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Greetings fellow travelers,
How many of you have visited the 'travel essays' section of your local bookstore?
While not as big as the 'mystery' or 'non-fiction' sections, it is our favorite
spot in the bookstore. Travel essays are the perfect way to glimpse life in another
country. They take you past the 'meat and potatoes' content most guidebooks offer and
delve into the true nuances of a destination. This month, check out some of the
most popular travel books published, see which ones Untourists favor, and find
out what you need to know about reading overseas. Plus, take a tour of some of
our apartments located in the very places so often written about. Untours is the
perfect way to immerse yourself in another culture, providing you with a 'home
away from home' in an unbeatable location so that you can be your own 'Peter
Mayle' for a short time (without the hassle!).
Happy reading and happy travels!
Kim Paschen and Marilee Taussig
Co-editors, Eurozine |
Untours Eurozine
June 2005
Do you have a favorite travel book you'd like to recommend? Email us!
888-868-6871
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Be your own Peter Mayle in Provence |
Books to Read Before You Go (or if you can’t go, but love to dream)
by Marilee Taussig, Marketing Director
Someone once said that travel writing is the Rodney Dangerfield of literature,
a genre that never quite receives the respect it deserves. This may be true,
but the observation is missing the point. Travel books are of a slightly different
species than other books. More than most books (except perhaps how-to manuals),
they are meant as a companion piece to an experience. It is as if the book and
the journey to the place the book is about are a matched set, never quite separable.
I have been to Provence and I have read A Year in Provence. The two are now inextricably linked in my mind. When I visit Provence, it
is as if Peter Mayle’s wry humor and insatiable appetite for fabulous food have
taken up permanent residence in my mind. I never quite see Provence simply as
just part of France anymore; it is always juxtaposed with the witty, bumbling,
British naivete and enthusiasm that Mayle and his wife brought with them when
they embarked on their now legendary adventure in expatriation.
Great travel books get you ready to be in a particular place. For that reason, they seem to carry with them a lack of
“gravitas” that might be demanded by more serious literature. They are often
a string of anecdotes, their daisy-chain structure making the perfect “light read”.
If you’re like me, you start your reading a few weeks before your departure.
Or, perhaps you begin your travel book on the same day you begin your journey;
a book whose structure consists of a series of vignettes makes for perfect stop-and
go reading to compliment your rhythm of travel. When every few pages you are
required to look up to hand the conductor your ticket or check to see if it is
time to queue up for boarding the plane, a book that you can easily dip in and
out of is a blessing.
Here are some of my favorite authors matched with their trademark destination:
Peter Mayle and Provence: I have never read anything Mayle writes that didn’t make my mouth water. It
is not just his delectable descriptions of food and wine; he has a way with words
that makes his works a delight to read no matter what the subject. Whether it
is one of his more recent forays into the world of fiction (Chasing Cézanne, A Good Year) or the famous trilogy (A Year in Provence, Toujours Provence, Encore Provence), Mayle is all about place and appetite. His books are filled with amusing
incidents, eccentric characters and memorable meals; they are also nearly as light
as air. The “deepest” thing you will find in Mayle’s books is his reverence for
good food and wine….and for vacation reading who can argue with that?
Chris Stewart and Andalusia: (Driving Over Lemons) Stewart, a former member of the band Genesis, continues the Mayle tradition
of describing him and his family’s move to their adopted home in Southern Spain,
warts and all. He does not glamorize this rugged part of Spain, but he does communicate
why he loves it so much. His account of the friendships that he makes is one
of the book’s most winning features. Welcome, too, is his wife’s skepticism about
this mad venture and Stewart’s admittedly rose-colored view of life. Pedro Romero,
the somewhat loveable scoundrel from whom the author purchases his farm is a worthy
successor to Massott, Peter Mayle’s reprobate neighbor.
Bill Bryson and Everywhere: Nobody comes close to Bryson in capturing the humor, delight and discomfort
of Americans who are nomadic souls at heart, never quite at home when overseas,
yet ever restless upon return to the US. He is riveting on the subject of language
(The Mother Tongue, Made In American and Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words) although he may be better known for his recent bestsellers about topics non-European
(A Walk in the Woods (Appalachian Trail), In a Sunburned Country (Australia) and A Short History of Nearly Everything). But Bryson’s observations of his own culture after having returned from 20
years of living in Britain (I’m a Stranger Here Myself ), his account of his adopted home (Notes from a Small Island) and of backpacking through Europe (Neither Here Nor There: Travels In Europe) are some of my favorites. Bryson has a way of imparting cultural awareness
while making you laugh – no easy feat.
Frances Mayes and Tuscany: What Peter Mayle did for Provence, Frances Mayes did for Tuscany. Both authors’
eloquence have made an “off-the-beaten track” location not so "off-beaten". Mayes’
work is more poetic and narrative than Mayle’s rather frothy style, although both
of them follow the same essential plot: a couple moves to a beautiful European
locale and get in deep, deep trouble renovating a beautiful old wreck of a property.
Like Mayle, Frances Mayes displays an extraordinary craftsmanship of the written
word and a deeply sensual love of her chosen location. No other authors have
so thoroughly popularized their adopted 'homes' and it is due, in no small part,
to their sheer talent as writers.
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Live among vineyards in the Tuscan countryside |
IdyllChat recommended reads
Top Ten List : See what travel books are generating a buzz in our online chat
community, Idyllchat, a lively discussion on European destinations and travel
in general. To subscribe to IdyllChat, click here.
1. “The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate and every bit as good as all of Frances Mayes' books on Tuscany.”
Jan Boling & Bob Patetta
2. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi: "It's an extraordinary story of a woman in mid life who
meets and marries an Italian man in Venice.. Not only is it a beautifully written
story but she's an American chef and she sprinkles food tidbits throughout the
book. One feels as if they are exploring and savoring Venice with her." Ann Morrison
3. “Iain Pears writes mystery novels about art theft detectives in Italy.” Jane
Haslett
4. “Tim Parks, a British writer who lives near Verona and who describes his life
there with his Italian wife and children. The first one is called Italian Neighbors.” Alison Davis
5. Vanilla Beans & Brodo by Isabella Dusi: “It answers many questions we had about the history of Montalcino,
the farm lands around it and the production of wines.” RPonsonby
6. Try the Collected Traveler - Provence. “They are not really travel guides but stories and articles that I have found
to be interesting. I find them in the travel section at the library.” Margaret
Gates [Editor’s note: Collected Traveler is an entire series of books on travel destinations including: Central Italy,
Northern Spain, Venice, Paris, Southwestern France and Provence]
7. “I just finished reading a really good book that is set in Venice. The title
is Miss Garnet's Angel, the author Salley Vickers...One of the reviewers said, "Reading this book is
sometimes like reading a Renaissance painting. All lovers of Venice should read
this book." I found it on the new bookshelves at our library.” Lewis & Helen
Fluck
8. "I will suggest an excellent new book on Trieste by that doyenne of travel
writers, Jan Morris: Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere Simon and Schuster, 2001. For my money, Morris has also written one of the
best all-around books on Venice: The World of Venice, Harvest Books, 1993." Ed Whitman
9. "Other good books on the customs of the German people are The German Way by Hyde Flippo and Culture Shock, Germany by Richard Lord. They added to our insight and helped us with etiquette." Don
Davis
10. There are a whole series of murder mysteries set in Venice by American expatriate
Donna Leon, whose protagonist is a "Commmisario" of the local police force named
Guido Brunetti. Some are out of print and may be hard to find in the U.S., but
many are available via the Internet. Here's a partial list; all are "good reads": Acqua Alta, Death and Judgement, Death at la Fenice, Death in a Strange Country,
Dressed for Death, The Anonymous Venetian, Friends in High Places
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Travel Tips for Reading in Europe:
1. Don’t worry about packing too many books if you are going on an Untour. One of the nice surprises you are likely to find in many Untour apartments
is a fairly decent collection of paperback English books. We assume these are
bequeathed to you by former guests, generously wanting to pass on their reading
to fellow travelers (and probably needing the space in their suitcases for their
recently purchased loot).
2. Get ready for terrible lighting. At a recent staff meeting, Idyll employees compared notes and found that, across
eleven different European countries in which we operate, the complaint about reading
lights (and the lack thereof) is very common. Even the plushest of accommodations
seem to share this flaw. It is a rare exception to find adequate reading light,
most especially in the bedroom. Our conclusion, Europeans do not read in bed!
Bring an inexpensive battery-operated reading light to enhance your nighttime
reading if you wish.
3. Don’t overestimate how much reading you will do. We are all inveterate readers here at the Idyll office, but we find that when
we are in Europe, between planning the next day's activities, long day trips,
and fashionably later dinners, we do not do as much evening reading there as we
do at home. On the other hand, with air travel being what it is today, we are
very grateful to have several fat novels to help us pass the time on the journey
there and back.
4. Don’t forget to take that extra pair of glasses (reading or otherwise). You never know when you might lose a pair. Glasses are a must for many of us,
never more so than when reading the fine print of the train schedule books that
guide us through those fabulous train systems of Switzerland, Holland, Germany
and Austria.
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Untours accommodations: You don't have to just read about these places...you
can go! |
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A Year in Provence would pass quickly enough if you were located in this lovely spot. Vacancies
for 2005 still exist in September and October for the Gresse apartment just outside St. Didier, one of the
Provence
villages famed for its dappled light. This quintessential Provençal farmhouse
has a well-equipped kitchen on the ground floor as well as a living/dining area.
From your patio you will be able to enjoy the serenity of the surrounding countryside
as well as the wonderful views of the 6000-foot high
Mt.
Ventoux
and the valley below.
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Under the Tuscan Sun: The fastest-growing Untour of late has a few choice spots including the highly
popular “Le Chiuse” apartments. One of our favorite Untourists, Jerry Clancy said of this spot,
“We stayed at Le Chiuse 3 in April-May of 2001. It had two large bedrooms and
a smaller one with a double bunk bed. The setting is a vineyard and is absolutely
gorgeous. The pasteurization tanks and wine vats are directly underneath these
apartments. Highly recommended. It lies at the foot of the hill into Montalcino.” |
A Thousand Days in Venice: You wouldn’t find a better place to pass them than in the Nomboli apartment, which still has several availabilities in the 2005 season. The living room
is large, decorated in blue, with love seats and comfortable chairs. Beautiful
paintings and antiques fill the room, which is also furnished with a table and
chairs for dining. The recently remodeled kitchen is well equipped and bright.
The Nomboli property is among our best-located Venetian vacation rentals in San
Polo, a lively neighborhood close to good restaurants and an easy walk to the
Rialto Bridge and markets. |
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Idyll, Ltd.
415 E. Jasper Street
Media, PA 19063
www.untours.com
P. 888-868-6871
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