Customer Reviews

A Day in Tuscany: More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dario Castagno is a wonderful story teller, and his gift for painting beautiful pictures with his words really comes out in this book. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed every page of this book. Whether you've ever been to Italy or not, you will love this book! I also loved his first book - "Too Much Tuscan Sun" - a delightful and funny read.

I feel like I have visited Tuscany during my reading of this book. This second of his books is a wonderful appreciation of one's own world. Dario has the ability to see and hear the beauty and history and translate that to words. We should all open our eyes and ears a little more and take a moment to really feel our lives. I hope that I can. If you don't have time for a vacation this year, just read this book.

I dearly loved this book. I vacationed in Vagliagli, the tiny Italian hamlet and recognized the sites and people the author talks about. When he describes the sights and sounds (the rooster, hunting dogs barking) upon waking, I find myself back at our villa down the way from Cignano. Everyone who appreciates the solitude and the true Italy needs to read this book. Thank you for sharing, Dario. I am a fan of your books.

When I finished reading Castagno's book, A Day in Tuscany, I felt like I had visited the Tuscany region. His ability with Robert Rodi, to bring in interesting and humorous history mixed with sorrow gave me a greater portrait of a portion of Italy I was not familiar with. The people he wrote about came to life and I loved their mannerisms and the way they approached life with each being a delightful individual. You do not have to go to Italy to appreciate this glimpse into life in Tuscany.

Bettye Johnson, award-winning author, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

A very enjoyable read that informs and entertains. It feels as if our upcoming trip to Tuscany has already begun.

This is a great read. Short, funny and I loved the way he wrote the book. Passed it on to friends and they loved it also.

I'm a big fan of Italian memoirs and have read many. This one is different in that the author is Italian, though he spent his early years in England. He is perhaps less enchanted with all things Italian than the traditional memoir writers, but has a deep interest in the people and their stories, and as a good listener, he gets to hear many of them. The book is not like his first one, a funny account of tourists he ferried around in his capacity as a tour guide, but reads very much like the personal diary it is, detailing his activities during a typical day and the people he meets. He doesn't comment on the people as much as help you know and appreciate them as he does. This book is not presented from the viewpoint of a writer as much as from an average person who is sharing what it feels like to be Italian on a day-to-day basis. I sensed his need to find where he fits into a culture that is at once his own, and not, based on his early years away. You won't be carried away by rhapsodic literary descriptions of vineyards, wines and sunsets as much as feel aware of Dario's personal connection to the land and the people, as he intends.

Dario has once again weaved a great story about his village and his deep passion and affection for his village, tradition and for Italy. This is a great read to complement his other books.

In Dario Castagna's second book, he spends his day walking the beautiful Tuscan countryside reminising about the delightful people in his life. He also gives us historical insight to the region from the Etruscans to modern day heros. A wonderful story teller, we become part of the famous Siena Palio horse race and can taste the wine and olive oil produced locally. As with all of Dario's books, you can't put it down and you hate to see it end. He has also produced a DVD based on this walk through the countryside in which you meet the people in the book and hear their voices. Available on his web site. Attached is a photo of the campo where the Palio is held. Photo taken April, 2009.

This was a sad disappointment. I have read much of the genre, and found this one drab and boring. And I was visiting the very area of which the author writes as I read it! Still it was slow moving, sentimental, and self-indulgent. There are many other fine books in the same vein that are interesting, engaging and informative; this was a dull slog.