Shortlisted for Best of the Bestsellers 1998.

A New York Times Notable Book of 1997 -This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy. loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it's so delicious, read it first yourself.---USA Today -Irresistible...a sensous book for a sensous countryside.---Minneapolis Star-Tribune -An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life' . . . appealing and very vivid . . . [The] book seems like the kind of thing you'd tuck into a picnic basket on an August day . . . or better yet, keep handy on the bedside table in the depths of January.---New York Times Book Review-Armchair travel at its most enticing.---Booklist -Mayes [has] perfect vision. . . . I do not doubt that centuries form now, whoever lives in Bramasole will one day uncover bits of pottery used at Mayes' table. She has, by the sweat of her brow and the strength of her vision, become a layer in the history of this place.---Los Angeles Times -After buying a rundown villa in rural Tuscany, the American author Frances Mayes moves to Cortona to renovate the property and learn more about the Italian dolce vita. Her bestselling memoir on her time there paints a vivid description of the town, the people and the lush surrounding countryside of rolling hills and vineyards. A poet and a gourmet cook, Mayes includes a number of chapters on food, replete with classic Italian recipes to further whet the appetite.---Irish Times