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1-Page Summary of Under the Tuscan Sun

Overview

Under the Tuscan Sun is a memoir about Frances Mayes, who bought her home in Tuscany. She describes how she and her husband renovated it and enjoyed its gardens while discovering the sights of Italy. This book will leave readers feeling excited about life no matter where they live.

Frances and Ed were excited about their new house, Bramasole. They had been waiting for the completion of this purchase for a long time. Frances was worried that they would lose all their savings on this property but once they moved into the home, she began to relax because she could start planning how to renovate it. She and Ed cleaned out some old bottles from the many rooms in the house which helped her feel better about the purchase.

Frances and Ed are waiting for permits before they can start major renovations. In the meantime, Frances and Ed hired a man to fix their stone wall. They also met some Polish men who would become friends and handymen. The process of fixing the wall also introduced them to Italian contractors’ work ethic, as well as language barriers with other workers.

Frances and Ed had to return from Italy earlier than they would have liked because of their jobs. When Frances and Ed returned the following summer, they discovered that a new well had been dug for them, relieving them from the disappointment of having a dry well during the previous summer. They also learned that their permits were approved and work could soon begin on building their house. They hoped to be able to spend Christmas at Bramasole with Frances’ daughter, Ashley. However, this did not happen due to delays in construction.

When Frances and Ed returned to Bramasole, they found that the workers had not cleaned up after themselves. They wrote a phone number on a fresco in the dining room with permanent ink. As a result, Frances, Ed and Ashley ended up spending Christmas at their friend’s house in Cortona. The work was finally finished the following spring when Frances was happy with it. She looked forward to moving into Bramasole because she had wanted to have long meals outside under trees since seeing Bramasole for the first time.

Ed and Frances travel to Tuscany frequently, but they don’t stay in the same place for very long. One summer, Ed and Frances go on a trip through Tuscany, visiting many Etruscan tombs and collecting wines for their wine cellar at Bramasole. Friends of theirs come to visit them during that time as well. One winter, Ed and Frances make it back home to harvest their olive trees so they can have oil made from those fruits. They invite friends over to share the holidays with them at Bramasole.

When Frances wrote this memoir, she didn’t expect it to sell as well as it did. Later, when Disney decided to make a movie based on the book, Frances was thrilled. She read through the script and found that it kept intact the spirit of the book, which was her main concern. Frances and Ed arrived in Tuscany just in time to watch filming for a movie that had been adapted from her book. It was fun watching them film because everyone in town seemed excited about being an extra on set.

Section 0 Summary (“Bramare: (Archaic) To Yearn For and A House” and “The Land It Takes Two Oxen Two Days to Plow”)

Frances Mayes had recently gone through a divorce and was now involved in new relationship with her lover, Ed. Frances had been to Italy several times and loved the simplicity of life there. For the past few years, Frances and Ed would visit together looking for a house to buy because they were always forced into renting when they visited.

Frances and Ed purchased a house in Tuscany. They had seen the house on their first trip to Italy, but they didn’t have enough money at the time to purchase it. When they returned, Frances called about the house and found out that it was still available. She made an offer immediately because she knew how much her husband wanted the place. After waiting for what seemed like forever, Frances started getting discouraged because she thought that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all; however, soon after that, she got word from the bank letting her know that their offer had been accepted and that they could move into Bramasole (the name of their new home). The only furnishings in their new home were two beds and one kitchen table; everything else was covered with dust or broken or both.