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Summary: A story of hope...that we may all find a place to call home.
Review: Ferenc and Candace love each other. They love their home. And by the time you've finished reading this story, you'll love them and their home as well.I don't normally like autobiographical works, but I've read this 3 times in the time I've owned the copy. It almost reads like a fairy tale...one that came true.
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Summary: Viva Italia
Review: Ferenc Mate follows in the tradition of people writing passionately about Italy. Almost on a whim, he and his wife decide to move to Tuscany, uprooting their former life and relocating before they have found a house or learned much of the language. Luckily, as a writer and artist, respectively, Ferenc and Candace both have work that travels easily. The two wade through the notorious Italian bureaucracy involved in searching for and purchasing a house, eventually finding and settling into an idyllic farmhouse. Ferenc and Candace gradually adapt to their new home, adjusting to life in Italy with the help of friendly neighbors and townspeople. The joy the Mates feel is contagious, though tinged with jealousy in my case. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this book is the couple's love for one another, blossoming in this beautiful setting and radiating from every page. A gorgeous tribute to a lovely place.
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Summary: Mate's book contains a happy profusion of sensory delights.
Review: Ferenc Mate's The Hills of Tuscany is a joyous celebration of beautiful and serene countryside, old-fashioned friendly village life, and the Italians' love of the simple and sensual joys of life. The author invites the reader into the home he and his painter-wife created from an ancient farmhouse, into their warm friendships with neighbors, and into the festive celebrations of the seasons, all highlighted with the luscious cuisine of Tuscany. Included with chuckling humor are Mr. Mate's struggles with the move to a foreign country, with the hazards of mastering a foreign language and with learning to live in a farming community. Tuscany's key to life is piano, piano, calma --- softly, softly, calmly. A treasure for the reader, who must long to go there and be immersed in these pleasures.
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Summary: I want to go to Tuscany........
Review: God I loved this book...It made me laugh(out loud at times) cry a lot as well.Happy tears.. Ferenc is a wonderful writer and we had the priviliedge to go to Tuscany with he and Candice and be in their wonderful life. So much love .. From Truffle hunting and boars charging to Nonna killing chickens...it was just wonderful..The golden moon and the ruins described so well you could even see and smell them.I didn't want it to end and when it did , I felt like I had lost two..no..lots of close friends.. Thankyou for taking us to Tuscany Ferenc..You are a marvellous writer with so much to give...Do you still have the Saint hanging on your wall? I'm sure that you do.. Buonasera....
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Summary: A wonderful description of a magical place.
Review: Having just returned from 5 weeks in Tuscany where my husband and I biked and hiked in Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, etc...I was immeadiately drawn to this book. It was so wonderful reading about all the places we had just been to, and several that I now know I will visit and re-visit when we go again. I loved the humor and good nature of this book, and am thrilled that I ran across it. Books like this I tend to inhale, so I look forward to re-reading it slowly, with a glass of Brunello if at all possible. I recommend it highly, especially if you like Under the Tuscan Sun.
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Summary: The Hills of Tuscany : A New Life in an Old Land
Review: Here is a charming book that will take you on a year long journey of life in the Tuscan Hills. Mate has done an excellent job of capturing the ambiance of the area. One can almost feel the warmth of the Tuscan sun, smell the olives as they mature and hear the buzz of cicadas floating through the night air. For mushroom afficanados Mate describes the find and the preparation of these woodland morsels in words that only a mushroom hunter can heartfully appreciate. For the rest of the world, there is the opportunity to simply savor the well described flavor and the joy of the mushroom hunter -- which all Italians seem to be. And, speaking of food, the author has captured the menus of Tuscany and the preparation of many home gourmet dishes; the gathering of the grapes and the making of wine; the butchering of a pig and the making of prociutto, sausages, head cheese and a host of other products coming from swine. Meet Pasquale, Anna, and a other locals in Mate's well developed characaters. It's easy to imagine them living next door, chatting in the trattoria, or cursing the bull that got away. These folks have wisdom gleaned from the time continuum and indelible personalities. Highlighting their development are typical Italian phrases the reader is likely to hear upon visiting the region. This book is a must read for anyone wishing to take a vacation in words or prime themself for a trip to wonderous Tuscany.
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Summary: What glorious prose!
Review: How fortunate am I to have vicariously strolled through the Tuscan countryside, partaking of the food, feeling the sunlight, glimpsing village life. I lingered among the pages of this book as long as possible, relishing every detail--some of which I read aloud to my husband--, laughing, marveling at the visual paintings of pastoral scenes. I appreciated the opportunity to share in this life for awhile, to learn some Italian, and to enjoy the slower pace of life.
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Summary: I want to live in Tuscany!
Review: I enjoyed Ferenc Mate's book very much - I loved his descriptions of the hills, the people, the sunsets, the dusty roads, the shopkeepers - I felt like I was right there with him and Candace. I envy them. It takes guts to move to a foreign country, not knowing anyone, not knowing the language. Mr. Mate has given me much to think about. I can't wait to see the sunsets in Tuscany, but don't know about the rabbit stew...think I may pass on that.
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Summary: I want to live in Tuscany!
Review: I enjoyed Ferenc Mate's book very much - I loved his descriptions of the hills, the people, the sunsets, the dusty roads, the shopkeepers - I felt like I was right there with him and Candace. I envy them. It takes guts to move to a foreign country, not knowing anyone, not knowing the language. Mr. Mate has given me much to think about. I can't wait to see the sunsets in Tuscany, but don't know about the rabbit stew...think I may pass on that.
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Summary: A wonderfully warm, and beautifully written book.
Review: I thought I was sold on moving to Tuscany after reading Under the Tuscan Sun, and having just finished The Hills of Tuscany, I know I am. After finishing this book I just want to pack my bags and go sample the wine, help pick the olives, meet the people and explore the culture. Mate's descriptions of the countryside, the people, the food and the lovely simple way of life is very appealing. It was like reading a long letter from an old friend and by the time I had finished the book I felt I had known the author and his wife for a long time.
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