Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes

“During our first summer here, I bought a large notebook with a Florentine paper cover bound in blue leather. On the first page, I wrote: ITALY. It seemed ready to receive timeless verses, but I began by jotting down the names of wildflowers, all sorts of plans, and vocabulary. I described our rooms, our trees, and the calls of the birds. I copied out recommendations: ‘Plant sunflowers when the moon enters Libra,’ without having any idea what that meant. I described the people we met, the dishes we prepared. This blue notebook is now called Under the Tuscan Sun; it is the natural expression of my first pleasures here. Restoring, then arranging the house; exploring the countless secrets of Tuscany and Umbria; "To cook in another cuisine and discover the many links between dishes and culture - so many intense joys fueled by the profound feeling of learning about another way of life."