Recent years have seen a virtual flood of books about Tuscany—first-person accounts about Americans trying to do American things in Italy and bumping up against a centuries-old stone wall of tradition. It’s only fair that we now hear a native Tuscan’s side of the story. Who better to provide that view than Dario Castagno, a British-born, Tuscan-raised tour guide who has spent more than a decade leading Americans into the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti region. In this lively, candid memoir, Dario looks at the Americans who have stormed through his life and his homeland. Some tested his sanity, others became lifelong friends.
With wry humor and affection, Dario recalls some of his more remarkable clients—the delightful, the vain, the silly, the ignorant, the ambitious, the amorous, the condescending, the lovely, and the outright crazy. He also shares an account of his own life and times—his transformation from bohemian layabout to thriving tour guide—and offers an enchanting introduction to the charms of Tuscany over the course of a year.
Through his company, Chianti Rooster Tours, Dario Castagno guides small groups of visitors to his favorite spots in the Chianti region of Italy. He belongs to Siena’s Caterpillar contrada, which in 2003 won the Palio—the wildly popular bareback horse race that takes place in Siena each summer.
(1) Ringraziamenti (2) Introduction: Americans through Tuscan Eyes (3) Discovering Chianti (4) January and the Athletes (5) Chianti and "Chianti" (6) February and the Honeymooners (7) Cradle of Genius (8) March and the Oenophile (9) Fosco's House (10) April and the Know-it-alls (11) Love Among the Ruins (12) May and the Collector (13) Intervallo: The Dutch (14) The Black Rooster (15) The First Excursion (16) July and the Palio (17) Us versus Them (18) August and the Lovers (19) Intervallo: The American Caterpillar (20) Playing Offense (21) September and the Timekeeper (22) Strangers in a Strange Land (23) October and the Coach Tour (24) Intervallo: Death and Life in America (25) November and the Devoted Mother (26) All About Babs (27) December with the College Student (28) The Tour That Wasn't (29) Intervallo: From the Other Side of the Van (30) Conclusion: La Macia
Anonymous
Posted September 26, 2005
Mr. Castagno's book is not so much a collection of tour gude's witty anectdotes as it is a sour testament to his views of Americans and America (ironically, he tells the reader that much of his livelihood is derived from these same Americans). It is certainly possible to encounter difficult tourists and generate funny accounts of their travels, something of which Americans in Europe are quite capable. However, the stories become more unbelievable with each chapter, especially the one about the lawyer who was proud of a coin he acquired in Rome dated 42 B.C. (C'mon, Dario...that was in a brainteaser book I had in third grade!) The chapter on his views on the death penalty was particularly evident of his condescension toward America and what it has to do with travel through Tuscany I don't know.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 30, 2004
Both my wife and I read the book earlier this year in the form of a borrowed copy. We enjoyed reading it so much that we immediately tried to schedule a tour for our upcoming trip to Chianti. Last week, we met Dario and he took us on a tour very reminscent of many episodes of his book. The book, of course, stands on its own with its many humorous vignettes. As Americans, we also learn a little bit about which of our behaviours are perceived as peculiar by Europeans. The book is a very easy read, and it'll certainly make you yearn for being there to enjoy the food, wine, landscape, and not least of all, to experience the author's wonderful company.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Mariet
Posted August 2, 2009
I read many books on Italy and Tuscany, and enjoy them all. I felt the author Dario Castagno was too critical of his American clients. His description of places and food was very good.
Marie T.
Anonymous
Posted August 5, 2007
A beautiful, touching review of travel and travelers in Chianti. Dario takes you on a tour that exposes the soul of Chianti, it's soft beauty and strong characters. After travelling many years myself, first carrying a backpack, then doing the bus tours and staying in small to 5 star hotels, I recognized many of the strange characters he describes as well as the wonderful people he introduces. If you can't see the love and humor in the stories then you are probably one of the obnoxious Americans who wonder why you can't order a peanut butter sandwich at Harry's Bar. I would really love to go on his tour, taste the wine and be remembered as 'normal folk.' Grazie tanti, Dario!
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Posted November 15, 2005
This book is fun to read. I love it. Joe B New York
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Posted October 24, 2004
By Bill Marsano. This comes as a necessary tonic after years of fake-Italy books. Under the Tuscan Sun was charming until Frances Mayes began strip-mining Italy as if it were her personal franchise. A couple of cheap little books cashed in on her fame; then a PBS series (always the kiss of death to authenticity) and after that, the major motion picture, in itself blessed by bearing no resemblance to her book. Now she's shamelessly stooped to Tuscan-decor-for-your-home. Elsewhere there's ritualized 'roots' sagas, such as Mark Rotella's gag-inducing Stolen Figs, and pseudo-intellectualizations of similarly emetic effect (Francine Prose's Sicilian Odyssey takes the cake here, and with only a little effort would make a satiric comedy). Now here at last the Italians have their say, or one Italian does, anyway. And that's enough, because even though he's never malicious, the tourists who descend on Italy in general and guide Dario Castagno in particvular are embarrassing and even humilitating. Castagno was reared in England and so speaks the language as a native, but when he returned to Italy as you young man that didn't do him much good for some time. W jhat will surprise many here is that he spent several years working at a very ordinary winery job before setting up as a guide. That's becauser it's only over the past couple of decades that Tuscany (the actual place) has become TUSCANY! the illusory media darling. When he does start out he meets more than his share of perfectly appalling tourists. There are the overdressed (spike heels in the vineyards), the bullying, the utterly ignorant (one of whom expects to tour Chianti in the morning and shop in the Veneto on the same day), the self-deluded (a couple of superbly outfitted health fanatics whose ability to walk deserts them in Hour One) and the utterly clueless (a fellow who buys a valuable antique coin dated '42 B.C.'). Of course not all are that bad; it's only the egregious that are amusing to read about. But there are certainly more than enough of those. They'll make us mind our manners--I hope--the nect time we go abroad. Interspersed with these misadventures is a goodly view of Castagno's personal history and glimpses of the Tuscany that has disappeared beneath the veneer of modern tourism. It's enough to make me wish I hadn't missed the boat--but at the same time, back there there was hardly a decent hotel or restaurant to be found.--Writer and editor Bill Marsano has been visiting relatives and winemakers in Italy three or four times a year since the 1980s.
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Posted September 4, 2004
Dario's book will allow you to see the colors of Tuscany through it's visitors and local personalities. He makes you laugh, but also makes you cry. It captures your imagination as well as your heart. It's a book that you can read in a day and talk about for months. This is a must read for the soul.
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Posted April 20, 2009
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Posted January 20, 2009
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Overview
Recent years have seen a virtual flood of books about Tuscany—first-person accounts about Americans trying to do American things in Italy and bumping up against a centuries-old stone wall of tradition. It’s only fair that we now hear a native Tuscan’s side of the story. Who better to provide that view than Dario Castagno, a British-born, Tuscan-raised tour guide who has spent more than a decade leading Americans into the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti region. In this lively, candid memoir, Dario looks at the ...