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After Hannibal

After Hannibal


by Barry Unsworth

  • LITERATURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 250 PAGES

Unsworth's vivid novel takes in the history, landscape, pleasures and the other Americans and Europeans, like himself, who live in Umbria. (ITL100, $17.95)

Al Dente, The Adventures of a Gastronome in Italy

Al Dente, The Adventures of a Gastronome in Italy


by William Black

  • FOOD
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

William Black tosses a few receipts into this mix of travel, gastronomy and family history. (ITL548, $13.95)

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)

Art and Life in Renaissance Venice

Art and Life in Renaissance Venice


by Patricia Brown

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

This compact volume evokes the spirit of Renaissance Venice with authoritative essays and 120 full-color illustrations. (ITL57, $40.80)

The Art of the Renaissance

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 Betrothed

The Betrothed


by Alessandro Manzoni

  • LITERATURE
  • 1984
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

By many accounts the first modern Italian novel, Manzoni's 1827 classic concerns star-crossed lovers in 17th-century Lombardy. Promoted during unification, Italy's best-known novel has been made into films and a musical. (ITL414, $18.00)

The Birth of Venus, A Novel

The Birth of Venus, A Novel


by Sarah Dunant

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 397 PAGES

A rich novel of art, passion and patronage, memorably set in late 15th-century Florence and prominently featuring the famously pious reformer Savonarola. (ITL532, $15.00)

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)

A Concise History of Italy

A Concise History of Italy


by Christopher Duggan

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

A history of Italy from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day. (ITL35, $30.99)

D.H. Lawrence and Italy

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)

Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens

Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens


by Vivian Russell

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1997
  • HARD COVER
  • 192 PAGES

Edith Wharton's essays on the magnificent villa gardens of Lombardy, Veneto, Florence, Siena and Rome are as full of interest today as when they were first published in 1904. (ITL716, $45.00)

Etruscan Art

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)

Excellent Cadavers, The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic

Excellent Cadavers, The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic


by Alexander Stille

  • HISTORY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 467 PAGES

This fast-paced book is a gripping account of corruption in Italy. The author offers an utterly absorbing account of the assassination of two top anti-Mafia prosecutors in 1992. (ITL58, $17.95)

Eyewitness Guide Italy

Eyewitness Guide Italy


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 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)

Eyewitness Guide Umbria

Eyewitness Guide Umbria


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 192 PAGES

A marvelously illustrated, compact guide to the culture, history and attractions of Umbria, organized geographically and especially helpful for its innovative site plans, building diagrams and local maps. (ITL512, $20.00)

Fodor's Exploring Italy


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

An excellent, up-to-date overview of Italy and its attractions. (ITL73, $22.00)

Fodor's See It Italy

Fodor's See It Italy


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

Fodor's informative guide to touring Italy, notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the country. (ITL550, $24.99)

The Food of Italy, Region by Region

The Food of Italy, Region by Region


by Claudia Roden

  • FOOD
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 440 PAGES

The marvelous Claudia Roden, who spent a year visiting cooks throughout Italy, presents 300 easy-to-prepare recipes in the context of Italian history, culture and geography. (ITL683, $24.95)

For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys

For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys


by Thomas Urquhart

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Urquhart chronicles a lifelong affair with nature, combined with a passion for music, as he travels-- and bird watches-- through pastoral England, Italy, the Camargue in Provence, and the villages of Mali. (BRD35, $15.00)

Il Postino


by Michael Radford

  • 1995
  • DVD

A shy Italian postman who learns the ways of poetry and romance while delivering mail to the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. (ITL541, $19.99)

The Inferno of Dante, A New Verse Translation


by Dante Alighieri | Robert Pinsky

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 355 PAGES

The celebrated modern translation of Dante's "Inferno." (ITL411, $12.00)

Insight Guide Italy

Insight Guide Italy


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 432 PAGES

An illustrated overview of Italy with essays on its attractions, history and culture. (ITL108, $23.99)

Inventing Leonardo


by A. Richard Turner

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 268 PAGES

Turner, a leading art historian of the Renaissance, offers a lively appraisal of the controversial genius. It's an elegant and stimulating book. (ITL79, $28.95)

Italian Days

Italian Days


by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 479 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Grizzuti Harrison writes with warmth and depth of her journey from Milan south to Calabria in this sprightly account of Italy and the Italians. (ITL02, $15.00)

Italian English Bilingual Visual Dictionary


by DK Publishing

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 360 PAGES

With thousands of neatly arranged color photographs, this compact book is impressively comprehensive, covering everything from the basics of la casa (house) to the vocabulary of le granaglie e i legumi secchi (grains and legumes). (ITL626, $14.95)

Italian Hours

Italian Hours


by Henry James

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 376 PAGES

A classic series of travel essays written between 1872 and 1909 on the art, religion and people of Italy. James is an observant guide to Rome, Naples, Florence and other great destinations in the 19th century. (ITL07, $17.00)

Italian Indispensables Vocabulary Builder


by Audio-Forum

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • CASETTE TAPE

A short audio program wiith 50 common words and phrases for travelers. (ITL401, $9.95)

Italian Villas and Their Gardens

Italian Villas and Their Gardens


by Edith Wharton

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 284 PAGES

A facsimile edition of Wharton's witty, astute essays on the history and pleasures of Italy's famous villas. With photographs and the original full-page illustrations by Maxfield Parrish. (ITL91, $35.00)

The Italians

The Italians


by Luigi Barzini

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • CASETTE TAPE

Audio version of the classic essay on the Italian character, first published in 1964. (ITL33, $69.95)

Italy and Its Invaders

Italy and Its Invaders


by Girolamo Arnaldi

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A wide-ranging history of the many empires and world powers that have invaded Italy, and their lasting influences, both positive and negative, on Italian art, architecture and culture up to the present day. (ITL661, $19.95)

Italy Northeast Map

Italy Northeast Map


by Michelin Travel Publications

  • MAP

An excellent map at a scale of 1:400,000, covering the northeast region of Italy including Bolzano, Verona, Bologna, and Firenze. (ITL72, $12.95)

La Dolce Vita


by Federico Fellini

  • 1960
  • DVD

Fellini's celebrated masterpiece about a Roman tabloid reporter who fully indulges in the decadence of "the sweet life." (ITL543, $39.98)

The Lives of the Artists, Vol 1

The Lives of the Artists, Vol 1


by Giorgio Vasari | Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 477 PAGES

Written in the mid-16th century, Vasari starts with Giotto as painting's prophet and ends with Michelangelo as its messiah in these short, influential biographies. (ITL17, $14.00)

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)

Northern Italy Map

Northern Italy Map


by Touring Club Italiano

  • MAP

This beautifully shaded road map of Northern Italy (1:400,000) shows the region including Trieste, Venice, Bologna Milan and Turin. (ITL38, $14.95)

On The Road with Francis of Assisi

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)

One-Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy

One-Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy


by Paolo Lazzarin

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 276 PAGES

Each charming town gets an appreciative essay and evocative color photographs in this handsome tribute and excellent guide. (ITL546, $45.00)

Pimsleur Quick & Simple Italian


by Pimsleur Language Method

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2005
  • AUDIO CD

Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Italian, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. (ITL630, $19.95)

Renaissance Florence, The Invention of a New Art

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)

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary


by Rick Steves

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 281 PAGES

This compact phrase book, organized thematically and with a brief dictionary, also includes Steves' insight into how to break the ice and make friends around the world. (ITL424, $8.95)

The Rise of Christianity


by Rodney Stark

  • RELIGION
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

The subtitle to this book says it all: "How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries." (MED64, $14.99)

Rough Guide Italy

Rough Guide Italy


by Ros Belford

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 1096 PAGES

A comprehensive guide in the British series with a good overview of culture and history, dozens of sketch maps and extensive listings. (ITL328, $24.99)

Short Stories in Italian, Racconti in Italiano


by Nick Roberts

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 174 PAGES

These modern tales in the bilingual series of Penguin Parallel Texts make for good reading in any language. (ITL730, $14.00)

A Small Place In Italy

A Small Place In Italy


by Eric Newby

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Naturally, the Newbys return to Italy. In this warm tale of 25 splendid years at their farm in northwest Tuscany, their house I Castagni plays as much a role (it was a ruin) as the uproarious Newby, the unflappable Wanda and their many eccentric neighbors. (ITL111, $14.99)

Songbirds, Truffles and Wolves, An American Naturalist in Italy

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)

Spartacus


by Stanley Kubrick

  • 1960
  • DVD

Stanley Kubrick's riveting epic about the leader of a Roman slave revolt, starring no less than Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Tony Curtis and Peter Ustinov. (ITL544, $49.95)

The Talented Mr. Ripley


by Anthony Minghella

  • 1999
  • DVD

A suspenseful thriller of obsession and jealousy starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, based on the popular mystery by Patricia Highsmith. (ITL542, $14.99)

That Fine Italian Hand


by Paul Hoffman

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 246 PAGES

An affectionate -- and insightful -- portrait of a people. (ITL346, $17.99)

A Traveller's History of Italy

A Traveller's History of Italy


by Valerio Lintner

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 287 PAGES

A brief history of Italy through the 1990s -- wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed. With a useful chronology and historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries. (ITL86, $14.95)

Under the Tuscan Sun

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)

A Valley in Italy, The Many Seasons of a Villa in Umbria

A Valley in Italy, The Many Seasons of a Villa in Umbria


by Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

This short memoir chronicles a year in the small Umbrian village of San Orsola--especially the delights and frustrations of renovating a decayed villa. Taking in food, wine, local customs and landscapes, the book is an excellent introduction to the region (ITL98, $14.99)

Voice of the Violin

Voice of the Violin


by Andrea Camilleri | Stephen Sartarelli

  • MYSTERY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

The fourth installment in the popular Inspector Montalbano series, complete with a quirky cast of Sicilian characters. (ITL537, $14.00)

The Walker's Literary Companion

The Walker's Literary Companion


by Robert Gilbert | Anne Wallace | Jeffrey Robinson

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2000
  • HARD COVER
  • 352 PAGES

A diverse sampling of literature on the pleasures of walking, representing philosophers, naturalists, outcasts, athletes and intellectuals from Plato to Frank O'Hara. (WLK08, $24.00)

Walking

Walking


by Henry David Thoreau

  • REFERENCE
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 92 PAGES

Slip this pocket edition of Thoreau's meditations on the spiritual benefits of this most civilized form of travel in your daypack for inspiration. (WLK04, $9.99)

 

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.