See You in the Piazza by Frances Mayes is a memoir told geographically as she describes Italy. If you love reading about faraway places or plan to travel to Italy soon, this book may be for you. It is a wonderful collection of vignettes about what the author experienced as she traveled in each city. It can be read in any order, which makes it like a guide book. I think it’s a fun read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Part travel book, part history book, part geography book, and full of love for Italy, this book by Frances takes the reader on a tour of the Italy few tourists get to see: the everyday lives of the people, who have lived there for generations upon generations. Frances literary eye catches the unique - did you know Egypt has the largest Egyptian collection (Museo Egizio) outside of Cairo? I had NO clue, I just assumed it would be Britain or the US! - and the sublime - an exorcism medal behind a bulletin board in a simple church in Monte Conero. This is the Italy that few know- but Frances brings it all to the light- the good AND the boring and bad! Along the way she meets some amazing people, and they share their recipes with her (and the reader). If you want to visit Italy, read this book first- it's so much better than a traditional travel guide!

Interviewed author for an article that was published on Forbes.com. See link below.:

People tend to fall in love with Italy. That’s what happened to both Frances Mayes and Kathy McCabe.

“It’s a big collage of charm!” says Mayes, author of Under The Tuscan Sun, the New York Times bestseller that became a box-office smash when adapted to the screen.

“The art, food, wine, delectable towns—but overall, I’d say, the sheer beauty of the place is what overwhelms me over and over,” she says. “When you see the cypress trees punctuating a sublime view of olive groves, medieval towers, farmhouses nestled in the folds of the hills, and the transparent light, this kind of bucolic dream inspires, comforts and lures you into a world that seems more real than where you come from,” she adds.

Mayes has authored seven books about Italy that have been translated into 54 languages. Her latest one, See You In The Piazza (Penguin Random House, 2019), is being released today.


See You in the Piazza Released 3/12/19

If you are an armchair traveler as I am and you love reading about Italy, get this book immediately! I certainly loved Under the Tuscan Sun as well as Mayes’ next book Bella Tuscany. This one won’t disappoint if you are fans of Frances Mayes and like a foodie/cultural narrative.

See You in the Piazza isn’t a novel. I’d describe it as a cross between a memoir and a travel guide, yet it isn’t specifically either one. It’s the sort of Ex-Pat lit that I can sink my teeth into, traveling vicariously through descriptive writing.

Our author has traveled extensively throughout Italy enjoying the foods, culture and atmosphere, eventually purchasing a second home in Tuscany. Yet Ms. Mayes says she feels the same excitement as she did her first few years of living in Italy. “To know Italy would take ten lifetimes.”

It’s a foodie book for sure – Olive trees, Negroni, homemade pasta, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, recipes and more. The book is set up geographically from north to south. It doesn’t have to be read cover to cover, rather you may choose the county of interest. This will stay on my Kindle as a reference guide in case I’m ever able to visit Italy.

Read this and you will want to pack up and move, enjoy a different culture and pace. This book was published March 12, 2019 so hustle to your favorite bookstore or online retailer and immerse yourself with Frances Mayes’ Italian travels. You'll keep this book as a reference guide.

Sharing with Heather for her March Foodies Read series.

Thank you very much Netgalley for this digital copy of the book. It’s one I will refer to often, especially if I am fortunate enough to travel to Italy. I received this complimentary copy and am not compensated for my opinion/review.

A wonderful companion to have while traveling through Italy. Yes, it’s a travel book, but it reads like a journal. Really beautifully written.

Frances Mayes is a marvelous writer. She brings the essence of Italy to armchair travelers. I enjoyed reading her prose.

However, this is mostly a reference book for travelers wanting to get off the beaten trail in Italy. If you were to go to these places, this book would be invaluable in finding terrific places to eat and unusual but wonderful places to visit. She takes her husband and grandson along for her trip to give a couple of other perspectives and cover other interests than her own.

Five stars for the prose, three stars for lack of a story that Mayes usually does so well, splitting the middle with four stars.

From the author of Under the Tuscan Sun comes another beautiful book about Italy. In See You in the Piazza, Frances Mayes has written a travelogue, a cookbook, an historical tome. She lovingly describes Italy's people, art, architecture, food and wine. The recipes are very detailed and tantalizing. Each geographical area of Italy has its own style of cuisine so therefore you will find a variety of recipes. But what stands out is the prose. I frequently find myself reading passages out loud to my husband. The book is so well written that it needs to be shared. See You in the Piazza is a book to be owned because you will return to it time and time again and not just for the appetizing recipes but also for the pure joy of reading about Frances Mayes' love affair with Italy. Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Italy! I went there on my honeymoon, and always wanted to return, but with the arrival of two young sons never had enough money. Instead, I often pick up memoirs about Italy to enjoy as an armchair traveler. The stories satisfy my longing for the time being. This book by Frances Mayes caught my attention and I have to admit, I appreciate the care she took to include so many places to see in this wonderful country.

While it doesn't have the memoir vibes, It does include lots of interesting information and scrumptious recipes.

If you'd love to read more about Italy, this is a great place to start.

I would recommend this depending on what the reader is looking for. This book contains information on various places in Italy that Mayes and her family have visited. This is more travelogue but not really a travel guide as one might expect. The book will give the reader ideas of places to visit if they are planning a trip to Italy but there is plenty here for the armchair traveler as well. Recipes are also included among the entries so the reader can get a real taste of Italy as well. If the reader is looking for a standard memoir, this isn't it. I did find myself wishing there were photos.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is Mayes at her best. She takes us on a tour of Italy and little known places. They are places Mayes and her family have visited and enjoyed. It is chock full of travel tidbits, recipes and wonderful renditions of the sights and smells of Italy. It is not a book to be used to plan a trip and is not set up necessarily in geographical order. It's just places that Mayes has enjoyed.
While I was reading this, I wanted to book a trip to Italy, rent a car and spend six months travelling around enjoying the food and the ambience. This book is a wonderful introduction to Italy and can be savored for quite some time.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I asked to read this book because I thought it would be something I would enjoy, given my love for Italy and my previous experience traveling there. However, I found this book to be disappointing, very slow moving and not at all what I expected. I had assumed it would be a novel, but it wasn't. A map/photos would also have been beneficial (maybe there will be some in the finished version), but it was hard to figure out where exactly she was in each chapter because I was reading the book digitally. I didn't realize this was written by the same author who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun - a book I had wanted to enjoy but never ended up finishing. Overall I was not a fan, but it's something that I will possibly come back to when planning my next trip to Italy. There are a lot of great suggestions in here that I would love to check out some day.

Italy. What a wonderful place to visit! Simply the word conjures up the famous landmarks – The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, The Grand Canal of Venice, Michelangelo’s David, and much more. But, Frances Mayes latest book, See You in the Piazza, goes beyond these well-known places and takes the reader to the areas seldom mentioned in travel brochures or guidebooks.

Ms Mayes lives in Italy part-time so she has the ability and the time to take the roads less travelled. As a result, the reader will enjoy the historic and cultural places she explores. The prose is delightful even when describing a flat tire north of Bologna and, especially, when describing the sights, smells and sounds of Italy. She often includes details of their meals, along with some very tempting recipes.

See You in the Piazza takes the reader off the beaten path. It’s a wonderful book for anyone who has visited Italy or contemplates a trip in the future. And, be sure to have a map handy so you can visual the areas and plan your own adventures. Thumbs up, Ms Mayes. Thank you for taking me to Italy with you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

See You in the Piazza was not the book for me. I thought it would be Travel essays of the author’s experiences and didn’t realize it was really more of a guidebook - details of the restaurants, museums and other sites in each city.

If you’ve been to Italy or are planning a trip there, this could be a great addition to more traditional guidebooks. As an armchair traveler looking for more of a story, this wasn’t for me and I did not finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mayes brings the rest of us along on her beautiful journey through Italy. Her descriptions the the scenery and food are incredibly realistic -- even if her travels are well out of realm of possibility for most of us. But that is the glory of reading travelogues! Free travel without restrictions.

Beautiful book about a beautiful country. This is a great travel guide for those who plan to spend time traveling Italy. Full of hidden gems you may not otherwise know to go and I love the recipes included. Although somehow my food never comes out quite the same. My only wish would be for pictures throughout!

Italy has been portrayed in so many ways in books, this book just brings it to life even more. Frances Mayes describes the places as if you’re experiencing them with her. It makes me desire to go there! Enjoyable and beautiful!

Mayes is one of those authors I read every time she comes out with something new. This one is a delight! The lesser known places of Italy, from an insider's perspective. It would be excellent if you're planning a trip, or if you're an armchair traveler like me.

I really liked this travelogue. The author starts north in Torino and moves south geographically instead of her actual chronology. She is very descriptive and tells some stories about their travels in many cases but in some instance just lists restaurant and places to go. I would have like more detail in those spots. I like that she has added recipes and plan on trying a few. This book makes me want to get online and book a trip right now. I also like that she included links to reading material related to the place so that I can get further information on interesting topics. However, I have two major gripes with this book. The first is a lack of a map of any kind. I know, I can go to google maps and look something up but it is tedious, time consuming and breaks the flow of the book. The second is a lack of photos. I wanted photos of some of the specific places or foods she talked about but I also wanted pictures of the finished product in the recipes. When she described an egg stall at a market, I wanted to see the multishaped, multicolored eggs. When she described a carved, green marble ambo in a church, I wanted to see it. This book would have been much more powerful and interesting with photos. I think these are major flaws that hopefully will be fixed by publication. I’ll give it three stars now but would give it four of five if maps and photos are added. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

**I cannot wait for this book to come out so all the people I have told about it can read it.
Frances Mayes has a special talent. Yes, obviously she is an author of wonderful books. Not all authors however have the ability to describe things in such a way that literally slows down your reading...Why? Frances Mayes draws you in and plunks you down in the piazza with her. The reading slows because you are no longer seeing words on a page but are tasting the food, smelling the smells, hearing the sounds of the settings of her books...One word to sum up reading a Frances Mayes book...Magical.

Italophiles rejoice a new travel book is here to help you find even more to love about Italia. Frances Mayes really brings the small towns to life and makes your stomach rumble with advice on what to see and what to eat you can't go wrong.