See you in the piazza : new places to discover in Italy

Title:

Author:

Mayes, Frances, author.

Personal Author:

Mayes, Frances, author.

ISBN:

9780451497697

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xvii, 429 pages : map ; 25 cm

General Note:

Includes indexes.

Abstract:

The Roman Forum, the Leaning Tower, the Piazza San Marco: these are the sights synonymous with Italy. But such landmarks only scratch the surface of this magical country's offerings. In See You in the Piazza, Frances Mayes introduces us to the Italy only the locals know, as she and her husband, Ed, eat and drink their way through thirteen regions--from Friuli to Sicily. Along the way, she seeks out the cultural and historic gems not found in traditional guidebooks. Frances conjures the enchantment of the backstreets, the hubbub of the markets, the dreamlike wonder of that space between lunch and dinner when a city cracks open to those who would wander or when a mind is drawn into the pages of a delicious book--and discloses to us the secrets that only someone who is on intimate terms with a place could find.

Personal Subject:

Mayes, Frances-Travel-Italy.

Geographic Term:

Italy -- Description and travel.

Genre:

Travel literature.

Voyages and travels.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
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Summary

The bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun discovers the hidden pleasures of Italy in a sumptuous travel narrative that crisscrosses the country, with inventive new recipes celebrating Italian cuisine.

Don't miss Frances Mayes in PBS's Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special !

"Reading this book is a vacation in itself."-- The New York Times Book Review (Best Travel Books of the Summer)

The Roman Forum, the Leaning Tower, the Piazza San Marco: these are the sights synonymous with Italy. But such landmarks only scratch the surface of this magical country's offerings. In See You in the Piazza , Frances Mayes introduces us to the Italy only the locals know, as she and her husband, Ed, eat and drink their way through thirteen regions--from Friuli to Sicily. Along the way, she seeks out the cultural and historic gems not found in traditional guidebooks.

Frances conjures the enchantment of the backstreets, the hubbub of the markets, the dreamlike wonder of that space between lunch and dinner when a city cracks open to those who would wander or when a mind is drawn into the pages of a delicious book--and discloses to us the secrets that only someone who is on intimate terms with a place could find.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

Italy satiates a couple's wanderlust.Since her bestselling book Under the Tuscan Sun appeared in 1996, poet, novelist, and travel writer Mayes (Women in Sunlight, 2018, etc.) has been testifying to the glories of Italy, a country, she writes in her latest celebration, that offers "an endless surprise." For a year and a half, she and her husband took to the road in search of towns, food, and landscapes exemplary of the nation's rich gifts, joined for part of the trip by their teenage grandson, who was able to find information on the internet and shares his grandparents' tastes. Although Mayes writes that "the most vivid pleasures of Italy are often the simple ones," the hotels, restaurants, and shops that enchant her require a travel budget that points to a particular demographic: sophisticated, well-heeled tourists who share the author's delight in restaurants with "crisp table linens, good cutlery and crystal, understated flowers," a stool for her handbag, and solicitous wait staff. Throughout their journey, the travelers seek out the gustatory pleasures of regional wines, cheeses, and prosciutto, staying in well-appointed rooms in elegant hotels with picturesque views, where they can sip prosecco on verdant terraces or in a town's lovely peach and ochre piazza. Days are spent browsing (and buying) in "curated shopping streets," taking walks around a lake, reading at poolside, and visiting museums, castles, and churches. Mayes has arranged her memoir geographically from north to south, rather than chronologically, to allow readers to peruse the sections randomly, perhaps using the book as a companion guide to their own trip. Her descriptions are painterly and alluring, and she includes recipes for memorable dishesgrilled prawns with fennel and olives, sea bream poached in special seasoned broth, lemon ricotta tart, gnocchi with wild hare, and crispy octopusthat are likely to whet the prospective traveler's appetite.A charming homage to upscale travel through Italy. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.