Customer Reviews

The Hills of Tuscany

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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.

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!

I've read most of these 'move to Italy(or France)' books and can say without reservation that this is my favorite. The writing style is delightful and really funny, and the author and his wife are truly likable people (he adores her and doesn't speak about her like the odd chair observed from afar like Mayes refers to her mate.) You feel very much in the middle of all the activity, because he feels that way... a nice change from the other books. The warm and giving 'Italian personality' comes through in all these books, even seen from so many different views, but in this book it blends so closely with the author's own that it is less 'reported on' and more part of the fabric of his story. He is truly at home in this place.... which means he doesn't have to tell you that. The Hills of Tuscany has a refreshing warmth and reality that make it stand out in this category. I highly recommend it.

Okay, I'm on a roll here. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, On Rue Tatin by Susan Loomis, At Home in France by Ann Berry, and now The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate, and I recommend all. This one's a bit weird though in that it goes on for just over 100 pages leaving me cold and feeling like it's missing something (lacks heart somehow), and like possibly the author just wrote it for the cash. The recounted dialogue also seems stilted. It's meant to be witty but somehow doesn't ring true. Then Ferenc and Candace find their dream house (yes, it takes over 100 pages to get there!) and somehow the tone begins to change. As the chapters pass from this point and the Mates interact with their Italian neighbors it becomes much warmer, more full of heart, and actually a good read I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. It's now left me with the impression that the author wrote it over the years and his skills as a writre improved with time, yet he didn't go back and clean up the earlier chapters which are strangely dry and lackluster. The chapter about the neighbors killing a pig was also interesting to read just how prosciutto was made, etc. Great meals, wine-making, domestic settling in, the clever and timeless ways peasants do things (all lost to us Americans and we're so much the poorer for it), etc., it's all here, just like all the books in this genre, but thankfully it lacks the tone of feeling superior to the locals that some have. Get through those first 100 or so pages and stick with it. It's a pleasant read after that. Now I'm off to read Mate's new book (2000) called A Reasonable Life: Toward a Simpler, Secure, More Humane Existence, as that's EXACTLY the place I'm at in my life at 42 after leaving the New York City rat race for a simpler existence (the rats were winning) after seemingly going into an office 10 years ago, sitting down at a computer, and realizing ten years had gone by, lost forever, and I'm no better for it really, and it's not the life I want or the way I want to live, so now I'm back home in California, putting in my own kitchen garden (potager), etc., and MUCH more fulfilled at the end of each day. The American "efficient" way of doing everything (houses and shopping centers like ugly barracks, food in plastic from a grocery that lacks flavor and aroma, etc.) is robbing us all blind of a rich life, and I for one want off the treadmill to success and to go back to the older and richer ways, hence my interest in these types of books now, and my appreciation for what Mr. Mate has written here.

I've read many many new and old books about Tuscany and other parts of Italy and this is my very favorite. A sweet romance is told along with giving the reader a somewhat secretive map of the region. If you take the time to figure out the north south east and west directions imbedded in the story, you may be able to find several little known and delightful places in and around Montepulciano and even all the way over to the Tuscan coast. I liked this SO much more than Under the Tuscan Sun and in person, I liked Montepulciano so much more than Cortona too!

Although I am a fan of this book genre I must admit this was a disappointing read. There is a lack of interesting characters, dialog, and situations. Other than a repetitive string of descriptions where everything is just absolutely super perfect, there is not much there.

After reading Frances Mayes' books on Tuscany I didn't think I would find another that could paint any more vivid a picture of this magical part of Italy. I was wrong. Mate's light style and discriptive passages of the search for the perfect Tuscan house rekindled my own personal desires. Mate doesn't dwell as much on the restoration of the dwelling itself where Mayes goes into great detail, but rather concentrates on developing more human contacts and connections. That may be more due to the fact that he and his wife are permanent residents and not just summer and holiday transplants. That gives this book a more personal touch and I think gives the reader a clearer sense of the wonderful Tuscan people than in Mayes' efforts. Mate also lets us know how strong his love is for his wife, and that so much of the joy of living in this part of the world is that he gets to share it with her. One has to admire their resolve in moving to a counrty where neither speaks a single word of the language, but for someone else who has strugggled to communicate in a foreign land, I could relate to their difficulties and take joy in their triumphs. A very enjoyable memoir. I look forward to the ineviatable sequel.

The Hills of Tuscany was a precious, delightful read. I enjoyed each and every moment and it made me love the land, people, food, animals, small towns, cities, sky, fields, and even those mushrooms, so well described. I was well nourished for the entire book. Thank you Mr. Mate and his wife for the delightful drawings!

A wonderful tale of Mate and his wife deciding to settle down in Tuscany. The ups and downs of the language barrier, the dream houses which have been torn down to a knee high wall for a new barn, smokey 'real estate' brokers, and the older bachelor's 'funghi' flirtation with his wife. After finding the ultimate house, there was the addition of the well flavored family next door that kept things interesting. There was always something quirky going on, which I could picture it happening to me. Great read!