Sun-drenched Tuscany is synonymous with the ideal life. But it didn't happen by chance. Since the Etruscans, the Tuscans have treated their breathtaking countryside with sagacious respect and, in hamlets and hill towns, have built a culture of simplicity, beauty, neighborliness, good food, and a love of daily life. Ferenc Mate, a Tuscan resident for twenty years, explores this idyllic existence. He finds Tuscans brimming with creative practicality, down-home humor, and relentless optimism. Blended with their passion for work and independence, they have achieved a haven of economic stability, physical and emotional security, and a fortifying sense of belonging. From their organic gardens to their mouthwatering cuisine, from high-quality, craftsmen-made products and family-run businesses to the joys centered in human contact, Tuscans live a healthy, emotionally rich life. Mate--engaging, funny, and insightful--shows us how to live like Tuscans.

This hilarious, international bestseller is a true-life adventure of a New York City couple moving to Tuscany. Ferenc Mate s enthusiastic prose is infectious. He brings to life the real Tuscany: the contadini neighbors, country life the harvest, grape, and olive picking, wine making, mushroom hunting, woodcutting the holidays, and of course the never-ending, mouthwatering meals."