The hills of Tuscany

Ferenc Máté

Published by Flamingo , softcover, illustrated

Ferenc Máté and his painter wife Candace arrived in Italy from New York in the late 1980s, knowing almost no Italian but deciding that within four weeks they would have themselves a new home. After many (hilariously told) mishaps, they finally conclude the deal for their perfect palazzo — an ancient monastic farmhouse in the Tuscan hills — by drawing on the hood of a rusty tractor. Máté brings the real Tuscany to life: the neighbours; the countryside; farming with the family down the road who virtually adopt them, teaching them the Tuscan traditions of grape picking, wine making, mushroom hunting, wood cutting, holiday taking and, of course, the art of the never-ending, mouth-watering feast. Wittily and enticingly written, The Hills of Tuscany offers a tempting invitation to readers to lose themselves in its lushness. Steeped in the mesmerizing Italian landscape, full of unforgettable characters, this book is an affirmation of traditions, friendship and the countryside — a celebration of life itself, and a journey to the most romantic place on earth.