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Bella Tuscany

Frances Mayes

Frances Mayes works as a Professor of Creative Writing at San Francisco State University and also writes novels and memoirs (including Bella Tuscany), many about Italy – she travels between her homes in California and Tuscany. 

This section described Mayes’ first memories of settling her home in Tuscany. Her husband and she decided to buy an old house that needed many repairs – she described the strains of huge refurbishing projects like replacing the old well and roof. At the same time, she described how the process wasn’t completely unenjoyable; she loved starting a garden and making friends with the men and women who helped repair the house and make them feel comfortable in Italy.

This book and its prequel (Under the Tuscan Sun, which described he first experiences in Italy) were released in the 1990s. The recession and bad economy that most of the world is suffering though now hadn’t hit yet, and many Americans were still financially sound – the real-estate crisis hadn’t happened and stocks hadn’t plummeted. Because many people, like Mayes it seems, had the money to travel, travel memoirs like these would be popular reads (exigence).

This book followed her first book, Under the Tuscan Sun; they were both written to not only describe the wonders of Italy as entertainment, but also to contrast the hustle and stress of American societies with the more quiet and relaxed life in Tuscany (purpose). Mayes achieved this purpose – as a reader, I think that Americans should try to copy the peace of Tuscan life. She views Italy with an American perspective which appeals to an American audience. She uses many rhetorical devices that interest the reader in the story, such as repetition, and help the reader imagine the beauty of Tuscany – not only does she use vivid imagery, but in some descriptions, her syntax reminds readers of a song or a poem rather than a story. She also includes Italian words, that are easily understandable for Americans because of context clues or translations in parentheses, which helps place the reader in her Tuscan experiences.