Unlike some other travel memoirs I’ve read (I’m looking at you Eat, Pray, Love!), it doesn’t come across as self indulgent, even though Mayes does spend a lot of time in contemplation. On finishing the book, I felt as though I had actually learnt something.

One of the first memoirs of its kind, Under the Tuscan Sun still feels quite fresh. But it’s rich history and culture, friendly people and the beauty of the country make it all worth while. All work on their house came to a sudden standstill for two weeks while the whole of Italy shut up shop and went to the seaside.

My favourite example was during the August festival of Ferragosto. It can be a most infuriating country, as Mayes and her partner discovered on a few occasions. She, like me, has embraced all the quirks of Italian life and gone with the flow. Italy is a very special place, and Mayes understands this. And, oh! How it makes me want to go back! I can almost smell and taste the ripe fruit in the grocery shop. Her walks through the local village are so beautifully recorded that I can clearly imagine the medieval buildings. It was so easy to slip into the relaxed pace of this book and it’s exactly what I needed a few months ago, during a particularly busy spell at work.įollowing Frances Mayes’ adventures in house renovating, home cooking and language learning took me back to my own experiences in Italy. This book is a mixture of memoir, travel guide, recipe book and there’s also a good deal about house renovation, all told with the beautiful backdrop of Bramasole, the impressive house Mayes and her partner have taken on.

Have you ever wanted to simply drop everything and move to Tuscany? Well I have, many times! Reading Under the Tuscan Sun brought all those feelings back to me.

Under the tuscan sun book