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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)

Architecture in Italy 1500-1600

Architecture in Italy 1500-1600


by Wolfgang Lotz | Deborah Howard

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 205 PAGES

A classic, comprehensive introduction to Italian architecture of the 16th century. (ITL247, $40.00)

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 in Renaissance Italy


by Gary M. Radke | John T. Paoletti

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 512 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A complete, scholarly and remarkably readable overview of Italian Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture. The authors examine the political, social and artistic currents that produced the unprecedented art of the 15th-17th centuries. With 600 illustrations, more than 200 in color. (ITL412, $85.00)

Art of the Byzantine Era

Art of the Byzantine Era


by David Talbot Rice

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 286 PAGES

Wide-ranging and literate, this thoroughly illustrated introduction to Byzantine art is an indispensable classic. (TKY22, $21.95)

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)

Birds of Europe

Birds of Europe


by Lars Svensson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Featuring 3,500 glorious paintings by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom, the second revised edition of this exquisite guide has been brought up to date with revised text and maps. (FG47, $29.95)

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)

Blue Guide Northern Italy, from the Alps to the Adriatic

Blue Guide Northern Italy, from the Alps to the Adriatic


by Paul Blanchard

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 735 PAGES

This guide by a popular tour leader provides a thorough overview of the history, art and architecture of northern Italy from Trieste across to the Valle d'Aosta, Venice, Verona, Milan, Genoa and Bologna. (ITL48, $32.95)

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)

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 Devil in the Hills

The Devil in the Hills


by Cesare Pavese

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 220 PAGES

This book, the most personal of the many stories, poems and novels of Pavese, follows the summer adventures of three young men in the hills, vineyards and villages of the author's native Piedmont. (ITL430, $23.95)

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)

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 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)

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)

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis


by Giorgio Bassini | William Weaver

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 197 PAGES

This powerful book, set in Ferrara, deals with unrequited love and classist society in the time of Mussolini. (ITL205, $13.95)

The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral

The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral


by Robert A. Scott

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 294 PAGES

An enthusiast, Scott presents history, design, architecture and wonder of the medieval cathedral and the great Abbey churches. (EUR190, $21.95)

Here Is Where We Meet

Here Is Where We Meet


by John Berger

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. (EUR189, $15.00)

History of My Life (Vols. III & IV)


by Giacomo Casanova | Willard R. Trask

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 704 PAGES

An account of derring-do in 18th-century Venice by Casanova, including a memorable description of imprisonment in the Doge's Palace. (ITL381, $40.00)

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)

Insight City Guide Venice


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 313 PAGES

An illustrated overview of Venice with essays on its history, art and architecture. (ITL23, $16.95)

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 Neighbors

Italian Neighbors


by Tim Parks

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

This sparkling memoir by the British novelist captures the travails and delights of life in the Italian countryside. Montecchio, which Parks so indelibly sketches in this favorite book, is outside Verona. (ITL16, $14.95)

The Italians

The Italians


by Luigi Barzini

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

The definitive portrait of the Italian people, this is a classic, scholarly essay on the Italian character. Though first published in 1964, it's still worth reading for its insight, grace and wit. (ITL05, $16.00)

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, A Short History

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)

Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion

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)

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)

Mammals of Europe

Mammals of Europe


by Priscilla Barrett | David W. MacDonald

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Published by Princeton, this is a field guide to land and marine mammals throughout Europe, both endemic and introduced. With more than 600 color illustrations of over 200 mammals. (FG61, $38.50)

Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World

Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World


by John Larner

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A scholarly, insightful study of the impact of the venetian merchant-explorer's impact on European ideas and knowledge of the world. (EXP22, $21.00)

Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World


by Peter Weir

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • DVD

Russell Crowe stars in this adaptation of two Patrick O'Brian novels, a swashbuckling adventure set off the coast of Cape Horn in 1805. (GPS66, $14.98)

The Middle Sea

The Middle Sea


by John Julius Norwich

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

A marvelous writer who has already tackled Byzantium, the Normans in Sicily and Venice, Norwich spins his magic in this story of culture, trade and politics, royalty and rulers, wars and religion in the Mediterranean. (MED98, $21.00)

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)

The Ottoman Centuries

The Ottoman Centuries


by Lord Kinross

  • HISTORY
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 638 PAGES

A richly detailed, engrossing history of the Ottoman Empire from its dawn in 1300 up to the foundation of the modern republic in 1923, enhanced by maps and photos. (ITL54, $18.99)

Palladio

Palladio


by James Ackerman

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1974
  • PAPER
  • 170 PAGES

James Ackerman's seminal biography of Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. (ITL234, $15.00)

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)

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)

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)

Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere

Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere


by Jan Morris

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

A loving celebration of the city and its faded glory. Morris, who first visited the city as a soldier during WWII, is especially good at evoking the varied history and fortunes of Trieste. (ITL347, $15.00)

Tuscany in Mind

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)

Venetian Life

Venetian Life


by William Dean Howells

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

A leisurely account of housekeeping, touring and socializing in 19th-century Venice by the American consul, first published in 1866. (ITL327, $16.95)

Venice and the Slavs, The Discovery of Dalmatia in the Age of Enlightenment

Venice and the Slavs, The Discovery of Dalmatia in the Age of Enlightenment


by Larry Wolff

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 404 PAGES

Wolf focuses on the circa-1700s Venetian Empire in the Balkans as a way to explore relations between eastern and western Europe in this fascinating, scholarly study of the region. (BLK35, $29.95)

Venice Map

Venice Map


by Borch Maps

  • 2008
  • MAP

A colorful, detailed city map of Venice, perfect for finding your way around the famously labyrinthine streets and canals. (ITL26, $8.95)

Venice, Lion City

Venice, Lion City


by Garry Wills

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A magisterial history of Venice at the height of its power as a maritime republic in the 15th and 16th centuries. Wills shows the power and influence of the city through its magnificent Renaissance art and architecture. (ITL324, $20.00)

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)

Watermark

Watermark


by Joseph Brodsky

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 135 PAGES

A metaphysical, metaphorical meditation on Venice by poet Joseph Brodsky. His ruminations take the form of 48 short chapters, each prompted by an idea, memory or scene associated with his much loved city. (ITL105, $13.00)

Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries

Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries


by Ornella D'Alessio | Marco Santini

  • FOOD
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 324 PAGES

Part how-to, part guidebook, part picture book, this charming coffee table treat covers sprawling French vineyards as well as lesser-known hidden treasures in Austria and Hungary. (EUR191, $35.00)

 

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.