Within Tuscany (Penguin Travel Library) by Matthew Spender

by Matthew Spender

More than 20 years ago, sculptor Matthew Spender and his wife left England for what they intended to be a brief interlude in Tuscany. In his memoir Spender takes us on a meditative tour of the place he now calls home - ranging back in time to the 1260 battle of Montaperti when for the last time the Sienese defeated the Florentines, through the days when Byron and Shelley wandered the streets of Pisa, to the present day farmers who use ancient methods to make olive oil. Spender combines history, anecdote and personal observation into a cultural profile of the region, as well as presenting a portrait of a family building a life together in a strange land.

Genres: Travel, Italy, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

Reviews

[Elisewin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stelline e mezzo in realtà.
Interessante, ma non mi ha appassionata come pensavo.

Il libro in sé è più un'autobiografia. Artista inglese e moglie decidono per un viaggio bello lungo in Italia (secondo me sono i viaggi che vale più la pena fare, vivere in un posto che vuoi visitare per un po', non passare una settimana dentro e fuori dalle chiese)... solo che poi ci restano. Nascono e crescono le loro figlie (loro sì che tornano in Inghilterra), intraprendono carriere, i loro nuovi amici sono la gente del luogo.

In molti capitoli del libro l'autore fa dei viaggi più brevi, anche di una sola giornata, per esplorare vari posti della Toscana, alla ricerca di informazioni sugli Etruschi, su Lorenzo de Medici, su Pontormo, sugli strascichi del fascismo e delle leggi razziali.

In parte l'ho trovato affascinante, in parte è parecchio noioso per chi non si interessa a certi argomenti (soprattutto artistici e storici) per lavoro o per passione. Altro fattore che mi ha fatto stortare il naso, la storia di questa Vittoria. Non so perché ha pensato che fosse un bene inserirla nel libro, ma l'ho trovata abbastanza senza senso.

Il punto del libro credo sia descritto bene nel capitolo finale dove, parlando con un estraneo durante una cena, dice che "l'argomento è la Toscana. [...] Detesto parlare di vivande, ristoranti, alberghi, prospetti, itinerari. [...]", al che l'altro risponde che "nessuno è in grado di divorare l'intera mela" e quindi che "[...] il piano per il suo libro di per sé non è sbagliato. Sono assaggi precisi della mela in posti diversi molto mirati, all'interno di una struttura complessiva che potrebbe dare una buona idea generale".

[Jeffrey St. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1968, the British sculptor, Matthew Spender, son of the poet Stephen Spender, and his wife Maro Gorky, the daughter of painter Arshile Gorky, moved to the small Tuscan hilltown of Gaiole, just north of Siena. As part of the first wave of hippy exiles to Tuscany, the Spender / Gorky family rehabbed an old Tuscan farmhouse, began growing olives and mulberries, and homeschooled their two daughters, along with pursuing their art. Spender's book wraps their personal story around a larger portrait of Tuscany, which includes an unforgettable hike up the foothills of the Apennines to an ancient marble quarry in search of the very spot where Michelangelo cut the stone used to carve his Moses. The Spender/Gorky family became close friends with the Italian film director, Bernardo Bertolucci. His film, Stealing Beauty, is loosely based on their life in Tuscany.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK I JUST HAD TO GIVE UP ON THIS BOOK.. IT WAS TOO BORING TO KEEP GOING.. I GIVE IT THREE STARS FOR EFFORT BUT IT JUST WASN'T FOR ME.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author focuses basically on rock chiseling and architecture and wood working. It was ok, but not what I was expecting as the setting was Italy and I had anticipated human interest, culture, sights, sounds foods...I was disappointed.

[Steve Kierstead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schmidty and I are going to Florence and Rome in September and I wanted to get some more background. This was good enough, asked some of the history was fascinating. I re read the chapter on Savonarola and look forward to seeing some of the places again, with a new perspective.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2*

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the unlikely event that anyone’s been wondering why this book has been on my “Currently Reading” shelf for three months, here’s the deal: It’s not what I expected.

It’s not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with the book, but I was looking for a vicarious trip to modern Italy, and this book is a memoir by someone who lived there long ago. For me, it was like expecting a full-color picture and getting a daguerreotype.

However, the author is also an artist, and for anyone interested in the visual arts, especially sculpture, this book could be a real find. Even though I will most likely never finish it (so many books, so little time!), I now have stored in my imagination a new image of Michelangelo—not as a bearded old curmudgeon in his studio but rather as a Bunyonesque figure striding up a narrow, precarious pathway to a quarry. Finding his stone in situ, the artist personally supervised the lowering of giant blocks of marble off the side of the mountain.

Within Tuscany is full of stories like that.

[Mark]

Musings about people, life and events and history, personal and otherwise in Tuscony. Reminded me of a buffet selection of historical events. The author has a degree from Oxford in medieval history and is a painter and sculptor, all of which are reflected in this book.

[Kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very unique read if you’re planning to visit Tuscany; otherwise, not worth your time.