Pulling a prized bottle of, say, a 2018 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon out of the cellar to relish with friends can be thrilling. But think about the bragging rights of pouring your own blend, which you personally crafted at a famed winery in the heart of Tuscany or in the hills of Argentina.
Members of The Vines, a private travel club dedicated to the art of winemaking, have the opportunity to learn and craft wines alongside world-renowned virtuosos. There are two tiers of membership: Explorer requires a $100,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $6,000 (includes a $2,500 credit for the experience of choice), and Adventurer involves a $20,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $2,500.
Over three or four days you’ll stroll vineyards, gain inside knowledge about the craft, inhale the enchanting aromas inside renowned barrel rooms and sip treasured wines. Members also have the option of creating their own personal barrel (25 cases, priced...
Members of The Vines, a private travel club dedicated to the art of winemaking, have the opportunity to learn and craft wines alongside world-renowned virtuosos. There are two tiers of membership: Explorer requires a $100,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $6,000 (includes a $2,500 credit for the experience of choice), and Adventurer involves a $20,000 initiation fee with annual dues of $2,500.
Over three or four days you’ll stroll vineyards, gain inside knowledge about the craft, inhale the enchanting aromas inside renowned barrel rooms and sip treasured wines. Members also have the option of creating their own personal barrel (25 cases, priced...
- 4/18/2024
- by Elycia Rubin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two decades ago, one jilted heart found its way to Italy as part of the iconic, genre-redefining film “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Starring Diane Lane as Frances, a San Francisco writer who jets to Europe after realizing her soon-to-be ex-husband is cheating on her, the 2003 film cemented the early aughts’ obsession with starting over again. “Under the Tuscan Sun” was based on a real-life Frances, author Frances Mayes to be exact, whose memoir was adapted by late writer-director Audrey Wells for the big screen.
Frances, newly jilted and with the emotional support of her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh), escapes both midlife crises and bad American men by traveling across the globe for a luxury vacation. She falls in love with a Tuscan villa and opts to renovate it while bonding with locals, including the seductive Marcello (Raoul Bova).
“Under the Tuscan Sun” spurred the iconic vacation-in-a-movie feeling, kicking off...
Frances, newly jilted and with the emotional support of her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh), escapes both midlife crises and bad American men by traveling across the globe for a luxury vacation. She falls in love with a Tuscan villa and opts to renovate it while bonding with locals, including the seductive Marcello (Raoul Bova).
“Under the Tuscan Sun” spurred the iconic vacation-in-a-movie feeling, kicking off...
- 9/1/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: She was the author behind Under the Tuscan Sun and now Frances Mayes’ bestseller Women in Sunlight has been picked up by Water’s End Productions to develop as a feature adaptation.
The female-strong story follows three American women who meet at an orientation for an upscale retirement community in the South. Confounding their children and friends, the trio subvert expectations of a predictable future by leasing a villa in Italy, where they are surprised by the adventures, passions, and challenges that await them. Over the course of a year, Julia, Camille, and Susan—accompanied by their local guide and neighbor, the younger Kit—experience profound life changes as they make their way in a new country, rediscover artistic passions, pursue business ventures, find love, and come to terms with the past.
“What an exciting opportunity this is to work with the visionaries at Water’s End,” said Frances Mayes in a statement to Deadline.
The female-strong story follows three American women who meet at an orientation for an upscale retirement community in the South. Confounding their children and friends, the trio subvert expectations of a predictable future by leasing a villa in Italy, where they are surprised by the adventures, passions, and challenges that await them. Over the course of a year, Julia, Camille, and Susan—accompanied by their local guide and neighbor, the younger Kit—experience profound life changes as they make their way in a new country, rediscover artistic passions, pursue business ventures, find love, and come to terms with the past.
“What an exciting opportunity this is to work with the visionaries at Water’s End,” said Frances Mayes in a statement to Deadline.
- 2/6/2019
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
Audrey Wells, the screenwriter behind movies including “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “The Hate U Give,” which premieres in limited release on Friday, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 58.
UTA announced the news on Friday. In a statement, her husband, Brian, said, “Over the last five and half years, Audrey fought valiantly against her illness and she died surrounded by love. Even during her fight, she never stopped living, working or traveling, and she never lost her joy, wonder and optimism. She was, simply, the most incredible wife and partner imaginable, and she knew always that she was loved by Tatiana, me, and the friends who were her chosen family. She said just recently, ‘We’re so lucky, honey. We got to live a love story. Who gets to do that?’ We will carry her forward with us forever — as a mother, as a wife,...
UTA announced the news on Friday. In a statement, her husband, Brian, said, “Over the last five and half years, Audrey fought valiantly against her illness and she died surrounded by love. Even during her fight, she never stopped living, working or traveling, and she never lost her joy, wonder and optimism. She was, simply, the most incredible wife and partner imaginable, and she knew always that she was loved by Tatiana, me, and the friends who were her chosen family. She said just recently, ‘We’re so lucky, honey. We got to live a love story. Who gets to do that?’ We will carry her forward with us forever — as a mother, as a wife,...
- 10/5/2018
- by Alex Stedman and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Movie Pool checks out the Under the Tuscan Sun Blu-ray!
The Set-up
An American writer (Diane Lane) decides to radically change her life when she buys an Italian villa on a whim while on vacation.
Directed by: Audrey Wells
The Delivery
Under the Tuscan Sun is supposed to be a comedic drama about finding yourself when life throws you a curveball. Instead, it's a cautionary tale about about an impulsive, irrational woman who makes her problems worse, and eventually decides that true happiness is learning to give up and settle for what you have.
Fans of this film, and the book it is based on, will probably strongly disgree, but I found myself continually annoyed and frustrated by Frances, the lead character played by Diane Lane. Even worse, her character is based on Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun based on her real-life experiences. Watching this film,...
The Set-up
An American writer (Diane Lane) decides to radically change her life when she buys an Italian villa on a whim while on vacation.
Directed by: Audrey Wells
The Delivery
Under the Tuscan Sun is supposed to be a comedic drama about finding yourself when life throws you a curveball. Instead, it's a cautionary tale about about an impulsive, irrational woman who makes her problems worse, and eventually decides that true happiness is learning to give up and settle for what you have.
Fans of this film, and the book it is based on, will probably strongly disgree, but I found myself continually annoyed and frustrated by Frances, the lead character played by Diane Lane. Even worse, her character is based on Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun based on her real-life experiences. Watching this film,...
- 7/27/2012
- by feeds@themoviepool.com (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
Blu-ray Release Date: July 3, 2012
Price: Blu-ray $20.00
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Diane Lane (Secretariat) shines in the romance Under the Tuscan Sun, a movie we’re happy to see gets its Blu-ray debut.
In the 2003 film, Lane plays a just-divorced writer who goes on a bus tour vacation in Tuscany in an attempt to get out of a funk. Captivated by the Italian countryside, she buys a crumbling villa there hoping it will be the start of a new, better life. With an oddball crew repairing the house, Lane tries new things and new loves.
Under the Tuscan Sun was directed and written by Audrey Wells (Guinevere), based on the best-selling book by Frances Mayes.
The PG-13 movie, which was nominated for a production design Golden Globe award, also stars Sandra Oh (Rabbit Hole), Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland), Raoul Bova (The Tourist) and Vincent Riotta (Nine).
The feel-good movie,...
Price: Blu-ray $20.00
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Diane Lane (Secretariat) shines in the romance Under the Tuscan Sun, a movie we’re happy to see gets its Blu-ray debut.
In the 2003 film, Lane plays a just-divorced writer who goes on a bus tour vacation in Tuscany in an attempt to get out of a funk. Captivated by the Italian countryside, she buys a crumbling villa there hoping it will be the start of a new, better life. With an oddball crew repairing the house, Lane tries new things and new loves.
Under the Tuscan Sun was directed and written by Audrey Wells (Guinevere), based on the best-selling book by Frances Mayes.
The PG-13 movie, which was nominated for a production design Golden Globe award, also stars Sandra Oh (Rabbit Hole), Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland), Raoul Bova (The Tourist) and Vincent Riotta (Nine).
The feel-good movie,...
- 6/20/2012
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
The villa that was featured in the 2003 movie Under the Tuscan Sun -- which fed filmgoer fantasies of buying and restoring an Italian countryside villa -- is being sold by a couple who owns a Sonoma winery for 9.5 million euros. The film -- based on the best-selling 1996 Frances Mayes memoir of the same name -- starred Diane Lane as a recently divorced San Francisco writer who decamps for Tuscany, acquires a dilapidated villa in the town of Cortona and sets forth renovating it. After its appearance in the film, the 16th-century house was purchased in 2006 by current
read more...
read more...
- 3/2/2012
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The internet may have made redundant the Victorian type of travel book, full of facts and figures, but it's a form of literature that can still thrive
'Hugh Grant loses his bookshop in Notting Hill" was the headline on an article that appeared last week in my local Spanish newspaper. International interest in London's Travel Bookshop (described as a tourist attraction comparable to Paris's Shakespeare and Company) is entirely due to its central role in a popular film promoting an engaging view of London and the British. In Britain, the news of the bookshop's closure has additional and more serious implications – for the future not only of similar independent establishments, but also, and no less importantly, of travel writing.
Travel writing today has an undoubtedly tarnished image. The casting of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill says much about popular preconceptions of the genre and its practitioners. It is a...
'Hugh Grant loses his bookshop in Notting Hill" was the headline on an article that appeared last week in my local Spanish newspaper. International interest in London's Travel Bookshop (described as a tourist attraction comparable to Paris's Shakespeare and Company) is entirely due to its central role in a popular film promoting an engaging view of London and the British. In Britain, the news of the bookshop's closure has additional and more serious implications – for the future not only of similar independent establishments, but also, and no less importantly, of travel writing.
Travel writing today has an undoubtedly tarnished image. The casting of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill says much about popular preconceptions of the genre and its practitioners. It is a...
- 8/27/2011
- by Michael Jacobs
- The Guardian - Film News
First a publishing sensation, now a Hollywood film, Elizabeth Gilbert's spiritual journey has plenty of followers. But does enlightenment come at a price?
Last week, Julia Roberts appeared on Us television to advertise her latest film, an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's travel memoir, Eat Pray Love. Roberts, who while shooting the film in India became a Hindu, described it in terms of her character's spiritual journey and "the gambut" of emotions she runs, from divorce and despair to new love and happiness. It's an exciting gambut for the studio, too, which to promote the film's release yesterday in the Us (it is out in the UK next month) is offering three Eat Pray Love fragrances in conjunction with Fresh, and tie-in chakra beads from an Los Angeles-based jeweller.
Spiritual journeys are a basic requirement of good story telling, as marketing campaigns are of Hollywood films, so it is churlish get...
Last week, Julia Roberts appeared on Us television to advertise her latest film, an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's travel memoir, Eat Pray Love. Roberts, who while shooting the film in India became a Hindu, described it in terms of her character's spiritual journey and "the gambut" of emotions she runs, from divorce and despair to new love and happiness. It's an exciting gambut for the studio, too, which to promote the film's release yesterday in the Us (it is out in the UK next month) is offering three Eat Pray Love fragrances in conjunction with Fresh, and tie-in chakra beads from an Los Angeles-based jeweller.
Spiritual journeys are a basic requirement of good story telling, as marketing campaigns are of Hollywood films, so it is churlish get...
- 8/13/2010
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
Ta Forum member Drives Like a Cullen dissects a Twilight review....nbspTop 10 Issues with Twilight A ReviewThe Harriton Banner has some issues with Twilight. The staff writer who wrote the article seems to be lacking in imagination and artistic appreciation. Lets take each of his Top Ten Issues and address them one at a time shall we?Many of you have ardent views about the Twilight series and I am resigned to the fact that the majority of you probably disagree with me. But I would like to go on the record now and state my precise reasons for disliking said novels. So below is a list of the top ten issues I have with Twilight 10. Generally fiction is fiction and does not require as much research as creativity. Yet author Stephanie Meyer has admitted to not having read any previous vampire mythology. I understand a want for originality but...
- 1/16/2009
- twilightersanonymous.com
Opens
Friday, Sept. 26
Adapting "Under the Tuscan Sun", writer-director Audrey Wells spices up Frances Mayes' best-selling memoir in a way that honors the soul of the piece while creating memorable big-screen dynamics. The 1996 book's elegant, poetic prose celebrates the romance of self-discovery through immersion in a foreign place -- specifically, the hilly sun-drenched region of Italy and the tumbledown, 300-year-old villa that Mayes and her partner, Ed, lovingly renovated.
Wells' script is more insistently about love in all its manifestations as well as its folly. She also addresses matters of faith and serendipity, the power of women's friendships and the resilience of the heart, and in Diane Lane, she has a warm and likable protagonist.
The eminently watchable Lane, fresh off her searing, Oscar-nominated performance in "Unfaithful", again demonstrates her appeal to men and women alike, though her full-blooded portrait of an intelligent, sensuous woman will have particular resonance for female audiences. "Tuscan Sun" allows her to explore a more sympathetic, identifiable character than in her previous film. Wells, too, is delving into more accessible emotional territory than in her flawed "Guinevere". All elements click in "Sun", a shimmering, deeply felt film. Fueled by the must-see factor among fans of Lane and of Mayes' book, "Sun" will shine at the fall boxoffice.
Wells astutely heightens the drama of Mayes' discovery: While the author and her partner searched diligently through real estate before choosing the villa Bramasole, here Frances is newly single and buys the Cortona property on an impulse. She's a San Francisco writer shellshocked from a brutal divorce
her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh, perfectly wisecracking and compassionate), believes she's "in danger of never recovering." Patti gives her a needed push out of the crossroads, and soon Frances is traipsing through the cobbled streets of Tuscany and impulsively buying an old stone house with an olive grove.
The film is very much about the ways we create our families, and in her new aloneness, Frances is surrounded by vivid characters, some invented for the screen, some expanded upon from the book. Her adopted clan includes Katherine (an arresting turn from Lindsay Duncan), a 50-ish Brit in showy hats and high heels who worked with Fellini as a teenager and can't quite move beyond that golden moment.
Closer to Bramasole, Frances' immediate family consists of her comical contractor, Nino (Massimo Sarchielli), and his "team of experts" -- three Polish workers (Valentine Pelka, Sasa Vulicevic and Pawel Szajda).
Vincent Riotta delivers a lovely performance as Frances' real estate agent, Martini, a kind man who is attracted to Frances but a devoted husband. He and Lane share an especially tender scene in which he calms her doubts about the project she's undertaken and her fears of being alone.
By far the spiciest addition to the source material is dreamboat Marcello (Raoul Bova, suitably smoldering), whom Frances meets on an antique-hunting expedition to Rome. Their ultraromantic, movie-ish idyll is a jarring departure from the down-to-earth tone of the film, but it makes sense in light of the way things play out between them.
Shooting in Italy, DP Geoffrey Simpson captures the region's warm light through all the seasons and, more impressive, depicts the transformation from Frances' initial, tourist's-eye view to the outlook of someone at home. There also are top-notch contributions from designers Stephen McCabe and Nicoletta Ercole and an unobtrusive score by Christophe Beck.
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures presents a Timnick Films/Blue Gardenia production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Audrey Wells
Based on the book by: Frances Mayes
Producers: Audrey Wells, Tom Sternberg
Executive producers: Laura Fattori, Sandy Kroopf, Mark Gill
Director of photography: Geoffrey Simpson
Production designer: Stephen McCabe
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Nicoletta Ercole
Editors: Andrew Marcus, Arthur Coburn
Cast:
Frances: Diane Lane
Patti: Sandra Oh
Katherine: Lindsay Duncan
Marcello: Raoul Bova
Martini: Vincent Riotta
Chiara: Giulia Steigerwalt
Pawel: Pawel Szajda
Jerzy: Valentine Pelka
Zbignew: Sasa Vulicevic
Nino: Massimo Sarchielli
Placido: Roberto Nobile
Old Man With Flowers: Mario Monicelli
Nona Cardinale: Evelina Gori
Signora Raguzzi: Claudia Gerini
Contessa: Laura Pestellini
Ed: David Sutcliffe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, Sept. 26
Adapting "Under the Tuscan Sun", writer-director Audrey Wells spices up Frances Mayes' best-selling memoir in a way that honors the soul of the piece while creating memorable big-screen dynamics. The 1996 book's elegant, poetic prose celebrates the romance of self-discovery through immersion in a foreign place -- specifically, the hilly sun-drenched region of Italy and the tumbledown, 300-year-old villa that Mayes and her partner, Ed, lovingly renovated.
Wells' script is more insistently about love in all its manifestations as well as its folly. She also addresses matters of faith and serendipity, the power of women's friendships and the resilience of the heart, and in Diane Lane, she has a warm and likable protagonist.
The eminently watchable Lane, fresh off her searing, Oscar-nominated performance in "Unfaithful", again demonstrates her appeal to men and women alike, though her full-blooded portrait of an intelligent, sensuous woman will have particular resonance for female audiences. "Tuscan Sun" allows her to explore a more sympathetic, identifiable character than in her previous film. Wells, too, is delving into more accessible emotional territory than in her flawed "Guinevere". All elements click in "Sun", a shimmering, deeply felt film. Fueled by the must-see factor among fans of Lane and of Mayes' book, "Sun" will shine at the fall boxoffice.
Wells astutely heightens the drama of Mayes' discovery: While the author and her partner searched diligently through real estate before choosing the villa Bramasole, here Frances is newly single and buys the Cortona property on an impulse. She's a San Francisco writer shellshocked from a brutal divorce
her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh, perfectly wisecracking and compassionate), believes she's "in danger of never recovering." Patti gives her a needed push out of the crossroads, and soon Frances is traipsing through the cobbled streets of Tuscany and impulsively buying an old stone house with an olive grove.
The film is very much about the ways we create our families, and in her new aloneness, Frances is surrounded by vivid characters, some invented for the screen, some expanded upon from the book. Her adopted clan includes Katherine (an arresting turn from Lindsay Duncan), a 50-ish Brit in showy hats and high heels who worked with Fellini as a teenager and can't quite move beyond that golden moment.
Closer to Bramasole, Frances' immediate family consists of her comical contractor, Nino (Massimo Sarchielli), and his "team of experts" -- three Polish workers (Valentine Pelka, Sasa Vulicevic and Pawel Szajda).
Vincent Riotta delivers a lovely performance as Frances' real estate agent, Martini, a kind man who is attracted to Frances but a devoted husband. He and Lane share an especially tender scene in which he calms her doubts about the project she's undertaken and her fears of being alone.
By far the spiciest addition to the source material is dreamboat Marcello (Raoul Bova, suitably smoldering), whom Frances meets on an antique-hunting expedition to Rome. Their ultraromantic, movie-ish idyll is a jarring departure from the down-to-earth tone of the film, but it makes sense in light of the way things play out between them.
Shooting in Italy, DP Geoffrey Simpson captures the region's warm light through all the seasons and, more impressive, depicts the transformation from Frances' initial, tourist's-eye view to the outlook of someone at home. There also are top-notch contributions from designers Stephen McCabe and Nicoletta Ercole and an unobtrusive score by Christophe Beck.
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN
Buena Vista
Touchstone Pictures presents a Timnick Films/Blue Gardenia production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Audrey Wells
Based on the book by: Frances Mayes
Producers: Audrey Wells, Tom Sternberg
Executive producers: Laura Fattori, Sandy Kroopf, Mark Gill
Director of photography: Geoffrey Simpson
Production designer: Stephen McCabe
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Nicoletta Ercole
Editors: Andrew Marcus, Arthur Coburn
Cast:
Frances: Diane Lane
Patti: Sandra Oh
Katherine: Lindsay Duncan
Marcello: Raoul Bova
Martini: Vincent Riotta
Chiara: Giulia Steigerwalt
Pawel: Pawel Szajda
Jerzy: Valentine Pelka
Zbignew: Sasa Vulicevic
Nino: Massimo Sarchielli
Placido: Roberto Nobile
Old Man With Flowers: Mario Monicelli
Nona Cardinale: Evelina Gori
Signora Raguzzi: Claudia Gerini
Contessa: Laura Pestellini
Ed: David Sutcliffe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/9/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
During this past weekend's rumble in the boxoffice jungle, it was Universal's The Rundown that took home the heavyweight crown in the top spot as the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starrer cleaned up with a solid $18.5 million. The Peter Berg-helmed action-adventure film, which also stars Seann William Scott and Christopher Walken, grossed near the high end of where industry projections thought the film would land. In the battle for the second spot, Buena Vista's Under the Tuscan Sun pulled ahead of Screen Gems' Underworld to take that position, due to the Diane Lane starrer having a stronger-than-expected Sunday performance. According to early estimates, the films were tied, with both distributors reporting $9.4 million for the weekend. After the dust settled, Tuscan Sun ended up with $9.8 million from a relatively low 1,226 theaters for its debut session. The per-theater average was a solid $7,954 -- the highest of this weekend's top 12 films. Tuscan is based on the best-selling novel by Frances Mayes.
- 9/30/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Universal's The Rundown high-stepped into the top spot at the boxoffice this weekend in North America, knocking out an estimated $18.5 million in receipts. The action-adventure film, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the second film that he carries on his own, opened to solid but not spectacular numbers and was at the high end of the industry forecasts for the session. Similarly, Buena Vista's Under the Tuscan Sun debuted in 1,226 theaters this weekend and tied for second with Screen Gems' Underworld, as both films took in an estimated $9.4 million. Tuscan Sun, starring Diane Lane and helmed by Audrey Wells, is based on Frances Mayes' best-selling novel and finished with a respectable performance.
- 9/29/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.