Earthwork out of Tuscany

Those who have had the pleasure to travel to and in Tuscany will especially appreciate this small book by a noted British poet and novelist of the late 19th century. Hewlett was an attorney in London who gave up his practice to write and travel. In 1895 he wrote this book concerning his travels to Italy and especially Tuscany. It is a lovely and calming read which mirrors the relaxed, slow and laid back lifestyle one encounters in the hill cities of Tuscany.
The chapter I enjoy most is simply entitled "Cats". It has been published as a stand alone piece elsewhere and I first read it 40 years ago whilst taking a literature course in college. I have remembered it fondly since. It takes place in the Convent of San Lorenzo in Florence where the author and 103 cats consider and appraise each other with little success and much suspicion. It is a classic example of doing more with less.
Hewlett was a close friend of fellow authors Ezra Pound and J. M. Barrie and shared their appreciation of Italy.
Allow me to also recommend Hewlett's "The Masque of Dead Florentines". Thanks to ManyBooks for bring us this small classic.