Customer Reviews

Somewhere South of Tuscany: 5 Years In a Four-Cat Town

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Don't miss this wonderful read that will make you laugh and cry as you follow the author's inexhaustible and often hilarious efforts to create a life in a small Italian village. As the author describes her navigation through the intricacies and vagaries of local law, customs, language and cooking, you get a strong sense of both her indomitable spirit and her open heart as she embraces all things Italian. The format of short stories makes it a quick, fun read and the clever way of introducing local foods first by describing the social occasion for which they are prepared and then including the full recipe at the end will have you longing to invite friends to share a meal. Maybe this book should come with a warning. After reading, you may feel an irresistible need to visit international airline websites and/or your closest Italian grocer.

WHAT A MARVELOUS STORY OF ITALIAN VILLAGE LIFE AND FOOD! IT'S HIGHLY READABLE AND EXCEPTIONALLY ENTERTAINING. KNOWING UMBRIA WELL, I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO ANYBODY YEARNING TO BE OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

This book is captivating from beginning to end. It is an easy read about the fun things (and not so fun) that happen when you buy a very old house in a village in Italy.
I like the way Diana Armstrong talks about the food of the region and then gives you all the recipes at the end of the book. The book also covers quite a lot of the history of the area and so puts everything in perspective.

For anyone who has been or is going to the Tuscany area, they will enjoy this insightful book on Italian life in a small hilltop village. She puts an identity to the old Italian woman with a black dress and scarf sweeping the street; the old men with their billed black caps and black sweaters talking politics sitting on a bench (particularly interesting are her stories of World War II experiences); the dashing beautiful working people in the shops; and the independent workman who rebuilt her new home.

The recipes I have tried are delicious.

I felt like I had been on a visit to Lubriano. I feel I could see and smell the place. What a wonderful read!

Diana Armstrong has a lyrical way with words that quickly carried me into the life of a small hilltop town in Italy. Brava!

My wife and I are frequent travelers to Tuscany and Umbria. I read Diana Armstrong's Somewhere South of Tuscany and felt that I was back where I so love to be! She captures so well the flavor (yes, through her recipes) as well as the mood of the region. What wonderful reading! A must read for anyone traveling to that area.

My new favorite author... about living in a small Italian town...PLUS wonderful recipes...well explained. You can almost taste them just by reading them. This book will be the gift I give all my friends this year. A captivating story and a recipe book all rolled into one. Thank you Diana!

I love this book. Diana Armstrong writes about Italy in a way that makes you not only want to go live there but it's easy to picture it all in your mind. I love the way she decribes things without in such a perfect uncomplicated way.