Hidden Tuscany: Discovering Art, Culture, and Memories in a Well-Known Region's Unknown Places

Most American travelers to Italy with only a week or two to explore visit the large cities, for which travel guides and narratives abound. Regions such as western and coastal Tuscany are often overlooked by both visitors and travel guides. In this work, the author, a former journalist who has written several books about Italy, takes the reader through the small towns in a mixture of travelog, local history, epicurean adventure, and narrative guidebook based on his lengthy visits to the region. Keahey's travels stem from recommendations from locals, serendipity, sticking to back roads, aimless walks, and leisurely explorations of both towns and countrysides. The volume is full of ancient and modern historical tidbits, local cultures and cuisines, and area art, architecture, and artisans, as well as introductions to the region's small towns, coastal vacation spots mostly visited by Europeans, and even the nearby islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.