What I missed most - but this is personal - is some self-irony, some critical looks at Italian life and often some research/background. The latter improves thoughout the book, although we end with moving house in California, a quick marriage or two, a quick move back to the US for tragic family reasons and back to lovely Italy.
On the whole its an easy accesible book, though nowhere near to benchmark 'One year in the Provence' in my view. The book reads like a lot of little stories spun around diary entries.

What annoyed me most, was the extent of rosyness and sometimes the 'over the top' comments. Also Mrs Hayes dispersal of Italian phrases can become a little weary. On the whole it is the speed at which things occur that was the most annoying in the end. It left me without knowing much about Italian life, but with the Californian perception of it fimrly established. Nice, though, but not something I would buy for my friends.


Warm and well-observed   May 29, 2001
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book is hard to define - it's an autobiographical account of an American couple who buy and restore a glorious villa in the Tuscan countryside. Part gardening manual, part travel diary, there are even recipes included, and its style is warm, enthusiastic and written by someone with a poet's love of words. I particularly liked the way Mayes shares her learning of Italian with the reader. One Italian idiom which made me laugh was 'acqua in bocca' which literally translates as 'water in the mouth, and means 'I won't tell anyone'.

Days are spent designing their garden, feasting with neighbours, and touring their new country, talking in copious amounts of food as well as culture.

However, the second half of the book lost me completely. There was less of the Italian experience and more of the writer's own childhood in America. Sorry, but I wasn't reading it to find out about her family or America! More of Italy please!


I really enjoyed reading this book.   May 15, 2000
 1 out of 4 found this review helpful

I loved reading this book. I think that Frances Mayles has captured something very special about travel. I love travelling and would be delighted to read more books of a similar standard.


pretentious but occasionally thought-provoking   May 1, 2000
 3 out of 6 found this review helpful

Overall, I found the book to be pretentious in its sensual praise of Tuscany. As we get chapters on Sicily, the Veneto and Umbria the title is also somewhat misleading. And, as one reviewer commented why not "Bella Toscana"? Life would be the way Mayes describes it if we all had as many almighty American bucks in our bank accounts for the renovations, garden modifications, meals out, handbags, shoes and clothes. The reality is quite different if you live in Italy 365 days a year. The bank balance is much lower, your priorities change and it's sometimes impossible to find much that's positive about the place. Having said that, I would readily agree that life in Tuscany or anywhere in Italy is saner than America so perhaps Mayes has good reasons for raving. This reviewer lives in Italy but not by choice and I must say that Mayes, to her credit, manages to open the reader's eyes more to what tends to feel ordinary or commonplace. I attended worship in a medieval parish church this morning and contemplated part of a fresco wondering whether it could be incorporated into my ongoing house renovations.