Secondly, the book is a long overdue portrait of the real Mario Batali and of the real Marco Pierre White--two complicated and brilliant chefs whose coverage in the press--while appropriately fawning--has never described them in their fully debauched, delightful glory. Buford has--for the first time--managed to explain White's peculiar--almost freakish brilliance--while humanizing a man known for terrorizing cooks, customers (and Batali). As for Mario--he is finally revealed for the Falstaffian, larger than life, mercurial, frighteningly intelligent chef/enterpreneur he really is. No small accomplishment. Other cooks, chefs, butchers, artisans and restaurant lifers are described with similar insight.
Thirdly, Heat reveals a dead-on understanding--rare among non-chef writers--of the pleasures of "making" food; the real human cost, the real requirements and the real adrenelin-rush-inducing pleasures of cranking out hundreds of high quality meals. One is left with a truly unique appreciation of not only what is truly good about food--but as importantly, who cooks--and why. I can't think of another book which takes such an unsparing, uncompromising and ultimately thrilling look at the quest for culinary excellence. Heat brims with fascinating observations on cooking, incredible characters, useful discourse and argument-ending arcania. I read my copy and immediately started reading it again. It's going right in between Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London and Zola's The Belly of Paris on my bookshelf. --Anthony Bourdain
Book Description
Bill Buford—author of the highly acclaimed best-selling Among the Thugs—had long thought of himself as a reasonably comfortable cook when in 2002 he finally decided to answer a question that had nagged him every time he prepared a meal: What kind of cook could he be if he worked in a professional kitchen? When the opportunity arose to train in the kitchen of Mario Batali’s three-star New York restaurant, Babbo, Buford grabbed it. Heat is the chronicle—sharp, funny, wonderfully exuberant—of his time spent as Batali’s “slave” and of his far-flung apprenticeships with culinary masters in Italy.
In a fast-paced, candid narrative, Buford describes the frenetic experience of working in Babbo’s kitchen: the trials and errors (and more errors), humiliations and hopes, disappointments and triumphs as he worked his way up the ladder from slave to cook. He talks about his relationships with his kitchen colleagues and with the larger-than-life, hard-living Batali, whose story he learns as their friendship grows through (and sometimes despite) kitchen encounters and after-work all-nighters.
Buford takes us to the restaurant in a remote Appennine village where Batali first apprenticed in Italy and where Buford learns the intricacies of handmade pasta . . . the hill town in Chianti where he is tutored in the art of butchery by Italy’s most famous butcher, a man who insists that his meat is an expression of the Italian soul . . . to London, where he is instructed in the preparation of game by Marco Pierre White, one of England’s most celebrated (or perhaps notorious) chefs. And throughout, we follow the thread of Buford’s fascinating reflections on food as a bearer of culture, on the history and development of a few special dishes (Is the shape of tortellini really based on a woman’s navel? And just what is a short rib?), and on the what and why of the foods we eat today.
Heat is a marvelous hybrid: a richly evocative memoir of Buford’s kitchen adventure, the story of Batali’s amazing rise to culinary (and extra-culinary) fame, a dazzling behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a famous restaurant, and an illuminating exploration of why food matters.
It is a book to delight in—and to savor.
Customer Reviews:
Fun, fun fun in the bowels of the kitchen.......2007-10-12
I read Bourdain's book and loved it. I also liked this one. Raw, honest talk from someone who has been there.
The autobiography part was fascinating (can such characters really populate elite restaurants!?) and the lowdown on furiously making food night after night was priceless. The last section was too blah blah about Mario Batali, although the scenes of Italy were intriguing. A must read for real food lovers.
A humorous read that made me hungry!.......2007-10-07
Who wouldn't want to go on Buford's journey? He's a great tour guide on his gasto-tour of the kitchens of the Mario Batali and Pierre Marco White. He shows that kitchens can be places that are filled with potential dangers and loads of passion. It took me awhile to get through this book, in part because I kept getting hungry and had to go make something to eat! I'm ready to go clamp the pasta machine to the counter and whip up some fresh pasta.
It's a pretty dense book to get through, and the author wanders away from the main story often. Most of the time, it's to an interesting place, but sometimes, it's just a tangent. But aside from a few of those as a distraction, I thought this was a great book.
Interesting but not what I thought it was going to be.......2007-09-19
I got this book because my husband heard an interview on the radio and thought I would like it since I love to cook. It was interesting but spent too much time, for me, on the politics of working in a restaurant kitchen and not enough on the workings of food in a restaurant. I bored with the personalities and gave up trying to figure out who was who.
I think I made the pages soggy..........2007-09-17
This guy, Bill Buford, is pretty amazing. Despite the danger of slicing off his hands entirely (an accident that he somehow manages to repeat) under various huge, sharp, professional knives, he insisted going (back again and again) to Italy to learn about things so obscure even professional chefs wouldn't have much idea about.
If you're looking for a book about Batali, this isn't the most comprehensive one, but it's scathingly honest and if you really live and breathe food, you'll gain a whole lot more than goss about the inner workings of Batali's businesses. It gets a bit soppy at times - a bit too "Tuscany is beautiful, and Provence is the ultimate foodie heaven", but only fleetingly, and all can be forgiven once you read about the author's hilarious effort to cook a whole pig...
ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2007-09-11
The chapters on Mario Batali and the dynamics of his kitchen were really interesting and engaging. I was intrigud by the sections on Marco Pierre White as I had just read Gordon Ramsey's autobiography in which his tempestuous relationship with White plays a significant role. The rest of Buford's book is just too tediously, self-indulgently written to the point where it killed my interest in the underlying subjects of pasta making and butchery (I ended up skimming page after page as I just couldn't take it). It reminded me of a computer spitting forth every bit of information in its memory regardless of relevance or interest. Just too many tedious, boorish details.
Book Description
Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers how to stroll the same streets walked by Michelangelo, explore world-reknown art museums, or sample Tuscan cuisine? With Rick Steves’ Florence and Tuscany 2007, travelers can experience Rick's favorite destinations in Florence, including the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Bargello, and the Ponte Vecchio – economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves’ Florence and Tuscany 2007 includes:
• Opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights
• Friendly places to eat and sleep
• Suggested day plans
• Walking tours and trip itineraries
• Clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot
America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful and practical book.......2007-09-23
Good information with a sense of humor. Well organized and clearly written. Rick Steves knows his stuff.
Great walks, food and info.......2007-09-02
This is the type of tourist guide we like...lots of walking tours with information on what you are seeing. Excellent information on the major museums to assure you see all the great items, and some lesser items. The food guide was also excellent and included two that will become favorites with us. The humor is fun.
Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany 2007.......2007-08-01
This book is packed with the kind of information that would be nearly impossible to find elsewhere and is essential for anyone wishing to visit Florence and Tuscany, even if they have been there before. The information and tips provided enable a tourist not to be obviously a tourist and to get the most out of the visit. This guide is "A Must".
Mike Sedgwick, Tucson AZ
Great giude for the traveler. Not a museum guidebook........2007-07-16
This book does not have pretty pictures or in-depth historical information about the sights, but there are plenty of books that do that.
This book's strength is that it makes your trip easy, painless and enjoyable. In my recent trip to Florence (June 26-29) I did not have to wait in line at any of the museums/cathedrals/domes etc. which made the trip much more relaxing and enjoyable.
Buy the Rough Guide instead!.......2007-07-14
I came across this in an apartment in Florence, wisely jettisoned by a traveler who had more useful things to carry in their luggage.
Steves' book IS quite good at the very practical nitty gritty of Florence: for example precisely how one collects pre-reserved Uffizi tickets, but his comments on cultural aspects are at best token and often stupid. Not everyone will want, like me, to know all about as much of the art as possible in a book about Florence, but for a travel guide to cover, say, Santa Croce and make reference to only one painting when the place is full of the most glorious and important fresco cycles by major figures is inexcusable. If the information is there, one can ignore it, but if it isn't, you might return to the US (the prime market, I imagine) and realise that you have been within yards of great paintings but the guide book didn't GUIDE you to go and look at them. Instead, in Santa Croce, he refers to admittedly interesting monuments, but fails to refer to the finest (Bruni's), he's only interested in the famous names.
His grasp of the art is very poor and he seems to address his readers as though they are 12 year olds needing asinine jokes to keep their attention. For him medieval painting is a world of never-neverland (his phrase) where the poor painters are struggling desperately to paint realistically but just can't do it! Simone Martine's Uffizi Annunciation is patronised: he can't see its beauty and sees it as a mere stone on the pathway to realism. Mary 'doesn't look too impressed': a good point if he only had the wit to see that perhaps the responsibility of her role is frightening and overwhelming - it's a very moving and human piece, but his approach seems to be,'Why try to elucidate when you can be folksy and jocular'. An early crucifixion is mocked for having Christ's head raised as on a wedge as though this is a pathetic effort at three-dimensionality when it is pretty obvious that the angle would enable viewers to see Christ's face (and suffering) more clearly from ground level and has little to do with aspiring to realism. He also says that the Siena Pinacoteca (a gallery full of wonderful Sienese painting) would tempt him in only if there was a downpour! (I dread to think what nonsense Steves writes about, say, Picasso, if REALISM is the criterion by which all is judged.)
A cardinal sin, for me, is the advice to 'leave this guide face up' in a number of restaurants to gain a reduction. When I travel I like to try to be as little like a tourist as possible, while still obviously being one. I know I stand out like a sore thumb, but Steves seems happy to be as obvious as an amputated leg. And what sort of arrangement leads a guide book writer to 'negotiate' deals for his readers? All very sad, especially as Steves seems to be the Guru of European travel for Americans. Perhaps he suits those, like the previous reviewer who praises Steves for enabling him to 'do' Pisa in 45 minutes and not miss anything, though how he would know he hadn't missed anything is beyond me.
The Rough Guide does everything Steves does well just as effectively, while the cultural stuff, whether great art, architecture etc or jazz clubs, bars, cinemas, clubs - is in another league. If you want a detailed guide to the art and history of the city, see American art historian Eve Borsook's Companion Guide: it has the art, the history and is a really good unfussy read.
And if you want to get a guide to the UK, PLEASE don't buy Steves': I dread to think what rubbish he writes, on the basis of this offering.
Not even worth the one star the site requires me to give!
Book Description
There is something for just about everyone in Florence and Tuscany. From viewing some of the world's greatest Renaissance art to wandering around designer boutiques. Discover a whole new side of Florence and Tuscany with the Eyewitness Travel Guide. This guide will give you practical information without any hassle. All of the important towns and other places to visit are described individually. Within each town or city, there is detailed information on important buildings and other sites. Make the most of your trip with the Eyewitness Travel Guide.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect As Usual.......2007-07-18
I have become such a fan of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides that I never use anything else anymore. They are full of historical information, maps, area by area tips for sightseeing and guides to hotels, restaurants and shopping. They give you good information about traveling to and from, as well as, in and around your destination cities. My favorite thing about these guides is that they give you photograps of the different sites they recommend. I have had occassion to see a photograph of something I hadn't intended to see, been intrigued, and gone out of my way to see it. I've never been disappointed with these guides and this one for Florence and Tuscany are no exception. A great feature of these guides is that they also give maps of the inside of larger buildings such as cathedrals. This is very important in places that have specifically interesting or important pieces of artwork you'd like to see.
If you are traveling with a tour group it is especially nice that you can see what might be available to see in a smaller place you stop for only a few hours. The guide will lead you right to it and you don't waste your time wandering (unless wandering is what you love). Definitely study these guides before you leave. You're trip will be enriched.
Another thing I love about these guides that I've never seen in other guides is a list, complete with pictures, of the different foods that are native to where you're traveling and what the dish is made from. As I am not a particularly adventurous eater, this is very comforting!Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
If you are an armchair traveler these are also great. With the photos and facts you will feel as if you've traveled to your dream destination.
The best overall guide available.......2007-07-03
There is no such thing as the perfect guidebook, but after 13 years of using them I've been most impressed by the Eyewitness series. I used the Rome book in college when I went there for 6 weeks, the London book when I lived in the UK for two years, and I bought the latest edition of the Rome and Florence/Tuscany books this year for my Italian honeymoon. I also brought along Rick Steves and Blue Guide to field-test them, but I used Eyewitness the most by a long shot. Rick Steves is very good for practical travel tips, but little else. Blue Guides are very good for historical/artistic/architectural detail, but they can be cumbersome and aren't the easiest to use while traveling. I made a point to notice which guides other travelers were using around Italy, and I saw Eyewitness guides far more than any other, carried in an amazing variety of language editions by travelers from all over the world.
Eyewitness guides are colorful, filled with photos, easy to carry, user-friendly, and they have great city maps. They provide a comprehensive overview that lets you decide what you want to see. They're also very durable and hold up extremely well in the rain. Foldout covers on front and back provide very handy bookmarks. They have their downsides too, of course: the restaurant and hotel recommendations are hit and miss (as with most guidebooks), the books are not always updated annually, and the short Italian dictionary in the back is all but useless.
This book will guide you to the places you most want to see in and around Florence. It won't tell you a lot about them when you get there, but for many travelers it's more than enough. I like to have more historical, artistic and architectural detail handy when I travel to a place like Italy, so I also travel with the much more detailed Blue Guides. If you're only going to bring one guidebook, I recommend Eyewitness.
Great Guide for detailed travel.......2007-06-15
I recently used this guide during a six-day stay in Florence, with side trips to Prato and Siena. The maps were wonderful, the descriptions helpful, the hints on using buses, trains, electricity, tipping, etc. were practical. The layout diagrams of the top sites showing the interiors of buildings and floorplans seem to be a unique feature of the Eyewitness Guide series -- they are a wonderful to orient oneself within a building. The guide greatly enhanced my trip. And, after my trip, it's been helpful in getting my images in order and identified.
I like this one a little better than Rick Steve's.......2007-05-25
Having read both and used as a planning guides for an Fall 2007 trip, I think this one is a bit better. There are some other great reviewers here to read, and I can only add having both will not hurt you in your preparations for Florence and the Tuscany area. I do beleive Rick Steve's is better on the restaurant reviews. I also recommend using both books to do internet searches of hotels and restaurants. You'd be surprised how many establishments have websites so you can see if you want to stay or eat at certain places.
A Great Guide.......2007-05-05
My family and I just returned from Tuscany and found this guide to be invaluable. The maps, diagrams and pictures are top notch. Although some of the historical and artistic themes are only covered briefly (e.g. the Medici family, Dante, Mannerist painting, etc) it is sufficient to give you a general sense of the key themes and players. The rest is up to you.
What was also particularly useful was the restuarant guide and off the beaten track locations such as Saturnia. Even though I'm moderately fluent in Italian the mini phrase book at the back came in handy. I couldn't remember how to say duck in Italian (l'anatra), and was surprised to find it in the guide.
If you're even remotely considering buying a Florence and/or Tuscany guide, look no further, this is the guide for you.
Book Description
No country inspires as much fascination as Italy, and no region in Italy inspires as much adoration as Tuscanyâfor its interior design, art and architecture, fashion, artisans and crafts, food and wine. In Dreaming of Tuscany you'll experience the essence of a place that dreams are made of, ensuring you'll get the most out of your experience. Sharing her recommendations of favorite insider places and word-of-mouth gems, best-selling lifestyle author Barbara Milo Ohrbach acts as a guide to food markets, exquisite shops, overflowing antiques markets, not to mention cooking courses, outdoor painting classes, ancient palazzos and small museums. And you can live like a Tuscan once you return home, with this book providing sources for everything from luscious bed linens to peppery olive oil. Dreaming of Tuscany is illustrated with three hundred sumptuous images by photographer Simon Upton. Don't dream of visiting Tuscany without first reading this book.
Customer Reviews:
Discovering Tuscany.......2007-10-12
This is a lovely "coffee table" book.
I found the information to be extremely general - book does not contain information that cannot be obtained in any take along travel guide such as Foders, Blue Guide, Cadogan, Rough Guide, etc. In addition, this book is NOT a good reference for individuals who travel on a budget. Most accommodations & ristorantes fall into the 4 star range; expensive.
This book is the perfect book for the pretentious American tourist.
Dreaming of Tuscany.......2007-06-07
As a frequent traveler to Tuscany, I find this book one of the best. It reflects the romantic and unique part of the world known as Tuscany. Wonderful coffee table book, resource for Tuscany and reading for rainy days.
Dreaming of Tuscany.......2007-01-15
Since my daughter and I are going to be in Tuscany in the spring, I found the book to be a great resource for the area. I'm looking forward to seeing things firsthand...but so glad that Ms. Ohrbach has done the groundwork for us...a much more efficient use of our limited time there!
Amazon.com
Tuscany's hill towns and countryside have enthralled inhabitants and visitors for centuries--the golden light in the afternoons, the grape arbors, and the rolling hillsides dotted with rustic farmhouses and villas. Private Tuscany invites us into these dwellings, giving us a glimpse of how life is lived in this warm, inviting place.
The homes featured in this gorgeous volume are as enchanting as the Tuscan towns and hillsides they're built on. Many embody a style we've come to associate with Tuscany: dark-timbered kitchens with dried herbs and garlic ropes hung from the rafters, original terra-cotta tile floors, large-windowed living rooms, and artfully frescoed walls. There are centuries-old furnishings crafted by skilled Italian artisans and elegantly manicured gardens containing hidden grottos and classical statuary. But the homes also reflect the special touches of the people who occupy them. For instance, a theater lover displays his exquisite collection of miniature theaters in the salon; the daughter of a villa owner paints traditional murals on the walls and mosaic patterns on the floors.
Simon McBride's photographs skillfully capture the magic of these Tuscan homes and feature a variety of residences, from simple farmhouses to grand villas and palaces. The book's four chapters divide the homes into types: rustic, classic, grand, and modern. An index at the back serves as an introduction to Tuscany's pleasures, providing contact information for sampling the region's wine and produce, fine dining, hotels and houses, gardens, and crafts.
Several of the homeowners featured in Private Tuscany have gone to painstaking lengths to restore these buildings after decades, or even centuries, of neglect. The results, from the simplest farmhouse kitchen to an elaborately frescoed dining room, are breathtaking. --Kris Law
Book Description
Tuscany has long exerted a magnetic pull over visitors to this most romantic of Italy's provinces. From Lord Byron and Henry James to contemporary writers, designers, and artists, everyone is charmed by the rolling Tuscan landscape, its magical light, its rich artistic and visual culture, and above all, its highly sensuous way of life.
Private Tuscany reveals the interior style of some of the area's most charming homes--the pared-down beauty of a film director's farmhouse retreat; the refined elegance of an aristocrat's seventeenth-centry palazzo high in the hills; the Gothic mood of a winemaker's medieval fortress; the modern chic of a designer's country house; or the earthy character of an architect's villa, drenched with color and light.
Whether it is the ancient terra-cotta floors, gardens fragrant with herbs, or candlelit dinners on outdoor terraces, the spirit of living in Tuscany is alive in these pages in brilliant color.
Customer Reviews:
Great addition to my references.......2007-05-31
I am an Interior Designer and I am always searching for new references and inspiration. This is a beautiful book
Not over the top.......2007-04-07
With this book you can get a good idea of the warm ranges of wall colors that create a Tuscan mood. This book focuses more on color and neutral tones as opposed to some that go for the white tones. The decor shown is generally not over the top and focused on the grandiose villas that are out of reach of most everyone. There are many modest but lovely homes shown and you can pull fabric inspiration and accessory inspiration. I would give the book 3.5 stars due to some of the rooms being a bit sparse in design and lacking in real life things such as television/stereos, etc. That however is typical of most design books.
PRIVATE TUSCANY.......2007-01-04
I WAS LOOKING FOR A GRANDER INSPERATION AND IT WAS NOT THERE. SOME NICE SHOTS BUT NOT WORTH BUYING.
Beautiful Book.......2006-11-10
Something that I will enjoy over and over with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning.
Gorgeous book!.......2006-03-26
This book is so enjoyable! The pictures are beautiful...just looking through it takes me back to my favorite place in the world!
--Vicki Landes, author of "Europe For The Senses - A Photographic Journal"
Book Description
From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
"A Tourist's Best Friend!"
--Chicago Sun-Times
"Indispensable"
--The New York Times
Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide:
* A complete planner to Florence, Rome, and the highlights of Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, and the Marches
* Honest advice that lets you feel safe and comfortable in the heart of Italy--whether you speak Italian or not
* Insider tips on finding the most charming hotels for the best price
* Hundreds of restaurants reviewed and ranked for quality and value
* A complete guide to the region's cultural and historic sights--with helpful hints for making the most of your time
Sample Rating
The Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente)
Appeal by Age Preschool Grade school Teens Young adults Over 30 Seniors
Campo dei Miracoli; # 050 560 547; www.torre.duomo.pisa.it
Type of attraction Icon of Pisa. Admission ¿15 at ticket office; ¿17 for online bookings. Hours Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., guided tours every 40 minutes. When to go This site is always mobbed. Reservations Required. Special comments Local superstition has it that seeing the Leaning Tower before an exam will guarantee a bad grade. How much time to allow 30 minutes. Author's rating
Customer Reviews:
Extremely useful!.......2007-10-04
My husband and I used this guide on our first trip to Rome and Florence. It was well written and well organized. The book contained some great tips about getting around using public transportation in both cities; the included maps were helpful.
Sights were rated based not only upon how interesting they were but on what age groups would be interested in them, from children through senior citizens. The restaurant reviews and recommendations were right on target. Everything from "inexpensive" to "very expensive" eateries were included.
This book was obviously written using input from a variety of real travelers, not some "high-brow" travel critic! The book included information on many smaller towns, too. The only drawback was that the book was a bit on the large side. It fit into a backpack but with the other things we commonly carried, (water bottles, camera), it was a little cumbersome. However, this book contains so much useful information, it was worth taking along! Read it before you go to Italy and take it on your travels. We were glad we did!
Good, Practical guide.......2007-07-25
This guide was very practical and useful in comparison to the guidebook my friend had with her. Hers had a lot of pictures but less practical information. We tried several of the restaurant recommendations - one in particular in Florence was one of our best meals and one of the best prices - half of the cost of any other meal on the trip. One recommended wine shop though was no longer open.
I was also dissappointed that the information on the galleries was not specific about how difficult it can be to get in on certain days - for example, The Uffizzi in Florence is quite difficult to get in to without an advance reservation on a Tuesday because it is closed on Mondays. This was the day I had planned to go and the line was 5 hours long just to attempt to get in.
I think it would also be helpful to include some information on the "after hours" touring options. While pricey, several of the Galleries, including the Vatican Museum have services that can provide a tour after the normal hours of the Museum when all the crowds are gone. This would likely be well worth it if you can afford the option or want to treat yourself to one special tour.
Overall I thought this was a good guidebook and easy to use.
Fun and Well-Rounded.......2007-01-13
I was pleasantly surprised with this book.
The way the attractions are organized, with star ratings for different age groups (apparently culled from tourists at each site) as well as the author's rating (sometimes the same, sometimes better or worse) helped give a better picture of each option, since not everyone likes the same thing.
The mini-history lesson for each town is also a bonus in my opinion. I really enjoy knowing a little background on where I'm going, as I feel it leads to better understanding of the things I see & people I encounter.
It is a little heavy on Rome & Florence, but is also sure to include some really unique spots.
I would definitely buy another one of these guides, but be sure to check the publication date to be sure it's within the last couple of years.
I don't rely on guide books too heavily for lodging or restaurants (I use internet research for that) since even a most recent edition takes some time to come to press and things change. I generally see that section of guide books as a starting point or fall back if needed but not as the primary source. Also, various attractions can vary widely in hours (sometimes they just change or are closed/limited due to constant renovations - just the nature of things in Italy), so be sure to double check directly with the attraction (by phone, e-mail, or on the website) before you go to avoid unexpected dissapointments.
It is also well written (although the editors missed some major typos in page headings and the like, but nothing that detracts from the book) - engaging but still informative, not fluff or personal opinion.
Details, Details..........2006-08-30
This book details each and every inch of Rome and Tuscany. In addition to this, the book was easy to read and follow, complete with excellent hotel, eating and shopping suggestions. I would reccomend it to anyone traveling to Italy!
Awesome, especially restaurant picks.......2006-08-16
My husband and I took this book on our honeymoon to Rome and Florence. We especially enjoyed the restaurant recommendations..every place we tried was excellent. Some things were a bit exaggerated, for example, the book indicated that we needed to be dressed in evening wear at some places, but the other patrons were wearing jeans! Also, it said that English was not spoken at some of the restaurants, but we found that all menus had an English translations and servers were mostly able to communicate with us.
We found the information regarding sightseeing to helpful and accurate as well.
Amazon.com
Frances Mayes continues her love letter to Italy in this sequel to Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. The restoration of her home, Bramasole, is complete, but Tuscany keeps unfolding. While the earlier books chronicled her and her husband's first years in Italy, this one is less full of stories than meditations on the elements of Tuscan pleasures, accompanied by photographs that give color to the place Mayes has described so lovingly and well.
"What makes the people so friendly, no, not just friendly, so genuinely kind and generous?" Mayes asks an Italian friend, then turns her intense attention to answer the question herself. Her answers range from baci (kisses), an intimate expression that "keeps alive the joy we all are born with," to la piazza, the navel of Italy's intense sense of community, to a deep love affair with food and seasonal delights. (Mayes shares the latter and once again gives recipes from the traditional to the idiosyncratic while her poet-husband Edward treats us to a description of the olive harvest). Then there is the Tuscans' territorial attachment to the land. Place, Mayes writes, makes you who you are and it is by reading the landscape that you find the story of how the people lived. Like a guidebook written by a good friend who reveals to you all the secret places they've found, Mayes leads us from out-of-the-way towns to great frescoes to tiny restaurants with exquisite delicacies (and even gives you their addresses). Turn down any one of Mayes's streets and there is something to contemplate.
In the distance you see villages crowning a hill or protectively stacked against a slope. Every one pulls me toward its altarpiece, special triptych, arched gate, gothic window, or fountain. Every one has its opinionated, eccentric, friendly, and intrinsic characters who make each place deeply itself.
Once again, Mayes presents Tuscany as an irresistible place where the pleasures are unexpected, sumptuous, and downright enviable. Immersing yourself in In Tuscany is the next best thing to being invited home to Bramasole. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
From the bestselling author whose memoirs
Under the Sun and
Bella Tuscany have captured the voluptuousness of Italian life comes a lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany's people, food, landscapes, and art.
In Tuscany celebrates the abundant pleasures of life in Italy as it is lived at home, at festivals, feasts, restaurants and markets, in the kitchen and on the piazza, in the vineyards, fields, and olive groves. Combining all-new essays by Frances Mayes and a chapter by her husband, poet Edward Mayes, with more than 200 full-color photos by photographer Bob Krist, each of this book's five sections highlights a signature aspect of Tuscan life:
La Piazza--the locus of Italian village life. With photgraphs of the shop signs, the outdoor markets, medieval streets, people, their pets and their cars, and snippets of conversations overheard, Mayes reveals the life of the Piazza in her town of Cortona as well as out-of-the-way places such as Volterra, Asciano, Monte San Savino, and Castelmuzio.
La Festa--the celebration. Essays and photos of feasts and celebrations, such as the Christmas dinner for twenty-seven at a neighbor's house and a donkey race around the church at Montepulciano Stazione, illustrate how the Tuscans celebrate the seasons--their open ways of friendship, their connection to nature, and most of all, their sense of abundance.
Il Campo--the field. Here Edward Mayes evokes the deep sense of the shift of seasons as he picks olives before he and Frances head off to the olive oil mill and enjoy the first bruscette with new oil.
La Cucina--the kitchen. An intimate view of the all-important role of the kitchen in Tuscan culture, including photographs of her own kitchen and gardens, menus from great local cooks, the elements of the Tuscan table, dishes with cultural and culinary notes on each, and, of course, delectable recipes.
La Bellezza--the beauty. From the quality of the light falling on sublime landscapes in different seasons and Tuscan faces in moments of laughter to a silhouette of cypress trees in the early evening and a wild bird perched on a neigbor's head,
In Tuscany features views of beauty that reveal the singular splendor of one of the world's best-loved and most artistic regions.
Customer Reviews:
Frances Mayes needs stand-in.......2007-08-19
Her books have probably sold millions. Good thing the buyers didn't have to listen to her! Her voice is absolutely not suited for a CD or any other recording. I could only take it for about five minutes before my ears cried out for relief and my strong forefinger punched the eject button. It's a shame because I'm sure the content would have been worthwhile.
Fantastic Book.......2007-07-30
This book is exactly what we wanted. We have lived in Europe for 7 of the last 9 years and LOVE Italy. We plan to purchase a house there soon and have decorated with all things Italian. This coffee table book was just the ticket. Beautiful pictures and food too!
Beautiful photographs.......2006-06-29
This book is quite different from Mayes' first two books about Tuscany, which were more like travel memoirs. This book's focus is photographs, accompanied by some commentary, thoughts, and insights from Mayes, as well as some recipes. Frankly, I didn't read the text at all. I just enjoyed the photographs. I wish I'd had this book when I was reading Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany because all the places she talks about in those books are scattered throughout the pages of this book in beautiful photographs. We finally get to see what Mayes' charming Bramasole house looks like, as well as the town of Cortona and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. If you haven't read Mayes' first two books, read them and have this one handy so you can see for yourself just how beautiful these houses, towns, and people are.
In Tuscany.......2005-09-21
If you are the least bit interested in anything Italian then this is the book for you. "In Tuscany" has a great intro into the lifestyles there and more. There are many beautiful pictures and easy to follow recipes. A must have for those who are looking for a ecsape from our busy lives or an inspiration to redecorate your own home.
Complete the Experience.......2003-10-07
A delicious feast for the eye and heart. If you have read the book, if you have travelled in Tuscany this book brings it all home visually.
Book Description
The Tuscan house, whether a simple homestead or expansive villa, has become one of the most sought-after living environments. Its design is virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages, when landowners in the golden hills of Tuscany built country retreats with gardens, porticoes, and loggias. The landowners often drew upon the natural resources of the region-and it is these materials that give the Tuscan house its unique character. Tuscan Elements brings to life the colors, textures, and aesthetics of the Tuscan house-the magnificent stone and marble work; the hardwoods like chestnut, oak, and elm; earthy terra-cotta and brick; and the all-important water feature, used in ponds, fountains, and pools. This unique, visual sourcebook deconstructs the typical Tuscan home and examines its basic components in dazzling detail, from the tiled roof and floor, thick stone exterior walls, and vine-covered loggia to the exposed wooden beams, luminous frescoes, and the sunny courtyard garden with an ancient well or exquisite swimming pool. Filled with extraordinary photos by world-famous interiors photographer Simon McBride, Tuscan Elements emphasizes living life well with a home that nurtures and comforts, accentuates the importance of family and friends, and entertains with good food and drink. For anyone interested in infusing their present home and garden with a little bit of Tuscany, here is a delightful source of never- ending inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-05-06
This book is filled to the top with great quality pictures. Wonderful inspiration for me and our new home which we are doing a Tuscan Theme. Will make a good coffee table book as well :)
Too Primitive!.......2006-07-11
The disigns elements were too rustic for my taste. I was looking for more of a casual elegence.
Ótimo livro sobre casa toscanas.......2006-03-17
Recomendo esse livro para quem, como eu, pretende construir no estilo toscano. Claro está que não se encontra mais tijolos de 300 anos, porém, pode-se ter completa idéia de como é o ar de uma propriedade toscana. Ótimas fotos e boas dicas.
Tuscan Elements.......2005-08-19
This is the best book of its kind that I have seen on basic Tuscan home design elements. Concise descriptions, beautiful photgraphy. I would heartily recommend this book.
Tuscan Style.......2004-12-24
I normally don't buy tabletop table books because I don't feel that they represent a value or add much to my understanding of a subject. Tabletop books full of incredible pictures just do not fully capture my imagination or attention. Consequently, most tabletop books get a cursory flipping through before I put them down.
However, `Tuscan Elements' is more than a book of pretty pictures and it is worth more than just a cursory flipping through. The author, Alexandra Black, has organized her effort to capture the elements of Tuscany. The four elements are stone, wood, earth, and water. These four elements are expressed in the homes, furniture, terracotta, and ponds, respectively, of Tuscany. To stand alongside the pictures of these four elements, Ms. Black takes the time to build a supporting story from a historical and literary point of view. Quoting D.H. Lawrence and Pliny the Younger, the story of how these elements have been woven into the ebb and flow of Tuscan life since before the Roman Empire emerges with an impressive clarity and vividness.
As a lover of Tuscany I am drawn to images of Tuscany and its way of life. The seductive beauty of the Tuscan landscape and the romance of the Tuscan lifestyle as expressed in the prose and images of this tabletop book is the stuff of dreams. This tabletop book provided me the fodder for those dreams and never once disappointed me.
Book Description
Travelers looking for the "true essence" of Italy need look no further than the Authentic Italy series from the Touring Club of Italy. This guidebook offers a uniquely Italian perspective on the region of Tuscany that only TCI, with more than 100 years of experience providing reliable information to travelers, can provide. With detailed maps, Authentic Tuscany includes everything readers need to discover the delights of Tuscany at their own pace. The subject-keyed design allows readers to quickly scan daily activities and focus in on their particular location. Illustrated throughout with graphics, maps, and photos from the extensive TCI archives, this book rates restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, villa rentals, spas, and retreats; explores food/regional specialties, with profiles on each category; suggests one-, two-, and three-day itineraries, emphasizing walking tours, special interest tours (wineries, olive oil, ceramics), and biking routes; outlines an array of shopping options, covering local artisans and handicrafts, markets (antiques, flea markets, craft fairs), outlets, and factory tours; and includes a calendar listing musical, cultural, and food festivals and events.
Customer Reviews:
Bring back the Heritage Guides.......2007-05-19
This new format is fine for browsing as part your trip planning. But it lacks the detail on art and culture that the old TCI Heritage Guides have; especially missed are the suggested walking tours. The new format does have more info on food, wine, shopping, etc than the old Heritage Guides, but it is not worth the tradeoff (at least for me.) As a result, Authentic Tuscany will stay on the shelf, while Heritage Guide to Umbria gets to come with.
Covers all the angles and chock full of leads.......2007-02-20
I bought this book with the hopes of getting some more detailed information about the Tuscany region to better plan a week's stay there. The book is nicely organized with sections devoted to food and history, and the lesser discussed areas of folklore, special events, arts & crafts, shopping and even some info. about activities for children, which is almost impossible to find in other books. This was the first book I found a detailed description of the Salvatore Ferragamo museum (amazing shoes) in Florence. There are tons of websites listed for everything, which will fuel your search into greater depth. There are several maps and expoded views of famous buildings and some nice quality photos of the towns. This is a nicely organized book. There is also info. in the front about joining the touring club of Italy (the sponsor of the book). For 25 Euros you get a one year membership and discounts at a variety of hotels, eateries, and other places which are highlighted throughout the book. Seems like a good deal. I would recommend this book, and I'm interested to see other books put out by this organization.
Great guide written by Italians!.......2007-02-20
This guide is written by the Italian Touring Club. That alone should tell you that they know what they're talking about. As an Italian, I love this guide, it's true to reality, essential, useful. Your search has ended! No need to wonder anymore "Do these people know what they're talking about?", because they do. You can take that from a native Tuscan! :-)
Good Tuscany Guide for General Use.......2006-04-03
TCI guides are usually superb for serious and independent travelers. Authentic Tuscany is a bit more mainstream than others in the TCI series, which is understandable given the region's popularity. There are more illustrations and photos, all of which are excellent, as well as sections devoted to food and shopping. The book does provide solid historical information, plus hotel and restaurant recommendations, that will satisfy most tourists. However, if you're driving from town to town (which is the best way to get to know Italy), you'll really miss the detailed itineraries and maps that other TCI guides contain. At the very least, you'll need to pick up a separate map, which isn't always necessary with other TCI books (e.g. the excellent Umbria guide). You may also miss the more in-depth descriptions of towns that TCI is known for. Authentic Tuscany is closer to a 5-star book when compared to other Tuscany guides; it only falls short when judged by TCI's high standards.
Wow!.......2005-06-10
This may be the best travel guidebook I have ever seen. I've been a fan of the so-called "TCI" books for years; they are very popular among those whose hobby is exploring Italy, because of the tremendous insider's detail and information on the interesting small towns, all written from an Italian tourist's point-of-view.
But, this new format is fantastic. The book is divided into color-coded sections. The red "Heritage" section is similar to a classic Michelin Green Guide description of the major cities in Tuscany - the illustrations and maps are outstanding (less spectacular and slick perhaps than the "Eyewitness Guides" but more to my tastes).
What really sets the guide apart are the other sections however. The "itineraries" section includes detailed descriptions on some really intriguing "industrial museums" including such things as the Salvatore Ferragamo shoe museum in Florence and the Piaggio motor scooter museum in Pisa, tourist attractions that were previously unknown to me.
I would give the book 5 stars for the 40-page food section alone, if that were its only contents. Not only do they list and describe all the different cheeses and sausages of Tuscany, I particularly appreciate the fact that they indicate which towns are especially famous for what type of Pecorino (for example). Next time I'm in Grosseto, I'll know what cheese to look for.
This is incidentally, the first guide to Tuscany (or Italy) that I have seen that goes into any kind of detail on Grosseto as a tourist attraction.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading travel guides, even if you have no specific plans to visit Italy. I am really looking forward to additional TCI guides in this new "authentic" series.
Book Description
They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany.
Once again, it was love at first sight. Love for the timeless countryside and the ancient village of San Casciano dei Bagni, for the local vintage and the magnificent cooking, for the Tuscan sky and the friendly church bells. Love especially for old Barlozzo, the village mago, who escorts the newcomers to Tuscany’s seasonal festivals; gives them roasted country bread drizzled with just-pressed olive oil; invites them to gather chestnuts, harvest grapes, hunt truffles; and teaches them to caress the simple pleasures of each precious day. It’s Barlozzo who guides them across the minefields of village history and into the warm and fiercely beating heart of love itself.
A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth–and tucked into its fragrant corners are luscious recipes (including one for the only true bruschetta) directly from the author’s private collection.
Customer Reviews:
(4.5 stars) A gorgeous tribute to Tuscany and her people..........2007-09-28
A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is Marlena de Blasi's second memoir recounting her life in Italy, after 2002's A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE. In the book's opening pages, she and her husband and soul mate, Fernando, have left Venice for a dilapidated farmouse deep in the Tuscan countryside. The residents of the idyllic village near their new home welcome them with a meal, which inevitably lasts for hours, ending with a dessert whose cream was just milked from a blue-eyed cow that morning. Subsequently, Marlena and Fernando are befriended by Barlozzo, one of the town's oldest residents, who is eager to share stories about the locals and to introduce them to timeless Tuscan traditions: hunting for truffles, baking bread, picking olives for olive oil, crushing grapes for wine, harvesting chestnuts... But it's not just Tuscany that Marlena and Fernando learn about during their stay in one of the world's most beautiful places; they also learn a lot about each other and about themselves, and a lot about what it means to slow down and enjoy a life free from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
This was a beautiful, beautiful book, with some of the most stunning writing I've ever come across. De Blasi's descriptions bring Old World Tuscany utterly and completely to life; you can almost taste the olive oil, can almost feel the grapes bursting under your feet, can almost imagine yourself there, in an old Tuscan farmhouse, starting out the window at that marvelous landscape. The pictures de Blasi paints of the townspeople are insightful and vibrant, and the recipes at the end of every chapter are completely succulent, including the recipe for the "one true bruschetta" (no tomatoes, no garlic, no onion or herbs...just fresh-baked toasted bread doused in olive oil and topped with a little bit of sea salt). It's really obvious from her writing that de Blasi loves everything about Italy: her people, her food, her breathtaking vistas and her sun-drenched, relaxed way of life.
I fell in love with Marlena de Blasi's Italy, with her gorgeous writing, her delicious traditional Tuscan recipes, and her vivid portrayals of the people who live in the beauty and romance of Tuscany every day. There were moments when I felt like her writing bordered on pretentious, but mostly I just thought everything about this book was gorgeous. I haven't read A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE, but I'm definitely going to. You can definitely tell how much Fernando and Marlena are in love in this book, but I'm eager to learn how their love story began.
The Tuscan state of mind can best be summed up with the following passage, spoken by one of Marlena's dearest Tuscan friends: "Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last until it ends, to make all the parts come out even, like when you rub the last piece of bread in the last drop of oil on your plate and eat it with the last sip of wine in your glass." A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is a book for people in love, for people who long for a simpler way of life, for people who go to that idyllic Tuscan countryside every night in their dreams. I loved everything about this book!
Over to quickly!.......2007-05-07
I found myself reading slower as I got near the end of this story. I didn't want it to end. A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE was a delightful book but I found this one more captivating. Ms. De Blasi weaves a beautiful, true adventure as if the reader was traveling along with her each step of the way. Her descriptions and characters are so real in her words I thought I might be there. BRAVA, de Blasi!!!!!!!!!
I'm in love with De Blasi's Italy.......2007-05-06
I've read A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany and The Lady in the Palazzo. Once I started the first, A Thousand Days in Venice, I was hooked. These are love stories about an American woman of a certain age who fell in love with a Venetian man of a certain age, and more. De Blasi loves this blueberry eyed man with a passion not to be duplicated. She also loves the people, the food, the customs the land. She learns to live in Italy, speak the language, read and dream in Italian and she pushes the box each time she reaches out to someone, which is often. Her recipes are wonderfull. I'm trying to figure out if I can find walnut flour in Minnesota.
Read it as a travelog, as a cookbook, as a love story. Just read all of the books.
A Thousand Days in Tuscany.......2007-01-18
It is a good book but rather slow. However, I will have to say I have enjoyed reading about this woman's time living in Tuscany. The recipes that she wrote really sound good. I will be trying some.
She shows her love of Italy through her writings.......2006-11-05
I read her first book A Thousand Days in Venice and enjoyed it very much. It seemed so real like we were sitting over coffee discussing her life. It made me want to walk the same places she walked and see the same markets to bring it to life for me too.
She has a smooth way of writing that is enjoyable. And the recipes are wonderful.
She again brought Tuscany to life for me and I wanted to see the villages and cucina's there. I am looking forward to the 2007 book.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How to Care for Aging Parents (Morris, How to Care for Aging)
- In Patagonia (Penguin Classics)
- India, 14 Edition (Footprint India Handbook)
- Insight Compact Guide St. Lucia (Insight Compact Guides)
- Insight Guide Scandinavia (Insight Guides Scandinavia)
- Insight Guide Vietnam (Insight Guides)
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