Edited by James O’Reilly and Tara Austen Weaver
Introduction by Anne Calcagno

“The first-rate writers in Travelers Tales Tuscany bring places to life that conventional guidebooks skim or ignore…This collection is a feast of writing, place, and sensory pleasure, a worthy tribute to an earthly paradise.” —Susan Cahill, author of Desiring Italy and For the Love of Ireland

“Those armchair travelers who did not run off to Tuscany after reading Frances Mayes’s Under the Tuscan Sun will surely start packing after reading this latest installment in the Travelers’ Tales series…Who can resist David Yeadon’s piece on the red-walled city of Lucca…Jan Morris dreaming of Florence while in Wales, or Francine Russo tracing the steps of Napolean on Elba…Twenty-nine other writers contribute essays to this engaging book…” —Susan Cahill, author of Desiring Italy and For the Love of Ireland

From the award-winning editors of the Travelers’ Tales country and regional guide series comes a sumptuous collection of true stories about Italy’s celebrated Tuscany region. Travelers’ Tales Tuscany explores one of the most beloved, visited and dreamed about areas on earth. Tuscany’s rolling hills and ancient cities draw visitors and transplants from all over the globe as well as armchair travelers with seemingly insatiable appetites for accounts of this Italian region. The moon rising over the lavender light of a Tuscan dawn, strolling lovers, zucchini blossoms, frescoes, open-air cinemas, road-side wineries and geranium mini-gardens can all be found in this gathering of stories.

Travelers’ Tales Tuscany presents a variety of talented writers both well-known and emerging. Contributors to the collection include Frances Mayes, Lucy McCauley, William Zinsser, Libby Lubin, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison and Ferenc Máté among others. From the golden hills of Chianti to the frenetic Prada outlet near Florence, Travelers’ Tales Tuscany gathers a symphony of voices that bring the ancient and romantic region of Tuscany to vibrant life.

In Travelers’ Tales Tuscany readers will:

  • Truffle hunt with Saul Bellow in the woods near San Giovanni d’Asso
  • Savor Tuscan delicacies, including spiced wild boar, with Jason Epstein
  • Experience vendemmia, the harvesting of grapes, with Ferenc Máté in a rainstorm
  • Trek through Chianti with John Flinn as he discovers hidden forests and romantic trattorias far off the beaten path
  • Glory in the bountiful art, music, history, and architecture of Florence withJan Morris
  • Discover a new life through renovation of a Tuscan villa with Frances Mayes
  • Experience the hidden delights and ultimate mystery of a Sinalungian castle with Matthew Spender

About the Editors

James O’Reilly, president and co-publisher of Travelers’ Tales, wrote mystery serials before becoming a travel writer in the early 1980’s. He’s visited more than 40 countries and co-edited many Travelers’ Tales books, winning eight awards for excellence. James lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tara Austen Weaver crossed her first international border at five weeks of age and has been hooked on travel ever since. She has lived in five countries on three continents and lost her heart to Italy while sipping Chianti on the terrace in a friend’s Tuscan villa, Puccini playing in the background. Tara has been published in both Asia and the US, most recently in Pilgrimage: Adventures of the Spirit.

About Travelers’ Tales

Founded in 1993, Travelers’ Tales publishes the best in travel writing from world-famous authors to new and emerging writers. Our goal is to inspire and enlighten readers through true stories by travelers who have explored the depths of their experiences. The series includes: country and regional guides; books which explore the themes of women’s travel, spirituality, food, humor, and adventure; travel advice books; Footsteps: The Soul of Travel, a series that features single-author travel narratives; and Travelers’ Tales Classics, a series which introduces out-of-print favorites of travel literature to a whole new audience. Travelers’ Tales Tuscany is the latest in the country and regional guide series.

Travelers’ Tales Tuscany
Edited by James O’Reilly and Tara Austen Weaver
Travelers’ Tales, November 2001
$16.95, trade paperback, 256 pages, 5 1/8″ x 8″
ISBN: 1-885211-68-6