"This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house, and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it's so delicious, read it first yourself."
--USA Today

"Mayes [has] perfect vision...I do not doubt that centuries from now, whoever lives in Bramasole will one day uncover bits of pottery used at Mayes's table. She has, by the sweat of her brow and the strength of her vision, become a layer in the history of this place."
--Los Angeles Times

"Irresistible...a sensuous book for a sensuous countryside."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[A] parade of art, food, elemental landscape and abiding camaraderie...stir[s] the reader's gastric juices with luscious tales...Food is the pivot around which her days swing, and Mayes serves it forth with brio and dash-and recipes."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Mayes's affectionate and warm memoir vividly celebrates the lush abundance and charm of daily life in the Italian countryside."
--Publisher's Weekly

"The woman who singlehandedly started the travel-memoir craze returns with more on her life in Tuscany...With a four-city tour; can't miss."
--Library Journal

"We're right there with Mayes, fighting every urge to jump straight into these sun-soaked and citrus-scented pages...Mayes is generous with her thoughts, and her evocative writing simply oozes charm and warmth. In these times, this quick read is a thoroughly enjoyable way to visit Italy without once considering the heartbreaking dollar-to-euro conversion rate."
--Booklist