-Tuscan food tastes like itself. Ingredients are left to shine. . . . So, if on your visit, I hand you an apron, your work will be easy. We'll start with primo ingredients, a little flurry of activity, perhaps a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and soon we'll be carrying platters out the door. We'll have as much fun setting the table as we have in the kitchen. Four double doors along the front of the house open to the outside--so handy for serving at a long table under the stars (or for cooling a scorched pan on the stone wall). Italian Philosophy 101: la casa aperta, the...

Presents the author truly at home in Italy, meeting the challenges of learning a new language and touring regions outside Tuscany, including castle towns, fishing villages, and islands. This work also explores different themes in this wondrous corner of the world, delving into gardening, wine-making, and the experience of primavera.

With descriptions of the vibrant local markets, food, wine and the Italian landscape, this book intends to inspire readers to embark on their own journeys - whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, or savouring one of the book's dozens of delicious seasonal recipes.