicious, read it first yourself."
   USA TODAY

"Irresistible... a sensuous book for a sensuous countryside."
   MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE

"An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life'."
   THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Armchair travel at its most enticing."
   BOOKLIST

"Mayes [has] perfect vision."
   LOS ANGELES TIMES

---

Preface	1
Bramare: (Archaic) To Yearn For	5
A House And The Land It Takes Two	24
Sister Water, Brother Fire	41
The Wild Orchard	63
Whir Of The Sun	75
Festina Tarde (Make Haste Slowly)	90
A Long Table Under The Trees	107
Summer Kitchen Notes	124
Cortona, Noble City	138
Riva, Maremma: Into Wildest Tuscany	159
Turning Italian	180
Green Oil	194
Floating World: A Winter Season	205
Winter Kitchen Notes	220
Rose Walk	234
Sempre Pietra (Always Stone)	242
Relics Of Summer	258
Solleone	271