American chef and author of A Thousand Days in Venice moves to rural Tuscany, where she and her husband discover village secrets of food, life, and love.Searching for the rhythms of country living, American chef Marlena de Blasi and her Venetian husband, Fernando, move to a barely renovated former stable in Tuscany. They dwell among two hundred villagers, ancient olive groves, and hot Etruscan … groves, and hot Etruscan springs. In this patch of earth where Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio collide, there is much to feed de Blasi’s two passions—food and love. In A Thousand Days in Tuscany, de Blasi brings us along as she and Fernando harvest grapes, gather chestnuts, forage for wild mushrooms, and climb trees in the cold of December to pick olives, one by one.
They befriend the mesmeric Barlozzo, a self-styled village chieftain whose stories lead de Blasi deeper into the soul of Tuscany. Together they visit sacred festivals and taste just-pressed olive oil, drizzled over roasted country bread. In a cauldron set over a wood fire, they braise beans in red wine, and a stew of wild boar simmers overnight in the ashes of their hearth. Barlozzo shares his knowledge of Italian farming traditions and ancient health potions, but he has secrets he doesn’t share, and one of them concerns the beautiful Floriana, whose illness teaches Marlena that happiness is truly a choice.
Like the pleasurable tastes and textures of a fine meal, A Thousand Days in Tuscany is as satisfying as it is enticing. The author’s own recipes are included.
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I love Tuscany…so it peaked my interest….a little drawn out…lots of eating…
I just loved this book! And it is even better with a glass of wine by your side. The descriptive prose bring me right into Tuscany and into the lives of the people who call this area of Italy their home. As a chef, Marlena writes about food like non-other. I just wanted to set a table and have my husband cook every recipe she includes in the book. …
American woman with Venetian husband move to a Tuscan village and make lifelong friends. This is an interesting read about the food and culture of Tuscany.
A nice little story. Not necessarily something I would recommend to my friends who like a meatier written book.
Mostly info about food and very little story
This is a story of the author who moved to Italy once her children were grown, met a man, fell in love and stayed. Her first book was 1000 days in Venice, and once they moved to Tuscany, she decided it was time to write again.
The author is an American chef as well as an author and her new husband was a banker in Venice. Her husband wants a …
Found a book by this author in a dollar store. After reading it I had to read all her other books, which I either downloaded on my Kindle or got at the library, Wonderful books.