Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy

x, 291 pp. Inspiration for the motion picture starring Diane Lane. "Now in paperback, the #1 San Francisco Chronicle bestseller that is an enchanting and lyrical look at the life, the traditions, and the cuisine of Tuscany, in the spirit of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. 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." CONTENTS: Preface; Bramare: (Archaic) To Yearn For; A House And The land It Takes Two Oxen Two Days To Plow; Sister Water, Brother Fire; The Wild Orchard; Whir Of The Sun; Festina Tarde (Make Haste Slowly); A Long Table Under The Trees; Summer Kitchen Notes: Cortona, Noble City; Riva, Maremma: Into Wildest Tuscany; Turning Italian; Green Oil; Floating World: A Winter Season; Winter Kitchen Notes; Rose Walk; Sempre Pietra (Always Stone); Relics of Summer; Solleone.