| LifeinItaly.com - Fashion, Travel, News and More. | |  | Travel Books to Umbria | Home » » Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy | | | | | | | Description: | | If you could leave behind the life you know to pursue your ultimate dream, would you do it? If you could return to the one place in which you found true inspiration, what do you think you would find there? When Mark G. Smith decided to leave a successful business career to pursue his writing, he did something that many dream of, but few have the courage to try. When he left his life as a corporate businessman to live in Italy for sixteen weeks, he made a reality out of what most would consider pure fantasy. His summer-long sojourn through the most beautiful parts of the Florentine and Venetian countryside gave birth to one of the most unconventional travel memoirs of the season. His account of that magical trip, Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy, is part memoir, part philosophical exploration: It is an eclectic series of musings on an ancient country, an earthy tribute to sensual pleasures. In a series of short vignettes the author explores the Italy he knew as a child. Older now, but not necessarily wiser, the author visits and re-visits some of the country’s most famous attractions, but finds himself continually sidetracked by the odd, the unusual, the quintessentially Italian. This is a memoir of travels down side streets, of visits to small churches tucked away in hidden neighborhoods, of meals taken at family trattorias. In a time when "extreme" seems to be the watchword for travel literature, when every memoir seems to be an account of a death-defying ascent of a dangerous mountain, or a dangerous voyage across an open sea, there is something quietly beautiful and approachable about Tuscan Echoes. Mark Smith is a traveler not unlike you and me—a man enraptured by the beauty of a lovely country and filled with an innocent wonder for everything he experiences. Many of us may never have the courage that Mark found to quit the rat race and go in search of a more meaningful life. But in Tuscan Echoes readers can at least find a glimpse of the rewards of taking that leap. They can bask in Italy’s sun-drenched images and at least pretend—in time honored, arm-chair traveler fashion—that they are sitting with him, sipping the local wines and watching the world go by. Truly a must read for anyone enraptured by Italy, either as an armchair traveler, or as a seasoned traveler. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Mark Gordon Smith | | Hardcover:
| 183 pages | | Publisher:
| Almar Books | | Publication Date:
| September 02, 2003 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0974098302 | | Package Length:
| 8.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.7 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
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| $5.50 | Used
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- VeryGood | | | $5.67 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $7.24 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $11.35 | Used
- Good | | | $15.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $18.98 | New | | | $18.98 | New | | | $21.00 | Collectible
- Mint | | | $36.66 | Used
- Good | | | $39.51 | Used
- Good | | | $50.00 | New | | | $2,000.00 | Used
- Good | |
| New | |
| $18.98 | New | | | $18.98 | New | | | $50.00 | New | |
| Used | |
| $5.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.67 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $7.24 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $7.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $11.35 | Used
- Good | | | $15.00 | Used
- Mint | | | $36.66 | Used
- Good | | | $39.51 | Used
- Good | | | $2,000.00 | Used
- Good | |
| Collectible | |
| $21.00 | Collectible
- Mint | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A beautiful love song to a magnificent countryMar 16, 2008
As a writer, I was greatly impressed with Mark Gordon Smith's ability to transport readers to this fascinating country with simple, evocative descriptions. As a lover of everything Tuscan, I felt I was walking alongside Smith on his journey. And as the son of Italian immigrants (also from Tuscany), I felt my ties renewed and strengthened by this beautiful love song.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Very little TuscanyJan 03, 2007
I found that most of the book was about the churches, gardens, and museums of Florence. The book moved slowly and I would not recommend reading this book. You could find this knowledge in any guide book.
6 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Skip this bookMar 31, 2006
What makes Tuscany so dazzling to so many? Its art, terrain, art, history, art, cuisine, art, people? Yep, all of the above. But you'll learn next to nothing about any of them by reading this book. It's little more than the author's love letter - he does love Tuscany - written with a grammar school vocabulary and expository style. I finished reading it solely because it turned out to be the only book I had on a long flight.
You want literary tributes to Tuscany, read the real thing: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Lord Byron, E. M. Forster, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mark Twain, and Edith Wharton.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
An EXCEPTIONAL Travel BookDec 30, 2003
"What is it, travelers have asked for ages, about Italy? For those whose ancestors came from these valleys, from this country, the answer probably lies in their lineage. For the rest of us, the answer simply lies in the timeless view of verdant abundance below room twenty four. "
P 72. Tuscan Echoes, A Season in ItalyIn Tuscan Echoes, A Season in Italy, Mark G. Smith has managed an amazing feat. He has written an exceptional travel book without any pictures. Author Mark G. Smith writes with such intimacy and intensely personal imagery that the reader can only imagine he/she is traveling side by side with the author. This comprehensive, dramatic and spiritual journey through some of Italy's most spectacular landscapes and historical landmarks is presented in masterful literary style. Tuscan Echoes, A Season in Italy is the perfect length at 170 pages, for a quick intellectual get away. As the pages turn, you as the reader will be transported to Florence, Venice, Assisi, Umbria and Tuscany. Images of the landscape so vivid you will imagine you can smell the dark richness of the espresso and feel the heartbeat of the cobblestones in the piazza through the soles of your feet. You will be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the Italian culture. Quaint cafes will tantalize your senses. Friendly, out going people will welcome you and majestic churches will provide soulful inspiration. By the last page you will feel as if you truly hear the Tuscan Echoes. Author Mark G. Smith's personal experience with Italy has been life long. He lived near Florence as a child and as an adult, spent more than thirty years traveling this fascinating country .His passion for the Tuscan region is evident in his intimate descriptions, which evoke a deep longing in the readers to experience Italy for themselves. This memoir represents one season. If your average day is just plain hectic, then this book will allow you to escape for a few hours to the land of serenity, beauty and passion. Give yourself a truly enjoyable journey of discovery. This book would also make an excellent gift for your favorite armchair traveler or as a take along guide for the serious traveler. Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A blend of memoir and philosophyDec 14, 2003
Tuscan Echoes: A Season In Italy by Mark Gordon Smith brings together a blend of memoir and philosophy in the author's varied, sometimes eccentric, yet always engaging ruminations upon Italy. Memories of Italian childhood are combined with a modern-day revisit and a dedicated quest to perceive and understand what is the essence of Italian life and culture. An articulate and attention engaging addition to any library biography collection, Tuscan Echoes is a superb and original extended meditation on nationality and identity.
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