Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy

Frances Mayes (1997)

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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Under the Tuscan Sun is the story of Frances Mayes and her experience buying and restoring an abandoned villa in Tuscany. The appeal of the book comes partially of course from her descriptions of beautiful hill towns and amazing museums but much more from the discoveries and challenges adjusting to her new daily life. Mayes is a gourmet chef and so a lot of the narrative revolves naturally around the wonders of regional food and wine, even including a number of local recipes. Her villa (named Bramasole) is one of the central characters of the book. Mayes of course is faced with the obstacles expected in renovating a home in a foreign country, but she also is rewarded with some surprises along the way with faded frescoes undiscovered in her dining room and a vineyard hiding in the garden. Under the Tuscan Sun and its poetic depiction of “la dulce vita” was a New York Times best-seller for several years. The memoir was turned into a feature film in 2003 starring Diane Lane who was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe Award.

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ABOUT FRANCES MAYES

Frances Mayes is an American poet and writer. She is best known for Under the Tuscan Sun, but she has written several other memoirs on life in Tuscany. She is an accomplished poet with several published works. Other works include a novel called Swan (2002) and a travel book called A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller (2006).

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GREAT QUOTES FROM UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

“Like fanning through a deck of cards, my mind flashes on the thousand chances, trivial to profound, that converged to re-create this place. Any arbitrary turning along the way and I would be elsewhere; I would be different. Where did the expression "a place in the sun" first come from? My rational thought process cling always to the idea of free will, random event; my blood, however, streams easily along a current of fate."

“Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”

INTERESTING LINKS:

Read Alida Becker's New York Times 1998 review on Under the Tuscan Sun.
It is possible to rent the amazing villa in Cortogna, Tuscany used for the set of the film. Click here for more details.
Mayes was the guest editor for the 2002 edition of The Best American Travel Writing series.