Frances (Diane Lane), a writer in her mid-´30s, needs some direction in her life after a messy divorce. Her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), decides Frances needs a break and gives her a ticket for a two-week tour of Tuscany in Italy. Whilst there, Frances falls in love with the village of Cortona and decides to buy an old villa much in need of renovation.
Settling in it soon becomes apparent that renovation work in Italy is done on Italian time, but in the process she manages to build back her confidence, make new friends, and even fall for a local named Marcello (Raoul Bova).