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

by Diana G. Armstrong

Somewhere South of Tuscany is a feet on the ground, boots-in-the-mud account of living and cooking in a beautiful hilltop village set in the spectacular Italian countryside between Tuscany and Umbria. After only one brief visit, Diana and her husband buy an ancient stone house right in the historic center of town. It has been carved out of a 400-year-old abandoned monastery. Disasters and discoveries abound. Somewhere South of Tuscany is a simpatico and humorous look at real life in an Italian Medieval village where most families live in the homes of their ancestors. Many neighbors are survivors of World War II and attitudes here have gone unchanged for generations. Diana's book includes her delicious recipes adapted in her ancient kitchen from the traditional dishes of Tuscany and Umbria. Once again, just as they have done for centuries, aromas of rosemary, sage, porcini, and truffles rise and fill the old stone kitchen. Diana G Armstrong is an award-winning food and travel writer and cookbook author. Born and raised in South Africa, she now lives in Denver, Colorado. She maintains a second home in Italy, which enables her to indulge her particular love of the life, food, and people of rural Italy.

376 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2010

Reviews

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I just couldn't get past 30 pages of this book. I wanted so badly to love it. I am obsessed with Italy and frankly, this lady's story of randomly buying a home there is my ultimate fantasy. But the writing was just atrocious. It felt like I was reading someone's exercises for a creative writing classes--and not a good one. This may have had potential as a good story had it been written differently, but you know, maybe not. Maybe it's just a cool experience--of which I am extremely envious--but maybe it's not a great story.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, there was nothing to tie these chapters together and nothing too compelling to pull me in.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere South of Tuscany: Five Years in a Four Cat Town by Diana Armstrong is a fun, engaging read about a couple's efforts to restore a house in rural central Italy and fit into village life after Armstrong and her husband buy an ancient property -- sight once seen.

Armstrong does a wonderful job of painting the picture of Lubriano from the neighbors to the festivals, including La Infiorata when the village's only street is spectacularly covered in flowers. Her descriptions of the food she prepares are a particular highlight, and Armstrong even treats readers to an impressive collection of recipes (nearly 100 pages) at the end of the book.

Although I would have liked Armstrong to delve a bit deeper into the emotions of adjusting to a new life in Italy, the lack of more introspection didn't take much away from my overall enjoyment of the book. It did start off a bit slowly for me, but about fifty pages in I was hooked and looking forward to my nightly visits with Armstrong in Lubriano.

In fact, I was a bit sad for the tale to end, thus the four stars.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about daily Italian life, renovating a house in the Italian countryside, and/or cooking traditional Tuscan and Umbrian dishes, and also to anyone who simply likes getting wrapped up in Italian adventures.

[cbdef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another story of a foreigner who buys property in Italy and restores it - details of their experiences and recipes. Brings to light the everyday life in a small closed community, how they depend on each other and some cultural aspects of being Italian.