The Hills of Tuscany [Paperback]

Ferenc Mate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1999

A mouth-wateringly evocative memoir of a new life in Tuscany. Ferenc Mate and his painter wife Candace arrived from New York in the late 1980s, knowing almost no Italian and with only four weeks to find themselves a new home. After many (hilariously told) mishaps, they finally conclude the deal for their perfect house -- an ancient farmhouse in the Tuscan hills -- by drawing on the hood of a rusty tractor. Mate brings the real Tuscany to life: the neighbours, the countryside, country-life, the family farm down the road who virtually adopt them and teach them the Tuscan traditions of grape-picking, wine-making, mushroom hunting, woodcutting, the holidays and, of course, the almost never-ending, mouth-watering feasts. The Hills of Tuscany is a classic piece of rural escapism for urban dreamers. Witty and enticingly written, it 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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A sensuous valentine to author Ferenc Máté's adopted homeland, The Hills of Tuscany brims with lush descriptions of golden dales, scrumptious meals, rich wines, and friendly natives. After years of nomadic roaming from Central America to Canada, Máté (a writer) and his wife, Candace (a painter), visit Tuscany and impulsively decide that this is where they will settle down. A year later they return and begin the hunt for their dream house. As the likeable Mátés (they're funny and suitably grateful for the chance to live in one of the world's garden spots) troll the countryside with a series of colorful Tuscan middlemen, it's impossible not to become emotionally involved in their quest. And when they finally discover the perfect abode--La Marinaia, a tastefully renovated stone farmhouse set amid scenery that Ferenc describes as "like being in the middle of a painting"--you're thrilled right along with them. Subsequent chapters follow the Mátés' growing friendship with their neighbors, who not only help rototill the garden but also reveal where to find porcini mushrooms and truffles in the nearby woods. All in all, reading The Hills of Tuscany is the next best thing to quitting your job, climbing on a plane, and finding your own Tuscan dream house. --Rebecca Gleason --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Though born in Hungary, M t? (A Reasonable Life) has lived in several countries; in this lighthearted memoir, he recalls the early years he and his artist wife, Candace, spent in Tuscany. The two were certain on their initial visit in 1987 that they wanted to relocate to Italy and buy a home in the Tuscan hills, but it took them a year to return and begin house hunting. M t? provides an amusing account of their quest, which was made even more difficult by a lack of facility in the Italian language. After several false starts, they purchased a farmhouse ("La Marinaia") near the small medieval town of Montepulciano and gradually acquired a fluency in Italian as well as a knowledge of how to tend to their fruit trees and vegetable garden. Today, the M t?s embrace their new life and their neighbors with open hearts, taking part in seasonal community harvests, mushroom hunting and wine making. M t? includes evocative descriptions of the beautiful countryside, dotted with ancient ruins, in addition to a wealth of mouthwatering menus featuring Tuscan food and wine. B&w drawings. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Delta (October 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385334419
• ISBN-13: 978-0385334419
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ferenc Máté was born in Hungary and escaped after the revolution at the age of eleven. He grew up in Vancouver, and has lived in California, Paris, the Bahamas and New York. He had worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boatbuilder, photographer, deckhand and book editor. His many books include the nautical bestsellers "From a Bare Hull," "Shipshape," and "The World's Best Sailboats," as well as the acclaimed "Autumn," "A New England Autumn," "A Reasonable Life," "The Hills of Tuscany," "The Wisdom of Tuscany," and the Dugger/Nello series of high seas adventures. He and his family run their vineyards and winery in Montalcino, Tuscany.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TUSCANY BOTH SERENE AND SEDUCTIVE, January 22, 2006

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hills of Tuscany (Paperback)

Reading "The Hills of Tuscany", Ferenc Mate's exuberant, joyful ode to his adopted country, makes one eager to join that expatriate band. After occupying a series of dwellings a "houseboat, sailboat, mountain cabin, that garage in Laguna Beach, the attic in Paris, the cubbyhole in New York, and a whatsit in the Bahamas," the Hungarian-born Mate and his artist wife, Candace, deemed it time for a permanent home.

Central Italy's countryside, where "Everything was small to the measure of man," beguiled them; there "reigned the gentle Tuscan light, and silence, and a calm." They became contentedly sated by "pranzo," the four-course daily meal that resembles in quantity "our average Thanksgiving dinner," and decided to buy a farmhouse, to put down roots in the idyllic Tuscan hills.

Their enchanting dream was a challenging task. Mate spoke no Italian and was woefully ignorant of the vagaries of an agrarian existence. Nonetheless, he set about his search for their perfect home with a Quixote-like zeal, undaunted by a real estate agent cum undertaker who stored his listings with names of the recently departed in a shoe box. A parade of touted homesteads in abject disrepair didn't discourage him. Collapsed fireplaces and gaping roof holes were the norm. Mate zigzagged his way across unfamiliar terrain, following unmapped rutted paths, bouncing over rocky roads until he found his utopia, "a structure with perfect rhythm." La Marinaia The Sailor's Wife. Once that purchase was accomplished, attempts to have utilities turned on introduced him to an implacable, inscrutable Italian bureaucracy. It was explained that there are an almost infinite number of regulations in Italy, " . . . many dating from Roman times, some contradictory, some incomprehensible."

Settling in also meant becoming a part of the nearest town, Montepulciano, "built for humans not for cars, so the main street was just wide enough for conducting daily affairs, evening promenades, and small festive processions." The couple delighted in exploring closet-size shops run by often absent, usually amiable owners. Their nearest neighbor welcomed them with fresh goat cheese covered by a large fig leaf, and they attempted to improve their Italian by watching Telegiornale, the local televised news an "Italian version of reality, a flexible amalgam of fresh headlines, old footage, and clips from Steve McQueen movies."

More than an enthusiastic tribute to the ever astounding beauties of the Italian countryside, "The Hills Of Tuscany" is a paean to the pleasures of the palate as Mate describes in rapturous detail ravioli stuffed with ricotta and wild mushrooms, crostini spread with tuna and capers, rabbit ragu "spicy with tomatoes" plus a legion of dishes bathed, basted, stir-fried, swathed in or caressed by olive oil. He is also unreservedly passionate about the local wine, "wine as robust as the clay," "wine with a deep complexity that tingled all the taste buds."

Today, Mate lives with his wife and young son at La Marinaia, tending his olives and vineyard. It is there, he writes, that "we learned to live and enjoy life as the Tuscans do piano, piano, con calma." Slowly, slowly, with calm. The author's enthusiastic prose is infectious. His word pictures are captivating, as he unveils a Tuscany that is both serene and seductive. "The Hills Of Tuscany" is an invitation to follow your dream . . . especially if it leads to Italy.

- Gail Cooke

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty, loving, and occasionally exceedingly funny, July 27, 2001

By 

Genevieve M. Ellerbee (Alexandria, Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land (Hardcover)

Like most people, when I decided I wanted to read about Italy, I began with Under the Tuscan Sun. While a good book, it bugged me to a certain extent - perhaps because of the slight odor of elitism that was contained within the pages. Mate, on the other hand, invites his readers with him on a more intimate, personal journey. His wife is not reduced to some distant other person who happens to be with him, but is a partner. We get as much of an impression of their life together as we do their life in Italy. I enjoy this book immensely, and it gets reread quite often, especially when I'm feeling all too American.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs-Up for "The Hills", July 16, 2000

By 

I. Peters (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land (Hardcover)

If you liked "Under the Tuscan Sun", you will love this book. Both books describe how an American couple settles in an old house in Tuscany, and the obstacles they had/have to overcome.

Where they differ: Mate and his wife live in Tuscany for good, and I would think that therefore they have a perspective which is a little bit different, more wholesome. I also slightly preferred Mate's book because he writes with a down-to-earth sense of humor, making it easy for the reader to relate (when he describes his first attempts at understanding the speech of a native Tuscan, for example - quite a humbling experience for him!). But like the "Tuscan Sun", this book is a declaration of love for Tuscany, its landscape, its people, and its delicious food.

All in all a very enjoyable read!