Books | Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes

“Sometimes the valley below is like a bowl filled up with fog. I can see hard green figs on two trees and pears on a tree just below me ... May summer last a hundred years.”

- Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

I recently begun a series exploring films that transport me to other places here on Andrea Reh and, as an avid reader (and writer), I thought it might be fun to share books that do the same. The delightful Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes introduced me the realm of the travel memoir when I was a teenager, and I have been on a constant lookout for other writers whose books are imbued with the same  deeply evocative sense of place ever since. Though the concept of moving to Italy (or France), purchasing a ramshackle villa and writing about the renovation process has since become something of a cliche, Mayes was - along with Peter Mayle - one of the first to do so, and her evident delight in the quirks of her new home - and new hometown in the Tuscan countryside - is highly contagious.

 

Image via World for Travel

Retreats | The Ranch at Rock Creek, Montana

 "A 6,000-acre mountain playground of singular solitude."

- Conde Nast Traveler

Despite being a bonafide city girl, lately, there is something about the countryside I find inordinately appealing - especially the rugged ranches of the Unite States. Perhaps their appeal lies in the complete change of pace they offer, a slower lifestyle with horseback rides and hiking. At the Ranch at Rock Creek, "you will put anywhere from 30 to 50 miles of mountains, meadows, lakes and streams between yourself and any real evidence of civilization". Although the Ranch approaches resort-territory with a bowling alley and golf course, its wide open spaces and private cabins offer ample opportunities to relax and reflect.

Images and information via Conde Nast Traveler and The Ranch at Rock Creek

Travels | Ponte Sant'Angelo, Italy

"Humankind's capacity to create beauty continues to amaze and inspire me."

I love marble sculpture. It is an art form that constantly inspires me. As such, Rome's Ponte Sante'Angelo - the Bridge of Angels - was something of a revelation. As much as I love the natural world - the lakes and mountains and rivers - it is humankind's capacity to create beauty that continues to amaze and inspire me. Rome, with its sculptures, frescoes and ancient temples, is testament to this.

Image by Andrea for Andrea Reh