Hidden Tuscany: Discovering Art, Culture, and Memories in a Well-Known Region’s Unknown Places

Travel writer Keahey (Seeking Sicily) delivers another insightful look at the wonders of Italy, this time focusing on the coastal areas of western Tuscany to discover places most Americans “quickly pass through en route to somewhere else.” Keahey focuses his attention on islands and inland villages that have “some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Tuscany.” He explores his many passions: food, discovering how the “uniqueness of certain dishes, region to region, village to village, comes out of what is available in each local spot”; art, visiting the one hundred sculptors who work in the area at any given time, following in the footsteps of Michelangelo; and history, including a moving account of the German massacre of the residents of Sant’Anna di Stazzema during WWII. This is not a guidebook, but Keahey succeeds completely at producing a book that lovingly describes the beauty of the region at the same time that it embodies what Keahey feels is the best “guide to being a traveler: pick a direction, carry a map so you know how to get back to your resting place each evening, and set out each morning with no agenda.” (July)