Immerse yourself in Italy with these 5 books:

Seasons in Basilicata: A Year in a Southern Italian Hill Village,Yeadon
Tuscan Countess: Life and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa,Spike
Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide, Castagno
A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure, de Blasi
Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy, Mayes

Italy's rich history, cinematic landscapes and colorful inhabitants are an intoxicating mix for travelers in search of romance, relaxation and a terrific plate of pasta. You may not be spending the holidays in Tuscany, but recent books allow armchair travelers to experience la dolce vita. Here are a few standouts:

Seasons in Basilicata: A Year in a Southern Italian Hill Village by David Yeadon (HarperCollins, $25.95)

Yeadon travels to Basilicata, a remote village in the arch of Italy's boot. It was here, in the 1930s, that celebrated Italian author Carlo Levi was banished by Mussolini for his anti-fascist activities.

More than half a century later, Yeadon finds few changes in the makeup of the region's people and lifestyle. It is hard to imagine a culture unchanged for decades, but if not for the occasional mention of a telephone or car, Yeadon could be describing life 800 years ago.

Yeadon is greeted with open arms by the townspeople. He is fed fabulous meals and plied with grappa, an Italian brandy. Whether describing the preparation of an elaborate rustic meal or belting back local moonshine, Yeadon leaves you pleasantly stuffed, slightly intoxicated and feeling warmer for the company.

Tuscan Countess: The Life and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa by Michele K. Spike (Vendome Press, $24.95)

Centuries before Madonna came on the scene, there was another material girl whose name began with "M." She was Matilda, whose late-11th-century affair with Pope Gregory VII made her infamous. Matilda, like Madonna, was a girl with a mind of her own and a gift for holding sway over the masses. The "it" girl of her era is one of only five women buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

At a time when women were lucky to live through childbirth, she left her husband, creepily known as "the Hunchback"; reclaimed ownership of family land usurped by that marriage; held court in her own name; and dabbled in church and political reform. The church, in turn, charged her with adultery for corrupting their religious leader.

U.S.-born Spike, a lawyer and historian who has lived in Florence since 1989, succeeds best when she sticks with Matilda's escapades of sex and power.

Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide by Dario Castagno with Robert Rodi (Globe Pequot, $14.95)

Castagno worked as a tour guide for more than a decade in the Chianti region of Italy. Part of the region's enduring charm, Castagno finds, is that agriculture and the wine industry have helped to preserve the area's natural beauty and stave off commercial development.

Castagno's perspective may be less romantic than that of Americans who flock to Italy in search of a unique cultural experience, but his emotional connection to his homeland and countrymen is authentic.

A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure by Marlena de Blasi (Algonquin, $23.95)

Bolstered by the success of A Thousand Days in Venice, American expat de Blasi heads south into Italy's most romantic and lush region. A Thousand Days in Tuscany is a love poem to de Blasi's professional life as a chef.

In this memoir, she interweaves dirt-simple recipes that address the Tuscans' passion for locally grown figs, cherries and olives. This book will be most meaningful to readers who have tasted these Italian-grown basics and the recipes that cannot be duplicated in the standard American kitchen.

Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style From the Heart of Italy by Frances Mayes with Edward Mayes; photographs by Steven Rothfeld (Random House, $29.95)

Filled with recipes, photos and memories, this book includes Mayle's inspiring perspective on how something as simple as a coat of pumpkin-colored paint can transform a room into a Tuscan villa. The San Francisco-based author of the popular Under The Tuscan Sun highlights the many "portable aspects of Tuscany" that any American can enjoy.

Mayle's expertise comes from first-hand experience. In 1990, she bought "an abandoned, scorpion-inhabited, blackberry-choked villa perched on a terraced hillside just outside Cortona," in the heart of Tuscany.

She offers tips, based on renovations of the villa, on how to embrace Tuscan culture: Surround yourself with muted, comfortable furnishings, a vine-covered pergola and terracotta urns. Above all, she writes, adopt an attitude that allows for a casa asperta, an open home.

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2004-12-15-italian-books_x.htm