Reviews

A Year in the World is classic Frances Mayes - a celebration of the allure of travel, of unexpected pleasures found in unlikely places and a joyous sense of adventure and discovery. Both a passionate traveller and the ideal travel companion, Mayes allows us to hitch a ride as she wanders off the beaten track and discovers twelve new special places in the world. Using her beloved Tuscany as a home base, she sets off to find hidden treasures in Spain and Portugal, France, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the south of Italy and North Africa. Along the way, she cooks up a storm in Portugal, follows the classic Homeric voyage across the Aegean, revels in the good life in Santorini and hunkers down in a stone house draped with bougainvillea in Crete. In Turkey she sails the ancient coast, snorkels over sunken Byzantine towns and hikes to ancient archeological sites. She takes a literary pilgrimage in Burgundy and gathers ideas in the gardens of Scotland and England. In Morocco, she explores the city of Fez, discovers the ideal place to live in Mantova - and much, much more. Weaving together the simple pleasures of everyday life with fascinating insights into the history, culture and culinary delights of her temporary homes in the world, this is travel writing at its best.

A Year in the World is up there with the best in travel writing.