As Italy tightens citizenship laws, it makes exception for American author Frances Mayes who inspired millions to love Tuscany

ROME, April 19 — The Italian government has announced it will grant citizenship to American author Frances Mayes, whose memoir Under the Tuscan Sun became a global bestseller and helped spark a romanticised fascination with life in rural Italy.

The Italian Cabinet approved the proposal – submitted by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi – to confer citizenship on Mayes, 85, “for special merits”, The New York Times reported yesterday, citing an official government statement.

Mayes, who was born in Georgia, the United States, splits her time between North Carolina and her longtime home in the Tuscan town of Cortona, where she famously restored a crumbling villa.

“Her lyrical descriptions of Tuscany have drawn countless readers to dream — and sometimes to follow — in her footsteps,” reported The New York Times.

A general view of the Tuscany countryside in Italy, romanticised by America-born author Frances Mayes, in her bestseller ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’. — Picture from francesmayesbooks.com

Her 1996 memoir, which recounted her decision to buy and renovate an abandoned villa in the Tuscan hills, was adapted into a 2003 film starring Diane Lane.

The book itself spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list, cementing Mayes’ status as a literary ambassador of Italian culture to the English-speaking world.

The decision to honour Mayes comes amid a tightening of Italy’s citizenship laws.

Just weeks ago, the government passed measures limiting citizenship by descent to those with an Italian parent or grandparent.

Previously, applicants could claim citizenship with Italian ancestry going back four generations.