A Summer in Tuscany is an insider’s guide to making the Italian vacation more enjoyable. The author gives the reader the confidence to travel to smaller towns where English is often not spoken, to "live Italian." There are lessons to be learned about food, wine, cooking, shopping, driving, and the Italian language. That said, once opened, the book is hard to close. Swanson’s writing style is similar to a good conversation with a friend. She writes in a visual way, so that one can see exactly what she describes. The reader feels that they are at her side, whether driving a perilous road, bargaining at the marketplace, dodging snakes, or sipping wine amid the vineyards.