Private Tuscany

Tuscany has long exerted a magnetic pull over visitors to this most romantic of Italy's provinces. From Lord Byron and Henry James to contemporary writers, designers, and artists, everyone is charmed by the rolling Tuscan landscape, its magical light, its rich artistic and visual culture, and above all, its highly sensuous way of life.

Private Tuscany reveals the interior style of some of the area's most charming homes--the pared-down beauty of a film director's farmhouse retreat; the refined elegance of an aristocrat's seventeenth-centry palazzo high in the hills; the Gothic mood of a winemaker's medieval fortress; the modern chic of a designer's country house; or the earthy character of an architect's villa, drenched with color and light.

Whether it is the ancient terra-cotta floors, gardens fragrant with herbs, or candlelit dinners on outdoor terraces, the spirit of living in Tuscany is alive in these pages in brilliant color.

Tuscany's hill towns and countryside have enthralled inhabitants and visitors for centuries--the golden light in the afternoons, the grape arbors, and the rolling hillsides dotted with rustic farmhouses and villas. Private Tuscany invites us into these dwellings, giving us a glimpse of how life is lived in this warm, inviting place.

The homes featured in this gorgeous volume are as enchanting as the Tuscan towns and hillsides they're built on. Many embody a style we've come to associate with Tuscany: dark-timbered kitchens with dried herbs and garlic ropes hung from the rafters, original terra-cotta tile floors, large-windowed living rooms, and artfully frescoed walls. There are centuries-old furnishings crafted by skilled Italian artisans and elegantly manicured gardens containing hidden grottos and classical statuary. But the homes also reflect the special touches of the people who occupy them. For instance, a theater lover displays his exquisite collection of miniature theaters in the salon; the daughter of a villa owner paints traditional murals on the walls and mosaic patterns on the floors.

Simon McBride's photographs skillfully capture the magic of these Tuscan homes and feature a variety of residences, from simple farmhouses to grand villas and palaces. The book's four chapters divide the homes into types: rustic, classic, grand, and modern. An index at the back serves as an introduction to Tuscany's pleasures, providing contact information for sampling the region's wine and produce, fine dining, hotels and houses, gardens, and crafts.

Several of the homeowners featured in Private Tuscany have gone to painstaking lengths to restore these buildings after decades, or even centuries, of neglect. The results, from the simplest farmhouse kitchen to an elaborately frescoed dining room, are breathtaking. --Kris Law