Under The Tuscan Sun

The Tuscan Countryside"Under the tuscan Sun" is a beautiful book written by Frances Mayes. It is the true story of a women who moves to the Tuscan Countryside and begins restoring a villa. She does any amazing job of exploring every aspect of italian life and customs. She explains the treacherous process of restoring the villa, while still loving every aspect of the experience. Her descriptions of food are magnificent. She gives recipes of traditional tuscan dishes, and the descriptions of food just jump of the page. I also loved the description she gave of finding faded frescoes beneath the whitewash in her dining room. The idea of finding such an ancient history hidden in her home excited me because it begs you to understand the history a structure can hold. It is often difficult with an elevator and newly structured interiors to realize how ancient the buildings in Florence really are. Although I live in the city of Florence, and not in the Tuscan Countryside, her description reminds me of the area surrounding the NYU campus. A few weeks ago I took a tour of Villa La Pietra. The Villa has been residence to several different families, and the miscellaneous crests scattered around the house represent the history the building holds. The olive and Cyprus trees surrounding the building give the impression of being deep into the countryside, even though in actuality it is located less then a mile outside the city limits.