Bringing Tuscany Home, Frances Mayes
Bringing Tuscany Home, Frances Mayes
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Bringing Tuscany Home
Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy

Author: Frances Mayes, Edward Mayes

Narrator: Frances Mayes

Abridged: 3 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 10/05/2004

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

I always imagine each of the signoras who lived in this house—where she shelled peas, rocked the grandchild, placed a vase of the pink roses. Now I would like to take one of these women back to my house in California to show her how Bramasole traveled to America and took root, how the doors there are open to the breeze from San Pablo bay and to the distant view of Mount Tamalpais, how the table has expanded and the garden has burgeoned…

The “bard of Tuscany” (New York Times) now offers a lavishly illustrated book for everyone who dreams of integrating the Tuscan lifestyle—from home decoration and cooking, to eating and drinking, to gardening, socializing, and celebrating—into their own lives.

When Frances Mayes fell in love with Tuscany and Bramasole, millions of readers basked in the experience through her three bestselling memoirs. Now Frances and her husband, In Tuscany coauthor Edward, share the essence of Tuscan life as they have lived it, with specific ideas and inspiration for readers stateside to bring the beauty and spirit of Tuscany into their own home decor, meals, gardens, entertaining and, most important, outlook on life. In her inimitable warm and evocative tone, Frances helps readers develop an eye for authentic Tuscan style, with advice on how to:

• Choose a Tuscan color palette for the home, from earthy apricot tones to invigorating shades of antique blue.

• Personalize a room with fanciful door frames, unique painted furniture, and fresco murals.

• Cultivate a Tuscan garden, adding fountains, vine-covered pergolas, and terra-cotta urns among the herbs and flowers

• Select the best Italian vino. (Frances describes lunches at regional vineyards and imparts tips for pairing food and wine.)

• Create an atmosphere of irresistible, anytime hospitality—a casa aperta (open home).

• Make primo finds at local antiques markets. (And to help truly bring Tuscany home, shipping advice and market days for several Tuscan towns are included.)

• Set an imaginative Tuscan table using majolica and vintage linens.

• Enjoy the abundant flavors and easy simplicity of the Tuscan kitchen, with details on everything from olive oil and vino santo to pici and gnocchi, plus special homegrown menus and recipes.

• Make the most of a trip to Tuscany, visiting Frances’s favorite hill towns, restaurants, small museums, and other soothing places.

With more than 100 photos by acclaimed photographer Steven Rothfeld (including several of the Mayes’s California home and its Tuscan accents), twenty-five all-new recipes, and lists of resources for travelers and shoppers, Bringing Tuscany Home is a treasure trove of practical advice and memorable images.

About The Author

In addition to the two-million-copy bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun, FRANCES MAYES is the author of Bella Tuscany and In Tuscany; Swan, a novel; The Discovery of Poetry, a text for readers; and five books of poetry. EDWARD MAYES is the author of six books of poetry. They divide their time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Cortona, Italy. STEVEN ROTHFELD’s photos appear in Frances Mayes’s annual “Tuscan Pleasures” desk calendar, and he has illustrated many books and calendars, including his own French Dreams, Italian Dreams, Irish Dreams, and Entrez. He lives in California’s Napa Valley.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Carmen on May 03, 2008

this book was not what it seemed. Since I had found it in the decorating section of the library, I had thought it would be a book which defined this style more than anything else. Instead it was a book with the theme" stop and smell the roses". Something we all need to be reminded of.......more

Goodreads review by Kenneth on December 19, 2020

Five stars, defiantly. When an author sets out with a purpose in writing a book, and so fully achieves that goal in the end, then when the subject matter is a hearty subject with lots of appealing possible content, and nails it, then that is worthy of five stars, If you are considering a serious cont......more

Goodreads review by Claudia on October 10, 2023

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to do some armchair traveling. Frances Mayes found her true "home" in Tuscany. Seems as though a lot of books are written around the theme of someone searching for that place in the world where they feel that sense of belonging - 'this is where I was meant t......more

Goodreads review by Cheryl on July 25, 2019

This is a big beautiful book by one of my favorites, Frances Mayes. This is her house in Tuscany. All the photographs, recipes, stories, make you feel like you could live there too.......more

Goodreads review by Fiona on May 30, 2018

Charming reminder that the slow life is good.......more