Frances was happy with the work and excited to begin living at Bramasole. The work was finally finished the following spring.

Frances, Ed, and Ashley ended up spending Christmas at the home of a friend in Cortona. The workers did not bother to clean up after themselves and even wrote a phone number in permanent ink on the fresco in the dining room. When Frances and Ed returned to Bramasole over the Christmas break, they discover that the house is a mess. Frances and Ed hoped the work will be complete in time for them to spend Christmas at Bramasole with Frances' daughter, Ashley. Frances and Ed would also learn that their permits had come through and work could soon begin on the house. Upon their return the following summer, Frances and Ed learned their new well had been dug and there would be plenty of water for their everyday needs, a relief after suffering from a dry well the summer before.

This process also introduced Frances and Ed to the work ethics of Italian contractors and the obstacles the language barrier would present.įrances and Ed were forced to return to the United States earlier than they would have liked in order to return to their jobs as professors at two different universities. Frances and Ed also hired a man to fix a collapsing stone wall in the process they meet a group of Polish men who would become both friends and reliable handymen. In the meantime, Frances and Ed began clearing the terraces where their many trees and plants were growing. Frances and Ed immediately set about cleaning the house and removing old bottles that had been stored for years inside the many rooms.įrances and Ed are forced to wait for permits before beginning the major renovations. However, once the long process of the purchase was complete and Frances and Ed were allowed to move into the house, the excitement of planning the renovations the house would need helped ease her fear. Frances was very nervous about this purchase, concerned that she and Ed were sinking all their savings into a losing venture. Under the Tuscan Sun is a memoir that will leave the reader excited and full of appreciation for the world around them, no matter where their home might be.įrances and Ed were in Cortona awaiting the completion of their purchase of Bramasole, a small home outside of the village as the book begins. Mayes recounts the adventures she and Ed, her husband, had renovating the house and working in its gardens while enjoying the sights and food of Tuscany. Mayes bought this home, it had been neglected for more than thirty years and was in desperate need of renovations. In this memoir, Frances Mayes recounts the purchase of her home, Bramasole, in Tuscany. UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN: AT HOME IN ITALY is the first in a series of three Tuscan memoirs by Frances Mayes.

Under the tuscan sun by frances mayes