Tuscany: Budding Gardening Authors
Strangers meeting becomes book sensation
Many are the obscure dreams of the modern humans, however the aspiration of someday finding some quiet place in Tuscany and spending their days writing books about their everyday Tuscan experiences must feature quite high on that list. However few but the very richest amongst us have been able to realize this modern aspiration and turn this pipe dream into a plausible reality. However the droves of ex-pats that still flock to this sacred and mysterious land to buy houses or to spend a summer hiking around it prove that its still a plausible possibility.
A stranger and less plausible possibility would be that two of these pipe-dreamers should actually meet, by chance and actually discover some unlikely common ground between them in this fast and frenetic modern world of ours, especially that of writing books. Well that is exactly what happened to two budding authors one day, deep down in the heart of Tuscany, near Chianti, Tuscany's famous wine-producing region, noted for it's unorthodox and bohemian attitudes.
However this unlikely meeting did not occur over a glass or two of fine Chianti Classico (Chianti's famous red wine), but instead over a pint of Celtic brew- Guinness in an Irish pub in the centre of Tuscany's peaceful, rural city- Siena, a city which symbolizes everything that's Tuscan about Tuscany.
These two particular budding authors had no idea that their paths were due to cross and that their literal talents were set to become one of the literal success stories of the year! However that is indeed what occurred between Dario Castagno and Jonathan Radford one afternoon while enjoying a hearty, black Irish stout in the heart of Tuscany. Dario, having been born in the UK to Italian parents, but having grown up in Tuscany had just recently capitalized on his perfect command of the English language by writing his detailed yet controversial account of years spent guiding groups of tourists around his beloved Chianti. Jonathan, having just finished reading Dario's book right there in the pub just moments before Dario's arrival could not quite believe the coincidence of finding himself face to face with the author of "Too much Tuscan sun" moments after having just finished it, right there in the pub.
Curiously Jonathan had also just finished work on his first book about his own life, dedicated to designing gardens from childhood, which had taken him from England to the heart of Tuscany, to that very barstool, in that precise moment of time! Jonathan, who had been searching for a publisher for his line's could not turn down the opportunity to put forward his own manuscript, and Dario, who had been searching for original titles for his growing editorial company accepted gladly the offer to read the account of an Englishman dedicated to creating natural beauty with plants.
Just a few weeks from this "chance" meeting in an Irish bar in Tuscany the two books were on sale and soon became the literal curiosity of the year, selling all over Italy. Could this example serve to prove that even the most obscure of pipe dreams are possible with determination and a touch of good old fashioned Tuscan (or Irish)... luck?
These books are available from most airports, bookshops or direct from www.toomuchtuscansun.com , along with various other Tuscan products such as extra-virgin olive oil.
Printer-friendly version