Under the Tuscan Sun cover art

Under the Tuscan Sun

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Under the Tuscan Sun

By: Frances Mayes
Narrated by: Frances Mayes
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Number-one New York Times best seller

The beloved memoir of self-discovery set against the spectacular Tuscan countryside that inspired the major motion picture starring Diane Lane - now in a 20th-anniversary edition featuring a new afterword

“This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.” (USA Today)

For more Frances Mayes, including a tour of her now iconic Cortona home, Bramasole, watch PBS’ Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special!

More than 20 years ago, Frances Mayes - widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer - introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole. Under the Tuscan Sun inspired generations to embark on their own journeys - whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’ signature evocative, sensory language. Now with a new afterword from Frances Mayes, the 20th-anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun revisits the book’s most popular characters.

©1998 Frances Mayes (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell, A Division of Random House Inc. Classics Europe Travel Writing & Commentary Women

Listeners also enjoyed...

 One Place de l’Eglise cover art
Abroad in Japan cover art
La Cucina cover art
À La Mod cover art
The Last Chinese Chef cover art
My Good Life in France cover art
That Month in Tuscany cover art
In-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People: Tempur-Pedic cover art
The Time Traveler's Wife cover art
The Woman on the Orient Express cover art
Villa in Italy cover art
Clanlands cover art
The Olive Branch cover art
Born in Fire cover art
Freelance cover art
A Dream of Italy cover art

Critic reviews

"An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life'...appealing and very vivid." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Irresistible...a sensuous book for a sensuous countryside." ( Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
All stars
Most relevant  
Good story, very different to the film which was fine but the reader didn’t really grab me with her strong accent. Short book you can finish quickly.

Nice story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I got this book as it was recommended for being in the same vein as A Year In Provence.

I wish I had read as opposed to listened to this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more, I found it hard to put my self in Tuscany while listening to a southern American drawl. (No offence to anyone with this accent!)

Accent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyed this book, but the southern American accent and tones of the narrator were a little grating.

narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved it, it was fresh enjoyable, and if you know wine country you can almost taste the atmosphere, nearly listend to the book in one go on a Sunday. I totally disagree with the other person, whom did not give the book a chance.

not fair

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I bought the book because I love the Italian countryside and spend summers there so I wanted to listen this book while dreaming about living there too. Unfortunately the narration is just horrible, it sounds like someone talking with nasal voice and southern accent, it’s completely monotonic, the sentences all fall flat. It ruins the entire book.

Narration is just awful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is one of my favourites. I love the way Frances Mayes writes. She has very lyrical, poetic way with words. So I was quite excited of adding this book to my Audio list.

I lasted less than one paragraph. Believe me I really really tried to like it. The reason I disliked it so much was her voice, it really grates. Her heavy southern American drawl really grates. It is not the sort of voice that goes with such a well wrtten book.

A real shame.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Struggled with narrators voice unfortunately. Persevered until chapter eight but could not connect with them and the Italian storyline

Didn’t manage to complete book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you love Italy and the Italians, the description of wonderful food and a great way of life, you will love this book. It is a wonderful feel good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

under the tuscan sky a feel good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different narrator with a more pleasing accent would have helped. Allowing the author to narrate totally ruined this book for me. I had previously read this book and was looking forward to listening but found the accent style of the narrator extremely irritating.

What didn’t you like about Frances Mayes’s performance?

As above. Totally ruined this book for me and only therefore listened to a few chapters.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

In written form it is very enjoyable. In this audio format it is horrendous as a result of narrators style and accent.

annoying

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A bit dull testimony of Americans' move to Tuscany... Frankly a huge disappointment. I thought there would be some more to the story then record of what it took them to move to Tuscany.

A bit dull testimony of Americans' move to Tuscany

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews