The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land

Though born in Hungary, M t (A Reasonable Life) has lived in several countries; in this lighthearted memoir, he recalls the early years he and his artist wife, Candace, spent in Tuscany. The two were certain on their initial visit in 1987 that they wanted to relocate to Italy and buy a home in the Tuscan hills, but it took them a year to return and begin house hunting. M t provides an amusing account of their quest, which was made even more difficult by a lack of facility in the Italian language. After several false starts, they purchased a farmhouse (""La Marinaia"") near the small medieval town of Montepulciano and gradually acquired a fluency in Italian as well as a knowledge of how to tend to their fruit trees and vegetable garden. Today, the M t s embrace their new life and their neighbors with open hearts, taking part in seasonal community harvests, mushroom hunting and wine making. M t includes evocative descriptions of the beautiful countryside, dotted with ancient ruins, in addition to a wealth of mouthwatering menus featuring Tuscan food and wine. B&w drawings. Author tour. (Nov.)