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Art Treasures of Italy: Venice, Florence, and Rome

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 EXITL756. Buy these 4 items as a set for $79 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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The World of Venice

by Jan Morris

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 1995
• PAPER
• 315 PAGES
• FAVORITE

Morris displays her talent for research, anecdote and well-wrought prose in this spirited history of a beloved city. (ITL12, $18.95)

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)

Ancient Rome: Art, Architecture, and History

by Ada Gabucci

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2002
• PAPER
• 144 PAGES

This lively, illustrated survey of Ancient Rome's monuments, history and art is a terrific introduction. (ITL419, $19.95)

Blue Guide Concise Italy

by Paul Blanchard

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2009
• PAPER
• 400 PAGES

The first ever guide to all of Italy by the venerable Blue Guides (which publishes individual guides to Northern, Southern, Central, Rome, Tuscany, Sicily et al), this lavishly illustrated, handy and compact guide covers key sights, museums, churches, art, dining and accommodations throughout Italy. (ITL984, $24.95)

 

Also Recommended

Italy Map

by Borch Maps

• 2011
• MAP

A handy, laminated map. (ITL19, $11.95)

Eyewitness Guide Italy

by Eyewitness Guides

• GUIDEBOOK
• 2012
• PAPER
• 720 PAGES

This superb guide features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (ITL32, $30.00)

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
• BEST SELLER

Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their 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)

The House of Medici, Its Rise and Fall

by Christopher Hibbert

• HISTORY
• 1982
• PAPER
• 364 PAGES

A well-written, entertaining history of the Medicis in Renaissance Florence. Great to read before going to Florence, where the influence of the Medicis and the artists they supported is still very much in evidence. (ITL135, $16.99)

Brunelleschi's Dome, How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

by Ross King

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2001
• PAPER
• 194 PAGES

The story of the design and construction of the dome in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, a tale rife with politics, cut-throat competition and mighty inspiration. (ITL410, $15.00)

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

by Ross King

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2003
• PAPER
• 304 PAGES

Presented with flair and backed by a wealth of research, King's captivating chronicle of Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel tells the story of its conception and creation. (ITL464, $18.00)

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 Colosseum

by Keith Hopkins | Mary Beard

• ART & ARCHITECTURE
• 2011
• PAPER
• 224 PAGES

This engaging overview of the history of the Colosseum deconstructs Hollywood-perpetrated misconceptions of gladiator-eating lions, Nero fiddling and other myths. (ITL654, $14.95)

La Bella Lingua

by Dianne Hales

• TRAVEL NARRATIVE
• 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)

Italy in Mind

by Alice Powers

• LITERATURE
• 1997
• PAPER
• 349 PAGES

A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others. (ITL39, $17.95)

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)

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