A recently-published book exploring Barolo, the hamlet that lends its name to one of Italy's most revered red wines, may make interesting reading for those considering a visit.

Author Matthew Frank's latest publication, simply entitled Barolo, also examines his own journey from a "microwave-dependent Big Mac eater" to somebody who thinks seriously about what he eats and drinks, Business & Heritage Clarksville reports.

It was written after the Chicago-born author spent six months living in a tent in the garden of a Barolo farmhouse, while harvesting grapes at one of the region's most prestigious vineyards.

"I love the various stages of travel writing: the journaling while abroad, the re-visitation to such initial impressions, the adding of context, the splash of exaggerated, faulty memory, the larding with art and lyric," he told the newspaper.

Matthew Frank is the recipient of the Sonoran Prize for Poetry and currently teaches creative writing at Grand Valley State University, Michigan.