Too Much Tuscan Sun: Confessions Of A Chianti Tour Guide

Great read while you're on your flight to Italy! While Frances Mayes made her fortune on the desire that is in all of us to go back to a time when things were simpler, life was slower, food was more natural, and the environment around us more healthy overall, Dario's book is more of a collection of experiences being a tourguide and with the expectations the travelers he leads have of Italy. Dario is candid and genuine, you'll see an insider's perspective on foreign visitors who come to Italy each year. Dario seems to have a lot more compassion for those who truly want to find what the lifestyle is like, not if that lifestyle corresponds to their idea of it. I am from Firenze (Florence), Tuscany and lead small groups there every year to give them "my" version of Tuscany - the more familiar, less touristic view of this wonderful region, and every time I go people don't fail to mention Mayes' book. I, instead, tell them about Dario's. The truth of the matter is that living in a place is different than just reading a book about a rich woman who didn't need to worry about finding a job and had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted. Dario's book is a more humble, genuine view of what to expect and what not to expect from a trip to Tuscany. [...]

Maybe you have to know Dario to understand the quips and subtleties of this fun and easy-to-read jaunt through Tuscany. In contrast to some of the reviews and as a paying customer of Dario, I found absolutely no insult in any of his anecdotes. Rather, many chuckles at the foibles and eccentricities of fellow travelers. Plus, many remembrances of unique experiences he offers as a guide when we visit his corner of the world. This book is very funny and a great, quick read. A definite must-read for any Tuscan enthusiast.

I have had the great fortune not only read the book, but spend a full day with Dario playing in fog draped Tuscan hills, eating and drinking my weight in fantastic Tuscan food and wine. The main dish being wild boar shot the day before, so tender that it fell off the fork landing in a wonderful mushroom sauce, spraying the front of my shirt. The boar along with 2 bottles of fantastic wine from a 2 man vineyard just across the valley from the restaurant and a 2 ltr bottle of the house wine; literally made in the house that was the restaurant. We discussed life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, his book and friends and all the rest of the topics that one talks about, over so much good food and wine. The book is real, it's informative, it's as fun and funny as Dario is, and it is a great read to boot. These are not traits one normally finds all together in one travel book, maybe one or two of them but not all. After many years of traveling around Europe hoping to dispel the myth of the ugly American tourist, and still seeing all that a country has to offer, I have never come across a book so dead on about foreigners then this book, be it an American in Munich or a Scot in Dallas. It shows the painful truth about so many of us travelers, and the lack of education and understanding of the location where we are. It also gives you great tips of what to do, where to go and the most important sites to see. Someone told me he thought the book was conceited and arrogant. I'm sorry to say that that person never had the chance to travel with the locals and been able to see the pride that they have in everything that is theirs. Maybe its because he was one of those ugly American's that feel that all small towns outside of there narrow little mind are theirs to use, abuse, and throw away. Maybe that is what Dario is trying to tell us with his book. Maybe he wants us to "get lost"; get lost in the culture, the towns, the people. At least that is what I got out of the book. I know that I'm no prince among men, so I hope that Dario would put me in his next book so that I can see and learn from my mistakes and be a nicer traveler in other people's homes. But sadly this is to be his last year as a tour friend so, his next book most likely wont be about travel. What is there to do in Siena? Get Lost

As an American living in Italy, I enjoyed this book a lot. The title's contrast with "Under the Tuscan Sun" immediately brought a chuckle, and the book didn't dissappoint. Living in Italy for most people is not about fancy villas on hilltops in the Chianti region. Castagno does a great job of giving a flavor for the area and its people, as well as some of the wackier tourists that he has dealt with. The book is nicely rounded out too, with not only stories that make you think "is that for real?!" of crazy americans, but also lots of nice, genuine people, many of whom have become good friends with Dario over the years, according to the book. Definitely a worthwhile read, along with Tim Parks' Italian Neighbours and Italian Education.