The Mediterranean Series I My curated collection of Assouline Travel Books
Travel from home…. Insights into Tuscany’s grandeur and its secret gems. Enter, La dolce vita...
What comes to mind when you think of Tuscany, Italy?
The rolling hills filled with wine estates, Cyprus trees and picturesque villages? Or the open air art and Tuscan cuisine?
After being so impressed by my first Assouline travel book. Provence Glory, I was keen to dig into Tuscany Marvel when it arrived this November. My escape to Tuscany in the Fall…
My first experience of Tuscany was 25 years ago, for my good friend’s wedding in San Gimignano. I was completely awestruck, as we ate absolutely otherworldly food under the ancient loggia in Arezzo, strolled through the open air art of Florence and Siena, and drove Vespa scooters through the magnificent Tuscan hills for wine tasing… It seemed like heaven then, and continues to enchant on every visit.
Later, when I moved to Europe, I adopted an Italian family…I spent the better part of 5 years in and out of the regions of Italy, on weekends, holidays, and whenever we could really… I am always amazed by the never-ending warmth and openness of the people, the easy going atmosphere, the obsession with food and wine, and forever something to learn - and take away - from every trip.
Assouline’s curation of Tuscan Marvellousness reminded me of the Tuscany that is both unmistakably Grand and a breath of fresh air at the same time. This beautiful book takes you inside the Italian Renaissance in its reflection of what lies at the heart of Tuscany’s uniqueness, while teasing you with the beauty of the Tuscan countryside and its estates, and introducing you to secret places in Tuscany that are lesser known.
Assouline does it again, taking us on a journey through time and space through its beautiful photographs of iconic places that we may have thought we knew… only to capture and captivate us in stories with 100s of stunning pictures that each tell 1000 words with each turn of the page.
Med Travel fans, get ready to dive into an armchair trip to marvellous Tuscany…!
My Review of Tuscany Marvel by Assouline
“Both unmistakably Grand and a breath of fresh air at the same time.”
The first thing I do with a book by Assouline is browse the photo essay that is the book. And then go back to the introduction and captions which reveal the secrets within…
There is instant gratification in the photographs of the famous hills of Tuscany, grand estates, villas and snapshots of quaint villages, but also a revelation of the various worlds of Tuscany connected within its special galaxy, as described by Assouline. From art and architecture, to fashion, food an wine. Assouline beautifully captures what it describes as a quintessential duo of Tuscany and the Italian Renaissance in this book. While putting on full display its stunning architecture at peace with nature, and reminds us that Tuscany’s charms go beyond its vineyards, olive trees, Cyprus trees, and crops on the slopes of its rolling hills, to the beaches of the Tyrrhenian Sea and its sandy paradises.
Tuscany’s cultural riches, and the region’s role as a centuries old incubator of the arts, are central to the story of Tuscany told by Assouline. From Great Italians: Galileo, Ghiberti, Machiavelli, Medici, Michelangelo; to its famous fashion brands: Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, “shoemaker to the stars”; Gucci, originally a glove and leather goods brand; Pucci, the “Prince of Prints”; and its ceramic arts, a prominent feature of Tuscan gardens. It draws us in to the ancient dignity and spiritual home of its people, that has attracted an “Italianised” Anglo-American cultural elite.
Woven throughout Tuscany Marvel is the story of how Tuscany’s artistic treasures are matched by its natural abundance, beauty, and fertile land. It doesn’t disappoint in wetting our appetites for its home grown delicacies of exquisite olive oils, Pecorino cheese, and Chianti, one of Europe’s most prestigious wine regions. As we learn that the restaurants in Florence are called “Buca” (“Hole”) just as they were in the Middle Ages, and that those who come to Tuscany immediately realise they have come to a country where everyone is a farmer, Tuscany Marvel also shows us that wine cellars are the some of the most important contemporary architecture projects by star architects.
A new discovery of Tuscany for me, via this book, were the villages of Lucca, and Forte dei Marmi on Italy’s Tyrrhenian Sea. Assouline displays wondrous beach clubs of Forte deli Marmi in Lucca and its “gabine”, the changing cabins spaced out along the beaches with colourful curtains that are passed down from generation to generation.
Assouline opens the door to the ten provinces of Tuscany, honouring the foreshadowing of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, and vibrantly shows us the meaning of “Siena opens up to you a heart that is greater“ (than the gate through which you are passing), as reads the inscription on the Medieval walls of Siena.
More secrets are revealed in the final pages of the book where Assouline provides a short description of each photo, the places and people of Tuscany, the hotels, restaurants, art galleries and local landmarks to note for your next trip.
For more inspiration, movies set in Tuscany: Romeo & Juliet (1968), filmed in Siena and Pienza; Stealing Beauty (1996), Up at the Villa (2000).
Places I want to visit, inspired by Tuscany Marvel
This list was much longer, so many intriguing recommendations in Tuscany Marvel, providing here just a taster…
Where to Visit
Villages
Arezzo
Siena
Lucca
Pienza
Montalcino, Siena
Livorno
Pisa
Beaches
La Feniglia
Cala Violina
What to Visit
Local Landmarks
Giannutri island
Elba island
Medieval walled town of Monteriggioni 13th century
Architecture at the Antinori Chianti Classico winery
Ponte Vecchio in Florence
Volterra in Pisa, a city that slides towards the ravines
Hot springs in Bagno Vignoni, Siena
Art Galleries
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Town of Pietrasanta in Siena is an open air museum
Botticelli Antichita art gallery in Florence
Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Gardens
Bardini Gardens, Florence
Gardens of Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence
Garzoni Garden in Collodi, Pistoia
Where to Stay
Toscana Resort Castelfalfi, in the heart of Tuscany
Villa San Michele a Belmont hotel, a former medieval monastery in the Fissile hills
Essere Spa, former wine cellar at Castello di Castle, a Belmont hotel in Siena
Borgo San Felice hotel, Siena
Castiglion del Bosco hotel - Siena
Four seasons hotel in Florence with a spa in the former 15th century greenhouse of Palazzo della Gheradesca
Hotel Savoy Florence
Hotel II Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Tyrrhenian Sea
Torre Mozza - seaside boutique hotel, Livorno
Alpemare Beach Resort, Forte dei Marmi, Lucca
Where to Eat
Villa Lavacchio in Siena
Cafe Gilli in Florence
Trattoria Cammillo, Florence
Pizza at Orlandos, Lucca
Spagetti a la vongole at Bruno’s on the beach, Forte dei Marmi, Lucca
Cooking Classes
Castello Sonnino
Castiglion del Bosco
Where to Taste (Wineries)
Cantina Petra in Livorno
Cantina Antinori in Florence
Cantina Frassinello in Garvorrano, Grosseto
Final word:
“Tuscany’s charm is expressed in its craftsmanship, in the magnificence of its works of art, in a plate of bruschetta with extra-virgin olive oil, in literature and poetry. Without forgetting the wine, an absolute symbol of Tuscany. As Louis Pasteur said, ‘A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world’” -- Allegra Antinori
This is a book that inspires us to be engulfed by all of the beauty in the world, as if we are under the Tuscan sun…
Transport yourself to Tuscany at anytime, anywhere, with Tuscany Marvel.
Thank you Assouline!
You can find Assouline travel books on their website: https://eu.assouline.com/
And at Amazon.com.
Jade
Lewon
Med
Lucca!!! One of my favourite places!