Italy is inexhaustible.

Hi, I'm Rick Steves, and welcome to travel with Rick Steves.

When most Americans think of the Italian countryside,

they picture sunny images of a good life connected to the land in Tuscany. And that's largely due to the

writings of Francis Mays. She's our special guest in the hour ahead to explain how a

visit to Tuscany 20 years ago changed her life. Her latest book reflects back on the two decades

since she first decided to fix up an old country house in the village of Cortona, and a lot

of it centers on learning to eat like a Tuscany.

In all my years in Tuscany, centers on learning to eat like a Tuscan.

In all my years in Tuscany, I have never heard food connected with guilt.

And as Francis found out, this attitude also lends itself to finding joy in the little things that happen every day.

You're sitting in the piazza having a cappuccino and the bells start to resound all over the piazza,

and you just kind of know your home.

Stay with us for a special hour with author Francis Mays.

It's Travel with Rick Steves.

I think Italy must be the most popular destination for Americans in Europe and when we think about Italy,

I think we think about Tuscany.

And when many of us think about Tuscany,

we're inspired by the work of Francis Mays.

Of course,

Francis Mayes wrote under the Tuscan Sun.

20 years ago, she bought a fixer-upper in Cortona in Tuscany.

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