The Wisdom of Tuscany
The Wisdom of Tuscany: Simplicity, Security & the Good Life
Ferenc Maté
Ferenc Mate has made a career of writing about his experiences in the world, in search of a meaningful life, living mostly off the grid. The Wisdom of Tuscany is the first of his I have read. He previously published two other works about Tuscany; A Vineyard in Tuscany and The Hills of Tuscany.
The basic concept of the book is that by living a simpler, family focused life, the people in rural Tuscany live a happier and longer life. There is much to support this hypothesis. Most of these families are self-reliant growing most of their own food and bartering with neighbors for the goods and services they lack. This kind of lifestyle requires a lot of work, but the pace is kept slow and purposeful. The hard work and the healthy diet, relying primarily on fresh produce, leads in many cases to a very long and active life.
There is much to recommend the book in terms of descriptions of farms and farmhouses, villages, churches and communities. It paints a very idyllic picture of the countryside communities, wedged between rolling hills and the sea. However, at its core the book is a rant about modern living. How the simpler life of the “good old days” was much better for society, community, and family. There is not much to argue with there. But the book is lacking in balance. I can see demonizing the television. What is so bad about a washer and dryer?
The rural parts of Tuscany are quickly disappearing with the exodus of young people from the countryside to the cities. There is no mention in the book about the tradeoffs these young people are making and why the depopulation of Tuscany has happened so rapidly. Perhaps the simpler life also contains some unhappiness for some.
If you can see the book as a descriptive travelogue about Tuscany it is a good read. It is poorly edited. The flashbacks to earlier times in the author’s life do little to bring the reader closer to the Tuscan people. I would recommend skimming these parts and focusing more on the descriptions of Tuscany and the local characters.