Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy |  | Author: Frances Mayes
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Seller: bay-city-books
Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 22488
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5 x 1
ISBN: 076790284X
Dewey Decimal Number: 945.5
EAN: 9780767902847
ASIN: 076790284X
Publication Date: April 4, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Following up on her bestselling novel, Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes returns to her beloved villa in the small hill town of Cortona, Italy. Welcomed back like an old friend, she is soon puttering in the garden, and as Mayes devotees might expect, busy in the kitchen as well. As Mayes rediscovers her taste for la dolce vita, she embarks on a journey of cultural awakening and embraces a newfound romance with the Italian language and people. "I came to Italy expecting adventure," reads Mayes. "What I never anticipated is the absolute sweet joy of everyday life." Mayes is as generous a cook as she is a writer, flavoring her story with tasty descriptions of local gustatory delights--many of which are included in a small recipe book. She also serves as narrator, and the beguiling simplicity of her voice makes listening as enjoyable as spending an afternoon with a well-traveled favorite aunt. (Running time: 9 hours, 6 cassettes) --George Laney
Product Description
Frances Mayes, whose enchanting #1 New York Times bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun made the world fall in love with Tuscany, invites us back for a delightful new season of friendship, festivity, and food, there and throughout Italy.
A companion volume to Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany is Frances Mayes's passionate and lyrical account of her continuing love affair with Italy. Now truly at home there, Mayes writes of her deepening connection to the land, her flourishing friendships with local people, the joys of art, food, and wine, and the rewards and occasional heartbreaks of her villa's ongoing restoration. It is also a memoir of a season of change, and of renewed possibility. As spring becomes summer she revives her lush gardens, meets the challenges of learning a new language, tours regions from Sicily to the Veneto, and faces transitions in her family life. Filled with recipes from her Tuscan kitchen and written in the sensuous and evocative prose that has become her hallmark, Bella Tuscany is a celebration of the sweet life in Italy.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 136
 It takes me back to Italy November 5, 1999
Michael L. Cook (cook_michael@hotmail.com) (Odenton, Maryland)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
Francis Mayes has done it again. While reading the book I was transported back to Italy. Having lived in Pisa for 2 years, I appreciate everything she endured and experienced. Since reading both books, I feel I know the in's and out's of Bramasole. Next year I would love to visit Cortona again and see the house in its natural setting. A wonderful book to compliment "Under the Tuscan Sun". Wonderful reading, I could'nt put it down.
A breathtaking view of beautiful Tuscany. June 8, 1999
20 out of 24 found this review helpful
Frances Mayes has brought Italy to me here in Webster, New York. The first book, "Under the Tuscan Sun," made me hungry for more about Tuscany, the people, the foods & recipes, the history & geography, and especially the descriptive manner in which Ms. Mayes tells a delightful story along with everything else. "Bella Tuscany" has moved me more than any other book I have read. I lose myself in each one of her chapters. Then I find myself, understanding why, as an Italian, I interpret things the way I do, feel the way I feel, and relate to people of all nationalities the way I do. I savor each chapter, reading each word, and sometimes having to close the book because I cannot see the words through my tears. I have never traveled to any European countries and hopefully, one day soon, I will. Cortona and Venice will be on the top of my list. One of the most moving thoughts in the book, was her description of an old widow who was selling her home and of course wanted to sell it for more money than it was worth. Ms. Mayes states that the house probably looked the same way it did in 1750! The emotional value of the home seemed to override the real physical worth of the structure. Ms. Mayes tells us that the old widow reached out to her, took her hand, and pulled her into a different world. She wanted to cry out because the woman's grip was so strong, but she didn't. As a child growing up in Rochester, New York, and having grandparents that lived in an area populated by Italians (mostly Sicilians), I have met women like the old widow. They hold you so tightly...maybe thinking some of that youthfulness will rub off on them. When they spoke of their homes in Sicily, I used to wish they had pictures of the people and towns, but I only knew of those places from their descriptive reviews. I wished I could see and feel the beauty they described, beauty that they missed, coveying that feeling only in tearful eyes. They were always so happy to see you, even if you had just been there the day before. I will happily anticipate Frances Mayes next book on her life in Cortona. I would like to see a Frances Mayes PBS special! Thank you for this opportunity to voice by opinion of this wonderful book.
Sun-Drenched and Gorgeous January 9, 2000
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
I am an Italian and I've never lived anywhere else. I don't understand what people find so offensive about this book! Ms. Mayes captures the sights and sounds the textures and tastes of Italy perfectly. She's welcome to bring one of her famous lemon pies to MY villa anytime! Way to go, Frances!
Bella Tuscany April 1, 2006
Zecon
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This effort by Frances Mayes should be considered on its own merits. Like Mayes I have an ongoing love-affair with Tuscany and the people who live there. Mayes continues her whimsical account of life in Tuscany inspiring my flights of fancy and thoughts of my next visit to Tuscany. Her descriptions of Italy whether it be its food, places or people are so sensual and compelling that you put down the book only to long for that next visit to Italy. That is what I expected when I read this book, and Mayes delivered the goods. I was thoroughly satisfied with this book.
This book provides an imaginary escape for the reader... May 3, 2006
MJB (Montana)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book itself is beautifully bound with thick hand cut pages. I found it to be pleasurable simply to hold it as I read it. Frances took me on a gentle journey through various small towns, museums and trattorias throughout Italy, along with shadowing her personal journey during that 6 or so years. The book had everything I want from Ms. Mayes Tuscany stories. If you are looking for an escape to an Italian dreamland, you will like this book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 136
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