This is a good resource for someone planning an extended stay in Italy. It provides a glimpse of several hidden gems found in Italy.

In this book, Frances Mayes explores the hidden gems of Italy. I enjoyed imagining these places and the recipes included in the book, but I thought it needed photos and other visuals to make it more robust. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was going to be more of a novel. Instead it was a guide to Italy and many of the wonderful places to visit. This would be a good book for those planning a trip to Italy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. This is my honest and unbiased review of this book.

I misunderstood the nature of the book. I was expecting another seductive "Italian novel" from the author of Under the Tuscan Sun. What it is is a compendium of brief description of a plethora of compelling places in Italy which Frances Mayes and her husband have visited. For me the book would be useful if I were planning an Italian odyssey and wanted also to experience some of these delightful places.

I LOVE ITALY!!!! And until I can retire there in a few years, books like this help keep me sane.
What a wonderful travelogue of SO many places in Italy, of the sights, the people, the FOOD! You can almost picture the scenes, the smells and the tastes.
It's a long book, over 400 pages. The better to savor it slowly, reading one chapter at a time.
The only complaint I have, (and as this is an advance reading copy, maybe it will be fixed in the final product?), is that there were no photos. The addition of photos would make this a truly outstanding book!

The most beautifully written hotel and restaurant guide I've ever come across - but was it intended as such? If you're a well-heeled retiree planning a leisurely jaunt around Italy I couldn't think of a better book to guide your choices but as a representation of Italy's many distinct regions I'm not sure this hits the spot. But it's still a lovely book to browse through and to inspire wonderful travel dreams.

This book is a bit of a departure from the other books you might have read by Mayes. It's a love letter to Italy, a journey through some of the lesser known regions and towns of <i>la bella paese</i>. She takes you beyond the hubbub of Venezia and Firenze, off the beaten path to Modena and Calabria and a slew of places in between. I love that she intersperses recipes throughout the book, lending both history and color to her selections. It's not so much of a guidebook as it is a book for the armchair traveler, a food lover, or for a true fan of Italy.

Brilliant! It’s like going on a trip through Italy with a dear friend who has lived there for years. I have loved all of Frances Mayes’s books and this is no exception. A lovely combination of travelogue and guide book See Youin the Piazza made me want to hop on a plane.

Richard Saul Wurman wrote the Access Travel Series from the late Seventies to about 1998. These books offered a quirky view of the locations they covered, filled with suggestions from local residents, and entries about unusual stores and sites that are ignored by most other travel guides. I loved traveling with those guides, which always left me feeling like I had experienced some of the actual culture of a place, not just the cultural or historic sites that are highlighted in most travel guides. To this day, whenever I am preparing for a trip to someplace new, I always search for a guide that offers a similar insight to my destination.

See You in the Piazza, although not really a travel guide in the same sense, reminded me of the Access books. Mayes recounts her travels to a variety of locations throughout Italy. She is an excellent writer, with a simple descriptive ability that is truly evocative; probably a result of her work as a poet. I most appreciate her observations about what made each town she visits so unique, highlighting what makes it completely different from another town not five miles away. She seems to suggest that this is a specific characteristic of Italy, but I am not convinced; I think it might be as much about her attention to detail and genuine curiosity about a place as anything specific to Italy itself.

I did have a few quibbles however. I remember having a discussion with a friend when Under the Tuscan Sun was first released. She was uncomfortable with the author’s unacknowledged wealth in that book. The freedom to travel back and forth to Italy and the money spent on renovating Bramasole was far beyond the reach of the average reader, and that it was never acknowledged troubled my friend. That issue is definitely still at play in this book. I am guessing, but I believe the average reader might be astonished by the cost to follow even one of the itineraries described by Mayes in this book.

My other complaint may be a result of my reading a pre-publication copy of the book. I wish there had been a map at the beginning of each regional section, showing the area of Italy and the locations of each town she visited. My geographic knowledge of the country is minimal, and I found myself having to look up each location in order to understand exactly what part of the country she was visiting. Many of the towns she names are small enough that maps showed only a small area around the town, and when I would try and scroll out on the map, the town would disappear.

Regardless, I found this book a wonderful, evocative read. It made me fantasize about finding my passport and booking a plane trip immediately.

I read an advanced reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

I'm still reading this (it's a great before bed choice) but did want to post an opinion early. Fans of the author will notice a difference in writing style with this book - this one is more of a travel log of food eaten, places seen, wine drunk and preferred accommodations than earlier works. Definitely worth reading if you want to know where to go regarding specific towns or sites. Sadly, I'm only 40 pages in but this jam packed style of writing is turning reading into a bit of a slog. Still, tons of detail if you are into that type of travel reading. Regardless, she's still one of my all time favorite authors.

Frances Mayes is always so enthusiastic about her travel that it gets you excited, too. Great descriptions and very accurate based on comparisons to my own experiences in the same or similar places. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars

Mayes brings her delectable writing style to the pages of this travelogue/memoir/guide for all of us who wish we could take two weeks to walk in her shoes. Italy isn't just a place but an attitude and way of living, something Mayes makes clear through gently describing the distinctions between one little town and another.

This is not a book you pick up with your map in hand to help you plan your trip to Italy so much as it is like a first date (or first date in a long time) with the Italian way to spend your day. Yes, she has the book organized in such a way that you could look up the province and town you want to visit to see her recommendations. However, she doesn't cover every little town (nor should she, as this isn't Frommer's) and she presents them in a well-organized tapestry of anecdotes of her experiences there. Mayes implies so much about what it means to be Italian and live like one without having to hold your hand to communicate it.

Read it because I have a feeling you'll learn how to appreciate Italy after you travel through it with her. Perhaps you'll even find a way to sit in a cafe around your own corner and ponder with peaceful quiet the way she can in Italy. You'll get both story and guide in this book. Thank you, Frances Mayes! Now I'm saving up for another trip to Italy!

A delightful, well-written travel book from someone who travels Italy frequently. Rather lyrical but easy to read.

I was hooked on this author after Under the Tuscan Sun.. This seemed more of a travelogue to me but still enjoyed. Always fun to read about unique places in Italy especially from someones perspective I appreciate

Author, Frances Mayes, will once again delight readers with her most recent book, "See You In The Piazza". If you are a fan, as I am, of "Under The Tuscan Sun" you fall in love with Italy all over again. You will ride through the roads of Italy with Frances, her husband, Ed and 1 5 year old, son, William. From the north to southern Italy you will bask in the warmth of the sun, through vineyards, and discover new places as you ride through a valley of olive trees and hunt truffles on an early morning walk. Sit in ancient cafes in Torino . Drink Prosecco and eat cheeses, artichokes and become food dreamers. She also shares recipes such as baked onion and goat cheese and sausage. Her travels are not written in any particular order of time sequence; so the reader can easily pick the book up and read which ever chapter they would like. The author has once again charmed the reader with her beautiful writing style. I highly recommend this most enjoyable reading experience.

Frances Mayes' writing transports me. It's impossible to read her work without realizing she's a poet. It's also impossible to read her work and not want to start planning your trip to Italy ASAP. I loved this book as much as I''ve loved ever other thing written by the amazing Ms. Mayes, and I've read every word. Thank You!