Back to Tuscany and the Barn

‘Back to Tuscany and the Barn’ is the sequel to the Best Selling ‘A Chestnut Barn in Tuscany’. It is a diary style true account of a year spent settling into an Italian way of life. It documents the trials and tribulations of breaking away from a work and money orientated lifestyle that can so easily tie us down so that we often can’t see the wood for the trees. Thankfully in this book there are no heart rending revelations or life threatening illnesses for Catherine to contend with, but will life in Bella Italia be fulfilling enough to compensate for the life and family, they left behind?.... 


Tuscany is an enchantingly beautiful region of Italy with fortified medieval hilltop towns that transport you back in time. These are explored and their stories brought to life through wonderful festivals and processions that Catherine describes in her writing. But the decision to live in Tuscany permanently brings with it hidden difficulties and complicated bureaucracies that even Italians find hard to comprehend. Are these difficulties too much for a non-Italian speaking English couple to overcome? The northern Tuscan hills and their people come to life; this is the true Italy not seen in the guidebooks. It is essential reading for anyone considering such a life-changing move.