New books with insight on Italy

Books about Tuscany and owning houses in Italy have been springing up like mushrooms after a heavy rain since the runaway success of Frances Mayes' "Under the Tuscan Sun," a novel about a woman from San Francisco who discovers Italy while restoring an old house.

But while that book struck a chord with readers, the latest offerings may not. Here's a look at four new books about Italy (two set in Tuscany) to see which ones are worth the bother — and which ones contain more than their share of obligatory Italian recipes.

"Palladian Days: Finding a New Life in a Venetian Country House," by Sally Gable, with Carl I. Gable; Knopf, $23.95

Authors: Atlanta empty-nesters who buy massive 16th-century villa from another rich U.S. couple. Why? For "personal growth" and "it was a full moon." And they had the bucks.

Venue: The countryside outside Venice in northern Veneto region. The villa is a Renaissance palace in a small village.

How's it read? No real plot beyond time passing and Sally Gable spending lots of time alone. No dramatic tension, uneven writing. Too many poorly drawn Italian characters.

Insights: Virtually none.

Sample quote: "Whatever brought you to buy a Palladian villa?" (It's repeatedly liberally throughout, but never answered compellingly.)

Recipes: Handful thrown in as an afterthought in an appendix.

Bottom line: No great insights into Italy, no great writing ... no sale.

Who-cares factor: Low.

"A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure," by Marlena de Blasi; Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $23.95

Author: Empty-nester U.S. chef who falls in love with a Venetian banker; the two move to an old stable/farmhouse in Tuscany.

Venue: The Tuscan town of San Casciano dei Bagni. The couple's rental is an old stable with no central heating or phone.

How's it read? Nice writing, good story line, well-defined Italian characters (including the author's melancholy husband). Vivid evocation of Italian customs and meals.

Insights: Quite a few. De Blasi has learned much about the Italian way of life.

Sample quote: "The gorgeous things they're cooking are zucchini blossoms, fat and velvety, almost as wide and long as lilies. And the frying dance is precise."

Recipes: Recipes, sprinkled at end of chapters, have more gravitas because author is a chef.

Bottom line: Lyrically evokes rhythms of Italian life and how it revolves around food.

Who cares factor: High.

"Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide," by Dario Castagno; Globe Pequot Press, $14.95

Author: A young Italian, born in England, who moved back to Tuscany at age 10. After working in a winery, he opened his own biz as a guide.

Venue: Tuscany's Chianti region. Loves Siena, sees Florence, where he picks up clients, as a pain-in-the-butt kind of place.

How's it read? Sometimes amusing but mostly stereotypical look at the Americans who hired Castagno. His growing up in Chianti and starting a business is more interesting.

Insights: So-so. He's at his best when writing about growing up as a Chiantigiano.

Sample quote: "They pile into my van, drink their first Diet Cokes of the day ... " (Every American in this book is obsessed with Diet Coke.)

Recipes: No recipes, but lots about people drinking copious amounts of red wine.

Bottom line: The Ugly American stuff gets old, but the author's love of Siena is sweet and courses through the book.

Who-cares factor: Middling.

"Italy, A Love Story: Women Write About the Italian Experience," Ed. by Camille Cusumano;

Seal Press, $15.95

Authors: Twenty-eight women whose lives have been somehow touched by Italy, including an American who makes her Italian in-laws their first Thanksgiving dinner.

Venue: The stories and essays, set throughout Italy, present a good geographical cross-section of the country.

How's it read? An uneven collection by mostly unproven writers. There's a short essay by well-known writer Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, but that's about it for established writers.

Insights: Varies by author, but on the whole, not a lot.

Sample quote: "... Sage plants dot the landscape like fluffy nests, defying the limitations of a scorching sun and dusty soil." (Like bad pasta, description can be overdone.)

Recipes: None, but lots of inspiration from Italian food and drink.

Bottom line: The collection doesn't live up to its title promising tales of love whether love of people or place, or anything for that matter.

Who-cares factor: Low.