Bestselling and beloved author Frances Mayes discovers the hidden pleasures of Italy in a sumptuous travel narrative that crisscrosses the united states, with inventive new formulas celebrating Italian cuisine

The Roman Forum, the Leaning Tower, the Piazza San Marco: they are the sights synonymous with Italy. But such landmarks only scratch the surface of this magical country’s offerings. In Observe You in the Piazza, Frances Mayes introduces us towards the Italy only the locals know, as she and her spouse, Ed, eat and drink their way through thirteen regions–from Friuli to Sicily. On the way, she seeks out the cultural and historical gems not within traditional guidebooks.

Frances conjures the enchantment from the backstreets, the hubbub from the markets, the dreamlike wonder of this space between lunchtime and dinner when a town cracks open to those who would wander or when a brain is drawn in to the pages of the delicious book–and discloses to us the secrets that only a person who is on romantic terms with a place could find.

Includes a reward PDF of quality recipes.