Nicholas Hopton
Author | Diplomat | Commentator
Nicholas Hopton is a writer and former British ambassador whose career has taken him across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Alongside diplomacy, he has long written about politics, culture and history, with a particular interest in how people shape, and are shaped by the places they inhabit.
His latest book, Maremma Mia, is a warm, witty and deeply evocative account of family life in southern Tuscany, a meditation on landscape, memory and the quiet drama of starting again. Grounded in observation, curiosity and affection, it reflects a lifelong fascination with place and belonging.
Maremma Mia
One family’s adventure in an unspoilt corner of Italy.
Maremma Mia chronicles the transformation of an old farmhouse and olive grove in remote Tuscany into a family home. Set in the Maremma, often called “the new Chianti” the book unfolds through the seasons, capturing both the beauty and unpredictability of life abroad.
From the medieval town of Suvereto to wild hills, fertile valleys and a coastline steeped in Etruscan mystery, the narrative weaves together landscape, food, wine, flora, fauna and tradition with vivid portraits of the people who give the region its soul.
Part travel memoir, part social history, the book traces the Maremma’s extraordinary past, from imperial intrigue and Napoleonic upheaval to wartime resistance, while remaining grounded in the everyday rhythms of family life.
Maremma Mia is both an intimate memoir and a love letter to a lesser-known Italy, written for anyone who has ever dreamed of turning a vision into a home.
Praise for Maremma Mia
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“By the final page, all five senses have been richly indulged.”
Vicky Ward, author
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“As gently beguiling as Italy itself can be.”
Robin Kirkpatrick, Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge
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“A lyrical and affectionate love letter to Tuscany’s wilder heart.”
Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History, University of Oxford
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“Peopled with delightful characters… the story of how a British couple created a beloved family home in Tuscany.”
Sir Simon Mayall, author
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“A charming, heart-warming and completely compelling story.”
Justin Marozzi, historian and travel writer
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“A memoir that does for southern Tuscany what Peter Mayle did for Provence.”
Tom Leonard, Daily Mail