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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Item EXITL766. Buy these 5 items as a set for $92 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Eyewitness Guide Florence & Tuscany

by Eyewitness Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 336 PAGES

Superbly illustrated, this compact guide shows the neighborhoods, museums, shops and sites of Florence and surroundings in full color. (ITL46, $25.00)

La Bella Lingua

by Dianne Hales

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2010
• PAPER
• 336 PAGES
• NEW

Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir. (ITA26, $15.00)

Tuscan Country, A Photographer's Journey

by Wes Walker

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2007
• HARD COVER
• 160 PAGES

Walker captures the allure of the hill towns, including Siena, Lucca, Pisa and smaller cities and villages in 100 luminous color photographs. (ITL848, $29.95)

Tuscany in Mind

by Alice Powers

• ANTHOLOGY
• 2005
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

A fine literary anthology covering the region's history, geography, culture and (of course) food, featuring contributions by luminaries including D.H. Lawrence and Robert Browning. (ITL607, $14.95)

Tuscany Map

by Touring Club Italiano

• 2011
• MAP

A detailed map at a scale of 1:200,000. Imported from Italy. (ITL102, $14.95)

 

Also Recommended

Florence Map

by Borch Maps

• 2006
• MAP

A detailed, plastic-covered city map of Florence at a scale of 1:7,000. (ITL59, $8.95)

Umbria Regional Map

by Touring Club Italiano

• MAP

A detailed map at a scale of 1:200,000. (ITL119, $14.95)

Blue Guide Italy Food Companion

by Blue Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2010
• PAPER
• 224 PAGES

This pocket guide to ordering, understanding and enjoying the best of Italian food can be used in preparation for a visit to Italy, or as a handy reference while you're there. (ITA195, $14.95)

Companion Guide Florence

by Eve Borsook

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2001
• PAPER
• 425 PAGES

A comprehensive, illuminating guide to the neighborhoods, history and art of Florence. (ITL345, $34.95)

Culture Smart! Italy

by Charles Abbott

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2008
• PAPER
• 168 PAGES

A concise, no-nonsense guide to Italian customs, etiquette and culture along with helpful travel advice. (ITL877, $9.95)

Fodor's Florence's 25 Best

by Fodor's

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2011
• PAPER
• 128 PAGES

This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map and essential information on the city's highlights, including sightseeing, restaurants and shopping. (ITL140, $11.99)

Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook

by Lonely Planet

• LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
• 2011
• PAPER
• 260 PAGES

A handy palm-size phrasebook for the traveler. (ITL531, $8.99)

Made in Italy, A Shopper's Guide

by Laura Morelli

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2008
• PAPER
• 208 PAGES

The second edition of Morelli's expert survey of handcrafted Italian shops and products from Murano glass to ceramics, jewelry and leather. (ITL473, $24.95)

Rough Guide Tuscany and Umbria

by Jonathan Buckley | Tim Jepson

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER
• 836 PAGES

This comprehensive travel guide includes region-by-region descriptions and a good overview of history and culture. With chapters on Florence and surroundings, Lucca, Pisa, Maremma, Siena, Arezzo, Peruguia, Assisi, Spoleto and Orvieto. (ITL292, $22.99)

A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany

by Beth Elon

• FOOD
• 2009
• PAPER
• 320 PAGES

A resident in Tuscany for 30 years, Elon presents 100 recipes from a hand-picked selection of favorite restaurants in this charming cookbook and travel guide. With 10 itineraries highlighting largely undiscovered regions of Tuscany, restaurants, trattorie, shops, wineries, olive oil producers, markets and food festivals. (ITL729, $17.95)

Biba's Italy

by Biba Caggiano

• FOOD
• 2006
• HARD COVER
• 320 PAGES

Caggiano focuses on regional, seasonal food in this omnibus cookbook (featuring 100 recipes), menu planner and travel guide to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice. Nicely produced, this handsome sepia-toned book includes recommended restaurants, cafes and markets in each city. (ITL777, $29.95)

Italy, A Short History

by Harry Hearder

• HISTORY
• 2001
• PAPER
• 294 PAGES

Elegantly written, generous and informative, this compact book takes in the sweep of Italian history from the Roman Republic through the Renaissance, World War II and up to the present. (ITL56, $29.00)

La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind

by Beppe Severgnini

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 2007
• PAPER
• 288 PAGES

Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses the apparently never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. Severgnini opens the book with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia. (ITL718, $14.00)

Siena, City of the Virgin

by Titus Burckhardt

• HISTORY
• 2008
• PAPER
• 144 PAGES

Burckhardt's classic portrait includes dozens of illustrations, maps and photographs of architecture and early Renaissance art of Siena. (ITL974, $22.95)

The City of Florence, Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings

by R.W.B. Lewis

• CULTURAL PORTRAIT
• 1996
• PAPER
• 350 PAGES
• FAVORITE

A vivid tour of the city and its riches by the fine biographer of Edith Wharton and Henry James. Lewis has written what he calls "a partial biography of Florence," beautifully interweaving the personal and the historical. (ITL47, $21.99)

The Force of Destiny, A History of Italy Since 1796

by Christopher Duggan

• HISTORY
• 2008
• HARD COVER
• 688 PAGES

An insightful history from the beginning of the Italian nationalist movement, this book shows the challenges of unifying fragmented states and the national ideologies--including Fascism--which have influenced present-day Italy. (ITL945, $30.00)

The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany

by James Bentley | Hugh Palmer

• HISTORY
• 1997
• HARD COVER
• 224 PAGES

This handsome oversize picture book is a portrait of the Tuscan landscape and people. It contains maps, a travel guide and many color photographs. (ITL261, $40.00)

Etruscan Art

by Nigel Spivey

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 1997
• PAPER
• 216 PAGES

In this illustrated and wide-ranging introduction, Nigel Spivey brings the Etruscan world to life, illuminating the social, political and cultural context of the art objects and artifacts that remain the singular achievement of the Etruscans. (ITL68, $18.95)

Renaissance Florence, The Invention of a New Art

by A. Richard Turner

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2005
• PAPER
• 176 PAGES

A cultural and social history of the city focusing on the great art and famous monuments, featuring vivid color pictures and illustrations. (ITL50, $40.80)

The Art of the Renaissance

by Peter Murray

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 1992
• PAPER
• 286 PAGES

A classic, illustrated survey of the world of the Renaissance and its art. With chapters on Florence and its artists, the Netherlands, early illustrated books and many individual artists. (ITL14, $18.95)

The Stones of Florence

by Mary McCarthy

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 1989
• PAPER
• 230 PAGES

The classic history of the art, architecture and culture of Florence. Novelist McCarthy takes us on a quick and vivid tour of the history of the Medicis and the city of Florence, focusing on Renaissance art. (ITL15, $14.00)

D.H. Lawrence and Italy

by D.H. Lawrence

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2008
• PAPER
• 495 PAGES

This omnibus Penguin Classics edition includes Lawrence's three travel tales, each very different in tone and all wonderful: Sea and Sardinia is a nostalgic look at traditional ways of life; Twilight in Italy, an evocation of Lawrence's memorable stay on Lake Garda; and Etruscan Places his musings on ancient sites, including the painted tombs of Tarquinia. (ITL62, $18.00)

On The Road with Francis of Assisi

by Linda Bird Francke

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 2006
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

Assisi wandered for 20 years, affording Newsweek editor Francke and her patient husband plenty to see and do in the piazzas, sanctuaries and chapels of Assisi, Siena, Bologna, Venice, Gubbio, Rome and other choice spots. (ITL647, $15.95)

Reluctant Saint, The Life of Francis of Assisi

by Donald Spoto

• BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
• 2003
• PAPER
• 272 PAGES

Spoto draws on fascinating new research to explore the travels, spirit and work of the beloved saint. This engaging portrait provides an excellent overview of the life of St. Francis. (ITL849, $16.00)

Songbirds, Truffles and Wolves, An American Naturalist in Italy

by Gary Paul Nabhan

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 1994
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

The author, a poet and naturalist, heads along the Franciscan Way from Florence to Assisi. This most unusual travelogue combines natural history, spirituality and a lively appreciation of local food and food traditions. A print-on-demand paperback. (ITL99, $16.00)

Under the Tuscan Sun

by Frances Mayes

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 1997
• PAPER
• 288 PAGES

In this best-selling memoir of buying, renovating and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Mayes reveals the sensual pleasures found in rural Italy. (ITL85, $15.00)

Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion

by Lawrence Venuti

• ANTHOLOGY
• 2003
• PAPER
• 256 PAGES

Not just a literary companion, this anthology is also a who's who of contemporary Italian writers that captures the spirit, history and allure of the country. (ITL466, $14.95)

Ratking

by Michael Dibdin

• MYSTERY
• 1997
• PAPER

Venetian crime investigator Aurelio Zen goes after the kidnappers of a Perugian industrialist in this enjoyable thriller, winner of the Gold Dagger Award (and first book in the series). (ITL622, $13.95)

The Agony and the Ecstasy, A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo

by Irving Stone

• LITERATURE
• 2004
• PAPER
• 776 PAGES

An overheated, page-turning fictionalized account of the life of master painter and sculptor Michelangelo -- and a good introduction to Renaissance Florence and Rome. (ITL150, $17.00)

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