Book Club/Movie Club Guide: Under the Tuscan Sun

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy, the memoir by Frances Mayes, is a journey into small town life in Tuscany–visits to the local market for fresh produce and wine recommendations, struggles with Italian bureaucracy, and the physical work required to rebuild an old Tuscan villa.

Under the Tuscan Sun, the movie starring Diane Lane, is a journey of self-discovery and change for Frances as she discovers her husband is having an affair, so she sets off to start a new life in Tuscany.

This is one case where the book and the movie are very different from each other, but both are enjoyable. The book is an interesting description of the efforts it takes to rebuild a villa in Tuscany (with some delicious descriptions of Italian food and wine and the Tuscan countryside) and the movie is a light feel-good movie about a middle-aged woman rediscovering herself and love. (Check out our Under the Tuscan Sun book review and our Under the Tuscan Sun movie review to find out more.)

Interesting note: The movie version is included in our popular list “Travel Changes You: 20 Travel Books and 20 Travel Movies About Self-Discovery” but the book isn’t.

Both are great choices for a Travel Book Club, Travel Movie Club, or make it a special meeting and where you discuss the book and then watch the movie together!

Suggested Under the Tuscan Sun book discussion questions:

1. “The house is a metaphor for the self,” Frances Mayes writes. Discuss some examples of this, both in her life and in your own. (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
2. What did you like or dislike about Mayes’s writing style? What images did you find to be particularly striking? Some say it is slow and boring while others find it moving and enticing? Which camp do you fall in? What do you think causes the difference in opinion? (Adapted from LitLovers Discussion Questions)
3. What are some of the qualities of Italian life that contrast most sharply with American culture? Which aspects of Italian life did Frances and Ed find it important to incorporate into their own lives? Which aspects would you have been drawn to? (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
4. How does the experience of purchasing and renovating Bramasole impact Frances and Ed’s relationship, and how does their interaction affect their shared experience of buying, owning, and living in Bramasole? (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
5. How does the author change as the book progresses? How are her changes reflected in her tone and in her writing? (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
6. What is Mayes’s advice to readers who have “the desire to surprise your own life” (p. 191)? How would you respond to this impulse? What are some of the benefits and drawbacks to the time of life Mayes chose for embarking on a major change? Discuss some of your own turning points and “forks in the road.” (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
7. In your opinion, which image or scene best “encapsulates the entire experience” of Mayes’s time in Italy? (From LitLovers Discussion Questions)
8. Mayes says “Life offers you a thousand chances… all you have to do is take one.” When have you taken a big chance that paid off? When have you not taken one that you wish you had?
9. Why do you think this book has captured so many people for so long?
10. Why do you think Tuscany has such a magical pull for so many people? Is there somewhere that has that pull for you?

Suggested Under the Tuscan Sun movie discussion questions:

1. Would you consider a realistic movie?
2. Why do you think Tuscany has such a magical pull for so many people?
3. Were you surprised at how the love affair with Marcello ended? What about the relationship between Patti and Grace?
4. What did you think of Frances’s relationship with Signor Martini?
5. What did you think the faucet represented for Frances?
6. What role does Katherine, the flamboyant English woman, play in Frances’s life? Are you more like Frances or Katherine? (Adapted from Spirituality and Practice’s Guide.)
7. How does Frances change throughout the story? How does the vision for her life change? What influences the change?
8. Have you ever dreamed of creating a new life like Frances? Why or why not? Where would you go?
9. The tagline for the movie is “Life offers you a thousand chances … all you have to do is take one.” Do you agree?
10. How would you define the genre of this movie? What do you think about your own background influences how you define the genre?

Suggested questions for those that have both read the book and seen the movie:

1. How did the book and movie differ? Were you surprised?
2. Did you read the book first or watch the movie first? How did that affect your thoughts on the other?
3. Was there a part in the book you wished had been featured in the movie?
4. If you read the book first, did the images of Bramasole, Cortona, and the characters match what you had pictured?
5. Would you recommend both? Just the book? Just the movie?

Other suggestions for your discussion:

• Check out pictures and interesting information about Bramasole and Cortona.
• Have an Italian feast! Have each member bring something, go to a local Italian restaurant (Olive Garden does not count), or order in. Go a bit further and be sure to focus on Tuscan contributions!
• Do an Italian wine tasting–either one you put together yourself or hire an expert.
• Play Italian music in the background as you discuss.
• Pull together a collection of magazines and have members create mini design boards for their dream home. (Or have them prepare in advance and bring to the meeting for discussion.)