Customer Reviews

In Maremma: Life and a House in Southern Tuscany

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

 

 

Life in Maremma chronicles the trials and tribulations of the authors decision, move to and life within Maremma (literally, "marsh) in Southern Tuscany.

This slim volume is beautfully written in concise, witty prose. The authors make it easy to understand the local customs and people, and resist the urge to show off their knowledge of Italian admirably. The book is amusing in two ways: the comedy of their Maremma life and the wide camp streak that runs throughout the book. This endearing campiness boils to the surface in a couple of chapters of exstatic writing on interior decoration and a voyage of discovery into the world of fabrics that made me laugh out loud.

A large part of what makes this book so good is its refreshing approach to the overheated genre of "Anglos Move To Europe And Renovate House With Colorful Locals And Great Food". While the authors clearly fell in love with Italy, their viewpoint is balanced and clear: they nail the good and the bad even-handedly. There is none of the cloying sentimentality or blind worship of their adopted country. The authors don't build up the inhabitants of Maremma to be superbeings with all the answers to the Anglo quest for improved quality of life -- there's no subtext of "if only everyone would live like this we'd solve world peace and hunger"

Highly recommended, though a little short for a full-price hardback.

I was prepared to love this book, based on the reviews posted so far and my general love of travel and books about other cultures. While it is written well, I found it disappointing - the characters weren't fully drawn, the situations weren't interesting - overall, it just didn't grab me. And it's a lot of money for such a slim volume. If you want a good read about buying a house in Italy and adjusting to life there, try Extra Virgin instead.

This book was the 5th memoir book I've read about life in the Tuscan region of Italy. I was very perplexed why the authors even decided to write it, why they've decided to live there, why ...... They were very sarcastic about the Tuscan life, its people, its traditions and its values, making fun of everything and everyone in a mean spirited way. They went so far as to make fun of the Italian cuisine and say that nothing is like eating at McDonald's restaurants in the US or eating peanut butter sandwitches for lunch or ...... Why they've decided to live there is a mystery to me and this book was a big disappointment.

This slim, beautifully written and beautifully designed book is a true pleasure to read. Although I've happily been to Italy several times, I had no idea where Maremma is. The answer, as evidenced by the book's subtitle, is Southern Tuscany--an area, according to the authors, that is hardly a tourist Mecca.

The book not only explains why two gay lovers would move here & why they'd buy a house that under the best of circumstances would be called a "fixer-upper," it also introduces the reader to marvelous characters, or rather marvelous people, for they're all real: Magini the cabinetmaker & Pina, the chef at Il Mulino & Pepe, the iron-fitter & Olimpia Orsini, the interior designer, are just a few of my favorites out of the dozens in the book.

We spend a happy/bittersweet Christmas with Leavitt & Mitchell; we go with them when they apply for drivers' licenses from corrupt officials; we share countless Tuscan meals with them and their generous neighbors and their neighbors' children; we watch them (snake-haters, both) kill a dangerous asp and, finally, we begin to understand why these two American writers live and flourish here...why and how they have, in their words, "become Italian."

One small touch that I found very charming was the way the authors explain situations with specific terms in English and then, parenthetically, in Italian; another is the inclusion of selections from Mitchell's diary when the men were only visitors to Italy. It is also very gratifying that the [lifestyle] of the authors is never an issue. They are obviously accepted as writers, as Americans, as men, as human beings. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I didn't expect David Leavitt to be humorous, but In Maremma is often quite funny and offers an observation that is priceless. Life in the Italian marshlands, the region where the author and his partner make their new home, is the off-the-beaten track in mainland Italy as one gets, where the people are authentic and down-to-earth. Each chapter engages the reader with succinct and often humorous account of the mundane, "day-to-day" life made interesting, such as going to the olive press or refurbishing a home. Despite the book's brevity, it is replete with historical tidbits and descriptions of luscious Italian foods as well as characters. The tone and voice of this book makes it a pleasure to read and you'll want to go to the Maremma as well. Buy it or borrow it from your local public library!

Of all the travel memoirs I've read, I'm sorry to say that this one is the least engaging. I've been an admirer of David Leavitt's writing for a very long time, but reading this I couldn't help but feel (again and again) that it was just thrown together haphazardly as a means of paying for the couple's house. Well, why not? Except it just doesn't interest much. It's a shame. A great missed opportunity. For a better read read Annie Hawes' Extra Virgin and its sequel Ripe for the Picking, and At Home in France by Ann Barry.

Found this book by accident on the shelves of a large library. Caught my eye because while most of the genre of travelogue books of folks trying to make a living and remodeling a farm house in tuscany usually sticks to the "traditional" tuscany, these authors went for the "unknown" tuscany, the Maremma.

I was a little disappointed, as this area actually is more interesting and colorful than the book describes. Its characters are intrinsically complex, bound by a history of farm economy and recent migration. However, not much was dwelled into these characters. Maybe it takes several years to get to know the intimate lives of the folks living there. But something could have been said about the other foreigners living in the same area, and how they fared.

The book was enjoyable. I would have loved for it to be a little longer. Some topics or stories could have been expounded on longer. I also read "Extra Virgin ... " by Annie Hawes and it sounds like Maremma is close to the small town she wrote about. From the description of the house, it sounds like it turned out to be gorgeous, they sould have included a picture of some of the decor of the house. I enjoy reading this genre of books, please keep them coming. I will be reading "Pasquale's Nose: Idle Days in an Italian Town" by Michael Rips soon.