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On a forgotten patch of earth where Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio collide, Marlena de Blasi settles with her Venetian husband, Fernando, in search of a new life. The routines they establish are not that different from those of villagers centuries earlier. They wake at dawn to harvest grapes, gather chestnuts, forage for wild mushrooms. And they climb trees in the cold of December to pick olives. Yet it is the friendship of the mesmeric Barlozzo, a self-styled village chieftain of sorts, that leads them deep into the heart of Tuscany. Barlozzo shares his knowledge of Italian farming traditions, ancient health potions and artisanal food makers. This real-life memoir (plus recipes) is the sequel to the acclaimed A Thousand Days in Venice.