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INSIDER'S FLORENCE

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April Blood, Florence and the Plot Against the Medici

April Blood, Florence and the Plot Against the Medici


by Lauro Martines

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 302 PAGES

An absorbing chronicle of corruption and murder in Renaissance Florence, brimming with details on double-dealings, greed and backstabbing among Italy's elite. (ITL502, $19.99)

The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance

The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance


by Peter Murray

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A classic, informative guide to Renaissance architecture throughout Italy. with black-and-white photographs and site plans. Ideal for travelers to Italy with an interest in architecture. (ITL34, $20.40)

Casa Rossa

Casa Rossa


by Francesca Marciano

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 340 PAGES

A vivid novel following the lives of a mother, daughter, and granddaughter from Puglia over the course of the 20th century, opening as the narrator prepares to sell Casa Rossa, the family farm. (ITL534, $14.95)

Catherine De Medici, Renaissance Queen of France

Catherine De Medici, Renaissance Queen of France


by Leonie Frieda

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

Frieda reclaims the story of this much maligned queen to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds in this vivid, meticulously researched portrait of he woman and Renaissance Europe. (FRN875, $15.99)

City Secrets Florence, Venice

City Secrets Florence, Venice


by Robert Kahn

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 150 PAGES

Painters, writers, historians and others contributed to this idiosyncratic guide to under-appreciated treasures of both Florence and Venice. Featuring 200 short recommendations. (ITL277, $14.95)

The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Florence


by Louise Fili

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

An insider's guide to the 80 finest shops in Florence for designer clothes, antique jewelry, gourmet foods and other handcrafted wonders. (ITL880, $12.95)

Death in Autumn

Death in Autumn


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Number four in series in which the Guarnaccia digs into the story behind a richly bejeweled body found in the Arno. (ITL637, $11.00)

Death in Springtime

Death in Springtime


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2005
  • PAPER

Two women are kidnapped in Florence, sending Marshal Guarnaccia to the Tuscan foothills, in this third mystery in the series. (ITL635, $12.00)

The Enchantress of Florence

The Enchantress of Florence


by Salman Rushdie

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

Rushdie conjures life in Renaissance Florence and the Mughal Empire with humor and vivid detail in this bawdy, improbable tale. (ITL948, $15.00)

Eyewitness Top Ten Florence & Tuscany

Eyewitness Top Ten Florence & Tuscany


by Reid Bramblett

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 160 PAGES

A compact, illustrated guide in the popular series, featuring favorite attractions in Florence and the surrounding area. (ITA19, $14.00)

Family Chronicle


by Vasco Pratolini | Martha King

  • LITERATURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 121 PAGES

A portrait of two brothers, set against a Florence just after WWII. (ITL479, $12.50)

Florence


by Luciano Artusi

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 140 PAGES

The unusual WhaiWhai guidebook series takes readers on a historical treasure hunt through the city discovering monuments and hidden corners through fictional scenerios. To play, you need to have a cell phone on hand to receive clues. (ITA235, $21.95)

Florence Inside Out

Florence Inside Out


by Popout Maps

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • MAP

A nifty pop-out map of Florence, together with a 64-page guide, a pen, and even a compass. (ITA243, $10.95)

Florence, The City and its Architecture


by Richard Goy

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

An authoritative and handsomely illustrated overview of the city. Richard Goy, who has also written a book on the architecture of Venice, pays particular attention to the topography and character of the city. (ITL697, $39.95)

Florentine Renaissance Sculpture


by Charles Avery

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 274 PAGES

An illustrated primer on the well known sculpture of Renaissance Florence. (ITL134, $22.95)

Fodor's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria

Fodor's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria


by Fodors

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 504 PAGES

This comprehensive guide in the Fodor's Gold series features helpful information on sights, excursions, restaurants, hotels and nightlife. (ITL836, $21.99)

Forbidden Friendships, Homosexuality and Male Culture in Renaissance Florence


by Michael Rocke

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A scholarly study of relations between men in 15th and 16th century Florentine society. (ITL443, $29.95)

Frommer's Florence & the Best of Tuscany Day by Day

Frommer's Florence & the Best of Tuscany Day by Day


by Darwin Porter

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 228 PAGES

A compact shirt pocket guide, ideal for a short visit, featuring remarkably good suggestions for everything from food, hotels and neighborhoods to shopping. With a separate foldout map of the city center. (ITL737, $13.99)

Galileo's Daughter, A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love


by Dava Sobel

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

Sobel evokes the daily life of 17th-century Italy in this engaging tale, drawing on letters to Galileo from his illegitimate daughter, a nun in a Franciscan convent in San Matteo. (ITL176, $17.00)

In the Company of the Courtesan

In the Company of the Courtesan


by Sarah Dunant

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 385 PAGES

Dunant paints a vivid, earthy portrait of Renaissance Venice in this absorbing novel of intrigue, ambition and love -- cleverly narrated by the wily dwarf Bucino Teodoldo, loyal companion of the courtesan. (ITL650, $13.95)

The Innocent

The Innocent


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 233 PAGES

Lucky number 13 in the series, rich in the flavor of Florence in springtime (Nabb helpfully includes a map). Nabb's likeable Inspector Guarnaccia's investigation takes him just a few steps from home to the Boboli gardens and to the artisans' quarter, where he knows everybody and everybody knows him. (ITL634, $12.00)

Insight City Guide Florence


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This lavishly illustrated Insight guide includes excellent color maps and thoughtful short essays on history, culture and attractions. (ITL930, $19.95)

Insight Guide Florence & Sienna

Insight Guide Florence & Sienna


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 268 PAGES

A colorful guide to Florence that takes you from the markets at Mercuto Centrale to the haute couture boutiques of Gucci and Ferragamo. (ITL167, $22.95)

The Italian Lover

The Italian Lover


by Robert Hellenga

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

A novel of food, romance and Florence, Hellenga's exhilarating sequel to The Sixteen Pleasures finds Margot Harrington overseeing the production of a film based on her experiences in the first installment. (ITL892, $14.99)

Knopf Guide Florence

Knopf Guide Florence


by Knopf Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 392 PAGES

A compact travel guide awash in vibrant color photographs, architectural cutaways and fascinating excerpts from classic literature. (ITL138, $25.00)

Knopf Mapguide Florence

Knopf Mapguide Florence


by Knopf Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 48 PAGES

A practical and handy passport-sized guide to the city, featuring fold-out maps. (ITL807, $10.95)

Leonardo da Vinci


by Kenneth Clark

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1993
  • PAPER

With 128 well integrated plates and a useful chronology, this authoritative and informative book has become the standard introduction to da Vinci and his work. (ITL78, $21.95)

Lonely Planet Florence Encounter

Lonely Planet Florence Encounter


by Robert Landon

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

This lively shirt pocket guide to the city, jammed with personal recommendations and photographs, also includes a pull-out map. (ITL960, $12.99)

M, The Man Who Became Caravaggio


by Peter Robb

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 592 PAGES

A masterful biography of the Renaissance painter by the author of "Midnight in Sicily." (ART47, $24.00)

The Marshal and the Madwoman

The Marshal and the Madwoman


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2003
  • PAPER

In this sixth book in the series Guarnaccia discovers poor crazed Clementina, found dead in San Frediano district, lead a more intriguing life than anyone would have suspected. (ITL638, $12.00)

The Marshal and the Murderer


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 204 PAGES

This fifth book in the Marshal Guarnaccia series takes our hero from the streets of Florence, his usual haunt, and into the countryside on the trail of a young Swiss art student who has disappeared. (ITL640, $12.00)

The Marshal's Own Case

The Marshal's Own Case


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

In the seventh book in Nabb's fast-paced, atmospheric series, Inspector Guarnaccia must navigate the underbelly of Florentine society after a transvestite prostitute is found dead. (ITL971, $14.00)

The Monster of Florence

The Monster of Florence


by Douglas Preston | Mario Spezi

  • MYSTERY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 336 PAGES

Bestselling author Preston and Italian crime reporter Spezi present a chilling account of still unsolved serial murders in the lush hills surrounding Florence. (ITL981, $25.99)

Mysteries of the Middle Ages, And the Beginning of the Modern World

Mysteries of the Middle Ages, And the Beginning of the Modern World


by Thomas Cahill

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 343 PAGES

Cahill deftly evokes the historic glories of the major medieval (and the places they frequented) in this illuminating overview of philosophy, art and literature. (EUR239, $22.00)

Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany

Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany


by Rick Steves

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 388 PAGES

With his focus on value and the authentic, travel enthusiast Rick Steves offers excellent practical advice on where to go, what to do and where to eat and sleep in Tuscany. (ITL794, $19.99)

Romola

Romola


by George Eliot

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 641 PAGES

George Eliot is best-known for novels of English country life, but in this book she recreates Renaissance Florence. (ITL318, $15.00)

Sixteen Pleasures


by Robert Hellenga

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 369 PAGES

A compelling novel about a young woman who went to Florence to save books after the devastating flood of 1966. (ITL699, $17.00)

Some Bitter Taste

Some Bitter Taste


by Magdalen Nabb

  • MYSTERY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Number 12 in the series, a richly atmospheric tale set in Florence. Guarnaccia investiages the murder of Sara Hirsch, a spinster living alone at Villa L'Uliveto. (ITL636, $12.00)

Tea With Mussolini


by Franco Zeffirelli

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • DVD

Zeffirelli's enchanting autobiographical film about a boy in Florence in the years before World War II, with a cast of great English and American actresses. (ITL700, $14.95)

Time Out Florence, and the Best of Tuscany

Time Out Florence, and the Best of Tuscany


by Lesley McCave

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

Compact and up-to-date, this is an outstanding guide for where to go and what to do in Florence and the nearby towns of Pisa, Siena, Arezzo and Lucca. (ITL659, $19.95)

Timeless Cities, An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy

Timeless Cities, An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy


by David Mayernik

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 274 PAGES

In this thoughtful book, Mayernik shows the philosophical and religious meaning behind the planning and architecture of Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena and Pienza. (ITL589, $18.95)

Treasures of the Uffizi

Treasures of the Uffizi


by Galleria Degli Uffizi

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER

A brief overview of the collections at the Uffizi. (ITL685, $11.95)

A Tuscan Childhood

A Tuscan Childhood


by Kinta Beevor

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 271 PAGES

A vibrant, rosy-hued memoir of growing up privileged, bohemian and English in Tuscany during the interwar period. (ITL388, $13.95)

Tuscan Country, A Photographer's Journey

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)

Where Florence Cityguide


by Where Magazine

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 64 PAGES

A sturdy pocket guide to top city sights, helpfully keyed to overview maps and featuring a detailed downtown PopOut map. (ITL874, $9.95)

 

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.