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There's a valuable, offbeat travel video hidden between the stale jokes in
In Search of Tuscany. Perhaps host John Guerrasio also should have gone in search of a more cultivated sense of humor. Clichéd jokes aside--after all, there are "so many hill towns, so little time"--his trip through Tuscany takes you away from the tourist meccas and into what appears to be the real Italian deal, small towns such as Greve and Panzano as well as a quick stop in touristy Florence. He doesn't like Florence much, "but there's great art, you gotta visit," he says. Guerrasio saves his waxing for the countryside, "a Renaissance painting come to life," and the everyday scenes: vineyards, wineries, a centuries-old pageant, and a peasant opera. Fortunately, he also has a weakness for little-known museums and ancient churches and endless footage of the gorgeous countryside.
--Valerie J. Nelson