Artists have always flocked to Tuscany, seduced by its outstanding beauty, mild climate and rich cultural history. This lavishly illustrated book presents the interiors of more than twenty Tuscan homes owned by some of the most renowned contemporary artists in the world today, among them Pietro Cascella, Sandro Chia, Isanna Generali, Igor Mitoraj and Gianni Ruffi. While they all work within a framework of structures and interiors saturated with Tuscan culture, all the artists draw deeply on their own creativity and cultural backgrounds to create distinctive, often stunning, homes. Here, they elaborate on their themes, aspirations and inspirations in specially commissioned portraits of themselves at home or in the studio. Mariella Sgaravatti sheds light on the ways in which each interior has been adapted to reflect the owner's personal vision, while Mario Ciampi's photographs vividly convey the ambience created by each artist. Anyone seeking original design ideas will find this sumptuous book a rich source of inspiration.

Tuscany is everyone’s dream--a land of picturesque landscapes, fabulous food, and above all, extraordinary masterpieces of art of every kind. Focusing on a series of Tuscan centers, from the Etruscan capitals of Cerveteri and Tarquinia to the great medieval and Renaissance city-states of Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and Florence down to the present day, Marina Belozerskaya leads the reader on a journey through the arts of this astonishing part of Italy. Unlike other books on Tuscany, this one spans time, geography, and a wide variety of art forms--from Etruscan bronzes to Ferragamo shoes--and shows how the arts of this fertile region have sprung from their native soil over the centuries, each era providing the foundation for the next. Lavishly illustrated, and rich with the fascinating stories of Tuscan arts and their creators, The Arts of Tuscany offers an enchanting new look into the opulent culture of a beloved part of the world.

Sofia is trained in secret as a painter in her father's workshop during a time when women did not paint openly. She loves her work, but her restless spirit leads her to betray her extraordinary gifts to marry a man who comes to despise her for not producing a son. After Sofia's father is crushed by his own fresco during an attack motivated by a vendetta, Sofia realizes she must escape her loveless marriage. She flees to Siena, where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her. Meticulously researched settings and compelling characters are united with a strong heroine in this rich portrait of medieval Italy.

"The Garden of Love is an important subject in secular art of the fifteenth century, both in Italy and in northern Europe. The chief Italian examples were all painted in Tuscany in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. They depict a landscape consisting of a flowery meadow, a grove, and a great marble fountain, where lovers gather to sing, dance, and make love. Allied to the Garden of Love are variations on a horticultural theme--gardens for lovers celebrated in history, fountains of love, hunts set in a forest that conclude alongside a fountain. Sometimes, too, the Garden of Love becomes the setting for narratives and romances. In all these instances the Garden is more than a pleasing tapestry like backdrop: it serves as a visible symbol of the nature of love itself. This book illustrated with 97 excellent photographs, attempts to do two things ; to chart the history of the Garden of Love, and explain the significance it once had." -- Book jacket.

Art meets food in this celebratory story of family and friends in Tuscany at the Arniano Painting School. Few farmhouses in Tuscany are as magical as Arniano. Bought and restored in the 1980s by an English couple, this 18th-century ruin, surrounded by staggering beauty as far as the eye can see, became synonymous with delicious food and sparkling company. At Arniano, their daughter, Amber Guinness, found a passion for cooking and established The Arniano Painting School with cofounder William Roper Curzon. A marriage of food and art, the school celebrates Amber’s cooking and hosting skills and William’s talents for imparting his knowledge and passion for painting. Showcasing inviting and lush photography of the farmhouse’s interiors and exteriors alongside mouthwatering images of simple and flavorful dishes, A House Party in Tuscany collects recipes from 30 years of cooking and hosting at Arniano, exemplifying fundamental principles of Italian home cooking. With essential ingredients for an Italian pantry; feast curation; menu suggestions for every season; notes on Italian wines; day trips from Arniano; tricks and rules for cooking that can be applied to any lunch or dinner party, whatever the season; guidelines to seemingly effortless cooking and hosting, this is a book to make everyone feel welcome.

In her inimitable warm and evocative tone, Frances Mayes helps readers develop an eye for authentic Tuscan style, with advice on how to: Choose a Tuscan colour palette for the home, from earthy apricot tones to invigorating shades of antique blue; Cultivate a Tuscan garden, adding fountains, vine-covered pergolas, and terracotta urns among the herbs and flowers.. Make prime finds at their local antique markets - and to truly bring Tuscany home, shipping advice and market days for several Tuscan towns are included. Set an imaginative Tuscan table using majolica and vintage linens; Enjoy the abundant flavours and easy simplicity of the Tuscan kitchen, with details on everything from olive oil and vin santo to pici and gnocchi, plus special, homegrown menus and recipes.

At once a collection of traditional, seasonal recipes and a guide to the area's top food markets, Giulia Scarpaleggia takes readers on a journey through her beloved Tuscany, exploring famous places but also more remote areas - from Florence's urban streets and enchanting Volterra to mountainous Garfagnana and the wilds of Lunigiana, the gentle rolling hills of Val d'Orcia, and the vineyards and olive groves of Chianti. Through photographs, words and recipes, Giulia tells the story of Florence's historic markets, local organic farmers markets, and the weekly market days held in Tuscan towns and villages. She also explores Tuscany's coastal fish and seafood markets, together with the roadside vendors of the Maremma area, with their vibrant fresh fruit and vegetable stands. With each encounter, Giulia delves into the stories of Tuscany's food markets, drawing on memories and recipes that taste of home.

This book explores how the Medici Grand Dukes pursued ways to expand their political, commercial, and cultural networks beyond Europe, cultivating complex relations with the Ottoman Empire and other Islamicate regions, and looking further east to India, China, and Japan. The chapters in this volume discuss how casting a global, cross-cultural net was part and parcel of the Medicean political vision. Diplomatic gifts, items of commercial exchange, objects looted at war, maritime connections, and political plots were an inherent part of how the Medici projected their state on the global arena. The eleven chapters of this volume demonstrate that the mobility of objects, people, and knowledge that generated the global interactions analyzed here was not unidirectional--rather, it went both to and from Tuscany. In addition, by exploring evidence of objects produced in Tuscany for Asian markets,this book reveals hitherto neglected histories of how Western cultures projected themselves eastwards.