Bella Tuscany

by Frances Mayes

An alternate cover edition of this ISBN can be found here.

Frances Mayes invites us back for a delightful new season of friendship, festivity, and food there and throughout Italy.

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.

Happiness? The color of it must be spring green, impossible to describe until I see a just-hatched lizard sunning on a stone. That color, the glowing green lizard skin, repeats in every new leaf. The regenerative power of nature explodes in every weed, stalk, branch. Working in the mild sun, I feel the green fuse of my body, too. Surges of energy, kaleidoscopic sunlight through the leaves, the soft breeze that makes me want to say the word "zephyr"--this mindless simplicity can be called happiness.

Having spent her summers in Tuscany for the past several years, Frances Mayes relished the opportunity to experience the pleasures of primavera, an Italian spring. A sabbatical from teaching in San Francisco allowed her to return to Cortona--and her beloved house, Bramasole--just as the first green appeared on the rocky hillsides.

Bella Tuscany, a companion volume to Under the Tuscan Sun, is her 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 Bramasole's 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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Italy, Memoir, Biography, Food, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Frances Mayes's new book is See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy published by Crown. Her most recent novel is Women in Sunlight, published by Crown and available in paperback in spring 2019. With her husband, Edward Mayes she recently published The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. Every Day in Tuscany is the third volume in her bestselling Tuscany memoir series.

In addition to her Tuscany memoirs, Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany , Frances Mayes is the author of the memoirs Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir; A Year in the World; the illustrated books In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home; Swan, a novel; The Discovery of Poetry, a text for readers; and five books of poetry. She divides her time between homes in Italy and North Carolina.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ennchanting though Italy may be, it's hard to keep caring about the endless details of exactly what the author ate or what broke in the house or was planted in the garden. This book is often alleged to be a "meditation," which seems to be a polite term for "has no plot or real character development," and no amount of description of a sun-soaked landscape or excellent red wine seems able to overcome that.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy was a beautiful companion book to the enchanting Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. Having spent her summers and Christmas holidays in Tuscany and her beloved Bramisole for several years, a sabbatical from teaching in San Francisco allowed her to experience the pleasures of returning to Cortona and experiencing the magic of an Italian spring, the primavera, just as the first signs of green began to appear on the rocky hillsides.

“Happiness? The color of it must be spring green, impossible to describe until I see a just-hatched lizard sunning on a stone. That color, the glowing green lizard skin, repeats in every new leaf. The regenerative power of nature explodes in every weed, stalk, branch. Working in the mild sun, I feel the green fuse of my body, too. Surges of energy, kaleidoscopic sunlight through the leaves, the soft breeze that makes me want to say the word ‘zephyr’—this mindless simplicity can be called happiness.”

This a beautiful lyrical and passionate account of Frances Mayes and her continuing love of Italy and its art, its landscape, its food, its language, and its history. In her evocative prose, Mayes writes of her deepening connection to the land and her delightful friendships with the local people. It is a memoir of a season of change and possibility as there are transitional moments in her family life both in Italy and in San Francisco. This truly was a celebration of the sweet life in Italy. Ciao

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Under the Tuscan Sun but was greatly disappointed by this follow-up. While the first book was beautifully crafted and each word seemed to be carefully chosen, this book seemed slapped together with little care. It's as though her editor said, "Hey, your first book is a hit! Give us more of that Tuscany stuff!" To which she promptly obliged, with this book and cookbooks and journals and a bad movie.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years and years ago. I never posted a review though. "Under the Tuscan Sun" had me wanting to see Italy. And when I was 25 and got to go to Rome, Milan, Turin, and then Florence I was over the moon with happiness. Re-reading this sequel years later brought Italy back to me. The main reason why I gave this 4 stars though is that the book is really slow at times. "Under the Tuscan Sun" had a plot you could follow. A woman and her long time boyfriend/lover/companion visit Italy and fall in love with an abandoned home called Bramasole. We follow them as they start to renovate the house and meet their neighbors.

Mayes takes you through many months she and her now husband experienced in Tuscany and was published 4 years after "Under the Tuscan Sun." Mayes and her Ed now go back and forth between Italy and California. They have never had a chance to have "spring" in Tuscany, but this book follows them as they do so. It also follows them as they travel to other parts of Italy. I think the reason why this one didn't resonate with many fans is that the book jumps around a lot. And I mean a lot. We are focused on the repairs to the home, flowers (so many flowers) food, Frances learning Italy, but then their lives in California, Ed's family, France's daughter. It was like we got a journal to follow and there is no real ebb or flow to the book.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Italy is a beautiful country with a rich history.

This story is largely frivolous. The description of a sunset as "old underwear pink" landed this book firmly in the giveaway pile.

If you want to read a book that glorifies everything Italian (deservedly or not) then you will probably like this book. If glorifying everything because it is Italian may make you gag, skip this book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frances Mayes’ Bella Tuscany was, in my opinion, a gem of travel writing. Her work is flowing and brilliant, with amazing pictures painted in easy and unpretentious words. If I could, I would write just like this.

The book gives a beautiful, honest picture of real life in Tuscany, and after reading it I know that someone, somewhere, shares my love of Italy at a basic level.

Mayes’ writing is wonderful and easy to follow. The book even shares some great sounding recipes from both her time in Italy and her South Georgia background. I was thrilled with the experience of reading the book and will be more than happy if she chooses to put out another.

My favorite chapter was her discussion about learning the language. I found a lot of passages that perfectly expressed my feelings about Italian, my thoughts about why I wanted to learn the language, and my concerns about whether or not I ever would. It’s nice to know there are other people out there who feel like I do!

Verdict: A+

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Under A Tuscan Sun" by the same author and was hoping for more of the same. This is really meandering and steam of consciousness though, and it really could have benefited from more structure, editing, and plot. Tuscany in the spring really does sound lovely though.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to be transported and transformed this summer, read this book. Frances Mayes lulls you into the restorative cycle of Italian life. Perched in her idyllic villa, she journals sparsely with a writer’s mind and a food-lover’s heart. She effortlessly recreates the tastes, sights, sounds, and characters of Tuscany in this follow up to her successful novel-turned-film, “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Frances and her husband are restoring an ancient farmhouse in the countryside, and throw themselves whole-heartedly into maintaining the villa’s authenticity, efficiency, and luxury. Mayes nurtures native wildflowers and noshes on local beans, while scouring pottery shops for serving dishes and barrels to make homemade limoncella. However, Mayes is an American undergoing an Italian education of sorts, and thus rightfully peppers the narrative with reflections and observations of an outsider looking into an existence she can never fully know. Their lives back in San Francisco call over and over again, and it is this external awareness that makes this book perfectly bittersweet and a comfort to all of us self-doubting ex-patriots at heart.

[Audrey Saltarelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rich white lady spends half her time in Italy. Writes a pretentious book about " the simple life" and thinks that if she uses enough descriptive words it will hide the fact that she is a bad writer.

[Dominique Nicole Marsalek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a third of the way through this soft and elegant book and enjoying every sun soaked minute.

I felt the need to write a review because of the shocking and bizarre reviews here. One critiqued the writer, on leave for the first time in 20 years, as just another rich lady as if great literature requires poverty or as if travel writing is always written by the poor? It’s a book about living abroad.

Many critique the slower pace, which is very Italian, or the lack of an exciting plot. However, there are whole genres of literature that do just these things and they are my favorite genres.

That is quality writing. Give me beautiful, lush, meaningful writing over a complicated plot any day.

If you’d like a book that allows you to rest, to watch the clouds and smell the Tuscan air, then try this book. I’m enjoying it.

Thanks for reading!

[Kerri Barton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not recommended if you like books with a plot, or characters, or action, or point really. The only reason you should read this is if you live or plan to travel to Tuscany and want to get a feel for Italian life as seen through the eyes of someone very keen on gardening, cooking, and day trips. This is not a healthy memoir, where you can get behind the voice and journey of the author. She doesn't overcome anything, nor does she provide you with insight on anything more than which asparagus recipe she likes best. I read the whole thing for a book club. The other members gave up on it much sooner because there is nothing substantial at all to hold on to for book lovers. This should have been edited down into a couple travel articles at best.

[Shannon Rochester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I read just because I will read anything by this author...well, as long as it has something to do with Italy :) I didn't like it as much as I was hoping to but it was still a very good book. This wasn't a book with an amazing plot or great characters who show a lot of personal growth or development because it wasn't meant to be. It is a book about her life in Italy...real places, real problems, real people... it still left me wanting to know more about the area so I didn't leave disappointed but I can see many people did. Don't go in expecting too much...and you will be just fine

[Aylin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't as polished as "Under the Tuscan Sun". It didn't seem tidied up, but had a very real streak to it- right out of the journals and onto the page without cleansing the raw impressions and thoughts of the author to please mass readers. This made it a bit uneven but that did not detract from the whole for me- perhaps even added to it for this type of book. I found the author to be more of a real person.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayes reminded me why I became interested in this genre in the first place. Sequel to her ubiquitous Under the Tuscan Sun, she describes her travels as the guide we all wish we could have should we have the good fortune to visit these places ourselves. I particularly enjoyed the topical chapters on gardening and cooking, and noted several pages in my own journal for future reference.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayes' continuation of her adventure of living part time in Tuscany continues to be captivating reading. I think I gain weight just reading her description of food. She does it so well she makes me desire food I don't even like.

Definitely enjoyable reading, particularly over these last few cold weeks.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again we visit Frances Mayes and her husband at their home in Cortona, Italy, a ancient hill town in Tuscany. She's a lovely writer, and her descriptions of the characters, the food, the gardens - and the work involved in making and keeping them so beautiful - draw the reader in until you feel like you're right there beside her. Especially entertaining is the chapter on her difficulties with the Italian language: "Now that I have more understanding of Italian, I have greater occasions to make a bigger fool of myself."

If the price of airline tickets are too high for you right now, read this instead(assuming you have read Under the Tuscan Sun first, so you know HOW this Californian English Prof and her hubby came to be in this situation...). And don't assume that, because you saw the movie, you know the story. Two entirely different stories. I was appalled at the movie!

[LK Hunsaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Italy! It's amazing that a memoir set in Italy can make it sound boring, but I have to give up on this one. Place names are thrown in one after another with no particular importance other than the author being able to say "I was there," and there is no depth. A fourth of the way in and I have no idea who this author really is or what she's about. She's bland. Maybe she isn't in real life, but when it came to the scene where she's watching other people have fun and moaning that they don't even care if she's watching and not part of it, I had to quit. I have better things to do with my time. The two stars are for the setting that could be an exquisite backdrop and some small bits of interesting garden information.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it for the 2nd time and skipped a lof of pages. Pity there is no map of her garden in the book ...
Because that was the most interesting part, and the recipes of course. Not all the trips she made with her husband, I did not like reading about those.
+++++++++++
It was like reading her other book, Under the Tuscan Sun, for the second time ! Amazing how somebody can get away with publishing a book with the same anekdotes and stories. Not sure about the recipes, have not compared those yet. However, it was good to read again about the interaction between people, the respect people have for each other in this country, her plans for her house and garden, etc.

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but tiresome about food and plants. It read more like a series of newspaper reports, little articles about what the author did here and there and the many place names and such got a bit boring. Probably my fault because I should have got out a map to read along with the book (why didnt the publishers put in a map?). But I appreciated the poetry in her writing, the images and the background characters.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany is even better. Mayes writes with humor, grace, and sensitivity. The love she feels for her summer home, Bramasole, all of Tuscany, and her Italian neighbors shines through. You are transported through her wonderful exposition on the beauty of the landscape, the joy of the Italian people, and the cornucopia of fine food that she describes throughout Bella Tuscany right to Cortona. La Dolce Vita!

[Marsha · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not often I start a book & can't finish it. I had read her first book, Under The Tuscan Sun & loved it. This one I found to be too repetitive & monotonous. It was filled with lengthy descriptions of the landscape & foods. This is a good thing in small amounts but after reading over 50 pages, it was all just the same.

[Vicki Beyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Under the Tuscan Sun this book was a major disappointment. I feel the author must have been given an advance by her publisher and therefore had to come up with something so she just strung random thoughts/notes together. Even the title was misleading, as it feels like less than half the book was about Tuscany. I’m now officially put off reading this author.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just goes on and on about nothing! The only think I learnt was you buy a lot of veg very cheap on the market in Italy.

[Carol Sama · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is pleasant, but terribly boring. I don't know how people can rate it highly. They went here and there, they ate this, they planted that......I'm sure it's lovely but just too dry for me.

[Malynda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it. Couldn’t even get into it. Meh.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayes continues her exploration of Tuscany in this follow up to her first book. A series of essays about the sweet life, food, neighbors, journeys, and house restoration, there seems to be something for everyone here. I've been to many of the towns and places she describes, even staying in Cortona and taking a snap with her Bramasole, so the collection was especially memorable. I like this quote: "What is replenishing? What is depleting? What takes? What gives? What wrings you out and, truly, what rinses you with happiness? What comes from my own labor and creativity, regardless of what anyone else things of it, stays close to the natural joy we all were born with and carry always." I wonder if she's moved to Italy permanently now? I know I would.

[Susan Schmick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Italy is on my bucket list and I can't wait to go there. I was enchanted by Under the Tuscan Sun and I expected the same from this book. While I didn't get that same reaction, I still enjoyed it.
We were supposed to go to Italy last year and the Pandemic hit. I was so sad that we couldn't go, but more sad for the people of Italy.
I love their simple life; it is inspiring. Italians really seem to live and enjoy life. And, the food! I love to cook and enjoyed the recipes.
Also, I enjoy the history around every corner. As Americans we need to slow down and live more simply and not be so busy.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her descriptive, poetic writing. She’s somehow able to take all that zest for life and nourishing goodness from the Tuscan sun and soil, and pour it out into words. Although I will say this book didn’t feel quite as cohesive as her first one, it still made me long to be back there again.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Mayes's books! Makes me want to visit Italy again!!