The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Máté
Author Ferenc Mate and his wife Candace did what many of us would love to do – moved to a country where the food, wine and ambiance leaves you with a permanent vacation state of mind. OK, maybe that didn’t happen to them (the vacation mind set) but I would wager it could be that way for me and my husband. Tuscany. Just stating Tuscany evokes images of rolling green hills, vineyards, small local cafes serving strong coffee and homemade pastries.
This memoir details their experience with a foreign culture, the procedures of purchasing a place to live, Italian laws as well as new markets, foods and finding a place in their new society. Making friends, enjoying life and living the dream.
The industrious folks who have faced challenges of remodeling and language barriers (the likes of Frances Mayes, *Carol Drinkwater and Marlena De Blasi) impress me. I am a lazy soul….imagining sitting on a terrace with a local wine, swirling the glass, nibbling on fresh bread and watching wildlife and/ or the local vineyard activities or a view of Mediterranean sea. All the work that the author and aforementioned writers tackled smacks of being much more diligent than I fear I am capable. Perhaps if we are offered a place in Provence or Tuscany or anywhere olives, garlic and wine are abundant…ok, then I would work hard and make the ruin our own castle.
* I know Carol Drinkwater is in Provence….I am equally jealous and impressed
Of all the dishes I could have made – crostini, crepes with ricotta, pasta, rabbit ragu……….I made a Tuscan Pot Roast. Why? Because it’s hot and I wanted to use a slow cooker and it had the name Tuscan in the recipe. It was overdone, but alas, this is just another learning experience. Should have stuck with crostini 🙂
You may find the recipe at Squirrel Head Manor
More about the author:
Ferenc Máté has made a career of out documenting his own quests—whether it’s restoring a Tuscan ruin, building a vineyard from scratch, or sailing the seven seas.
Born in Transylvania, he escaped at age eleven when the Hungarian revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. He grew up in Vancouver and has lived in California, Paris, Rome, the Bahamas and New York. He has worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boat-builder, photographer, deckhand and book editor. He is the author of 16 books translated into 12 languages.
Adding my review to Goodreads and Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking Series.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog’s home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
I have ready absolutely everything by Marlena de Blasi so I know I would love this book. Thanks for the recommendation!
LikeLike
Hope you like it, Debra. Drinkwater is my favorite but i sure have enjoyed De Blasi’s books too.
LikeLike
Wow Ferenc has done a million things is his life. After reading your post I have a sudden urge to play the lottery. Winning it is the only way I’d ever be able to move to buy land in Italy.
LikeLike
Me too. But I just bought a poweball ticket today!
LikeLike
Ohhh, I love a good travel memoir in the winter months, especially, to whisk me away. I’m adding this to my list!
LikeLike
I hope you like it. Check out Carol Drinkwater too….love the stories about settling in Provenace,
LikeLike
I’m so with you on wanting to be whisked to a Tuscan world with olives and wine and my ancient villa already prepared for me….pass the wine, please.
LikeLike
Wouldn’t we have fun, sipping a Chianti and gazing at the landscape 🙂
LikeLike
Good observations about moving to a place for a permanent vacation mindset, only to find oneself tackling a big scary project in a foreign language. I suspect I’m better off finding little ways to get the vacation mindset in my daily life — and then taking a vacation! After our trip to France, we’re finding that we can bring back the vacation mindset pretty easily right now. All it takes is some bread, cheese, and a bottle of red.
LikeLike
You are so right, Joy. Bringing the proper foods to the table helps create that frame of mind again. I looked in on your site and wow, you took some great photos. Sounds like a wonderful time.
LikeLike
My book club usually chooses a food/travel memoir for our summer meeting, and then we plan a pot luck meal around it. This book might be a candidate!
LikeLike
I hope you like it. Peter Mayle and Carol Drinkwater have good narratives about moving to another country too.
LikeLike
Interesting one. If I’m remembering correctly next month I will be running a collection of Travel Books. Hope you will pop by to link this or other travel books in. Cheers
LikeLike
I will be sure to tune in, Carole!
LikeLike