Frances Mayes paints an exuberant picture of her newfound life in Italy in her best-selling novel Under the Tuscan Sun. The memoir’s embodiment of wanderlust garnered national praise and even inspired an award-winning film by the same title in 2003. A voracious writer and poet, Mayes has multiple titles to her name, including international bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany, and Every day in Tuscany. Her body of work serves as a picturesque glimpse into the culture of Italy and masterfully envelopes the story with themes of finding a home and new life.
After traveling to Italy with her husband, she immediately became enraptured by the country and way of life. So much so, she followed her passion all the way to the Italian countryside and made her home in a 200-year-old Tuscan farmhouse. Mayes and her husband spent countless hours renovating this enchanting ruin, all the while she immersed herself in the culture, food, and language of Tuscany, Italy. This would result in inspired works such as In Tuscany, The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from My Italian Kitchen, See You in the Piazza: Places to Discover in Italy, and Shrines: Images of Italian Worship.
A seasoned explorer and chaser of adventure, Frances Mayes is most often known for her vivacious globe-hopping journeys, but what happens when that adventurer needs a home?
In her most recent work, A Place in the World, Mayes sifts through a life fully lived and inspects the space we call home. Her intimate prose and evocative personal style sparked early praise, with reviewers calling it “a beautiful, thought-provoking read” and “a soulful meditation on what home means… spellbinding.” Mayes pieces together a mosaic of her travels throughout Italy, Mexico, France, and the American South, finding slices of home in each place.
Mayes recently made an appearance at Crestavilla for a Red Carpet Speaker Series® event on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Kisco Signature’s Red Carpet Speaker Series has also featured acclaimed historical author of America’s Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr., Steven Gillon. Keep an eye out for our next Red Carpet Speaker Series® event at Crestavilla.