A Year In The World

Her first work of travel-writing since BELLA TUSCANY

Frances Mayes is the author of four books about Tuscany. Under the Tuscan Sun was a number one international bestseller, and became a film starring Diane Lane. It was followed by Bella Tuscany and two illustrated books, In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home. Mayes is also the author of the novel Swan, six books of poetry, and The Discovery of Poetry. She lives in Cortona, Italy, and in North Carolina.

The author who unforgettably captured the experience of starting a new life in Tuscany returns to immerse herself - and her readers - in the sights, aromas and treasures of twelve new special places. 
 
A YEAR IN THE WORLD is vintage Frances Mayes - a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely places, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs. 
 
With her beloved Tuscany as a home base, Mayes travels to Spain and Portugal, France, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the south of Italy, and North Africa. In Andalucía, she relishes the intersection of cultures. She cooks in Portugal, gathers ideas in the gardens of England and Scotland, takes a literary pilgrimage to Burgundy and explores the Moroccan city of Fez. 
 
Weaving together personal perceptions and informed commentary on art, architecture, history, landscape, and the social and culinary traditions of each area, Mayes brings the immediacy of life in her temporary homes to the reader. An illuminating and passionate book that will be savored by all who loved UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, A YEAR IN THE WORLD is travel writing at its absolute best.

Bella Tuscany

The endearing author whose bestseller made the world fall in love with Tuscany invites us back for an enchanting new season of friendship, festivity and food there and throughout Italy.

'There is much to enjoy in this volume, which is part guidebook, part gardening manual, part cookery book, part history, part language course, and which rolls along with sustained vigour and joyous enthusiasm'

'Meanders anecdotally and thoughtfully through a sabbatical spring and long summer . . . Part travelogue and part intelligent reflection on the essential quality of Italy and Italians'

FRANCES MAYES is the author of four books about Tuscany. The now-classic UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN - which was a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller for more than two and a half years and became a Touchstone movie starring Diane Lane - was followed by BELLA TUSCANY and two illustrated books, IN TUSCANY and BRINGING TUSCANY HOME. Mayes is also the author of the novel SWAN, six books of poetry, THE DISCOVERY OF POETRY and A YEAR IN THE WORLD. She lives in Cortona, Italy, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Continuing Frances Mayes's account of her love affair with Italy, Bella Tuscany presents the author now truly at home there, meeting the challenges of learning a new language and touring regions outside Tuscany, including castle towns, fishing villages, and islands. With fresh adventures and updates on the characters introduced in Under the Tuscan Sun, Mayes also explores new themes in this wondrous corner of the world, delving into gardening, wine-making, and the experience of primavera - a season of renewed possibility. And Mayes reveals more simple pleasures from her Tuscan kitchen in a section devoted to recipes. In the sensuous, vivid prose that has become her hallmark, Bella Tuscany celebrates Mayes's deepening connection to the land and her flourishing friendships in a newfound haven of idyllic living.

Frances Mayes

Lyrically written and beguiling... What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the restoration of this 200-year-old villa and the five acres of land that go with it

Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter and summer recipes; an academic who sets her new home in its Roman and Etruscan context.  Above all, Mayes is an enthusiast for starting over. After the dissolution of a long marriage, she celebrates Christmas in Italy with her grown-up daughter and her new partner. 'Is this much happiness allowed?' she asks. You bet

Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life

A wonderfully languid and evocative diary

Stone by stone, Frances Mayes builds the story of what is not so much a love affair as an all-consuming passion. A glorious book - seductive, sensuous, beautifully crafted... '

The Italian equivalent of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence

Anniversary Edition

Discover the New York Times bestseller that inspired the film. The perfect read for anyone seeking an escape to the Italian countryside. 
 
When Frances Mayes – poet, gourmet cook and travel writer – buys an abandoned villa in Tuscany, she has no idea of the scale of the project she is embarking on. 
 
In this enchanting memoir she takes the reader on a journey to restore a crumbling villa and build a new life in the Italian countryside, navigating hilarious cultural misunderstandings, legal frustrations and the challenges of renovating a house that seems determined to remain a ruin. 
 
Filled with evocative landscapes, delicious recipes and colourful characters, Under the Tuscan Sun is a book to savour. It’s a love letter to Tuscany, good food, and the joys of starting over. 
 
"What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the restoration of this 200-year-old villa and the five acres of land that go with it" SUNDAY TIMES

Frances Mayes

Praise for Under The Tuscan Sun

Lyrically written and beguiling... What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the rest ...

Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter ...

Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life

Lyrically written and beguiling... What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the rest ...

Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter ...

Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life

Lyrically written and beguiling... What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the rest ...

Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter ...

Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life

Books by Frances Mayes

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter