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HILL TOWNS & VINEYARDS OF PIEMONTE
More Books

Al Dente, The Adventures of a Gastronome in Italy • William Black FOOD • 2004 • PAPER • 368 PAGES Clearly besotted by food, William Black travels throughout Italy in search of food and experience. (ITL548, $13.95)
Architecture in Italy 1500-1600 • Wolfgang Lotz • Deborah Howard ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1995 • PAPER • 205 PAGES A classic, comprehensive introduction to 16th-century Italian architecture. In this highly readable book, Lotz discusses the work of Renaissance architects including Bramante, Giulio Roman, Michelangelo and Palladio. Originally published in 1974 as part two of "Architecture in Italy, 1400-1600." With hundreds of color photographs and site plans, the book is an excellent companion for visitors to Venice, Florence or Rome. (ITL247, $40.00)
The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance • 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. Beginning with the 14th century, Murray surveys major works and influences through the Italian Renaissance up to the 17th century. Ideal for travelers to Italy with an interest in architecture. (ITL34, $20.40)
Art and Life in Renaissance Venice • Patricia Brown ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 176 PAGES With a strong focus on art, the author evokes the guilds, nobility and spirit of the Renaissance in her discussion of painting, sculpture and architecture. With 120 full-color illustrations. A volume in the Prentice Hall Perspectives series. Also in this same series is "Renaissance Florence." Second edition. (ITL57, $42.20)
Art in Renaissance Italy • Gary M. Radke • John T. Paoletti ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2001 • HARD COVER • 512 PAGES • COMING IN A complete, scholarly and remarkably readable overview of Italian Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture, co-authored by two leading art historians. Paoletti and Radke 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)
The Art of the Renaissance • Peter Murray ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1992 • PAPER • 286 PAGES A brief, illustrated survey of the world of the Renaissance and its art, complete with illustrations. This fine book puts the flowering of art and culture that began in Florence in 1420 in its historical context. With 251 well-integrated illustrations, 51 in color. Organized geographically and thematically, it includes chapters on Florence and its artists, the Netherlands, early illustrated books and many individual artists. (ITL14, $18.95)
The Birth of Venus, A Novel • Sarah Dunant LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 397 PAGES This tasty tale of art, passion, politics and danger, memorably set in Renaissance Florence in the days after the death of the powerful Lorenzo de Medici in 1492, comes to us from British novelist, broadcaster and critic Sarah Dunant, who brings her experience as the creator of the private investigator Hannah Wolfe to this new era. The malevolent political reformer (and zealot) Girolamo Savonarola figures prominently -- and even Michelangelo makes an appearance. Not surprisingly, Dunant divides her time between London and Florence, which she so vividly depicts. A runaway bestseller. (ITL532, $15.00)
Blue Guide Venice • Alta Macadam GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 288 PAGES A comprehensive guide to the art, architecture, museums, history and culture of Venice. With 30 illustrations, maps and site diagrams, recommended restaurants, cafes and hotels. (ITL457, $29.95)
Cadogan Guide Lombardy & the Italian Lakes • Dana Facaros GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 345 PAGES A guide in the respected British series, this comprehensive look at northwest Italy from Milan to Verona and Bergamo includes insightful cultural and historical background, and up-to-date practical information on hotels, restaurants and bars. With an introductory photo-essay and 25 excellent maps. (ITL44, $19.95)
Cadogan Italian Riviera & Piemonte • Michael Pauls • Dana Facaros GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 332 PAGES An authoritative guide to Northwest Italy, including Liguria, the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genoa and lesser-known destinations. Strong on practical information, it's also a good overview of the history, culture and cuisine of the region. With color photos and sketch maps. (ITL407, $21.95)
Casa Rossa • Francesca Marciano LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 340 PAGES This is Italian filmmaker Marciano's second attempt at the pen, her first being a novel of Kenya, titled Rules of the Wild. This second popular novel, set in Southern Italy, Rome and New York City, follows the lives of a mother, daughter, and granddaughter, and their ties to modern Italy. The novel opens as the narrator, Alina Strada, prepares to sell the family farm (Casa Rossa) in Puglia. The author, as you might guess, divides her time between Italy and Kenya. (ITL534, $14.95)
The Charterhouse of Parma • Henri Stendhal • Richard Howard LITERATURE • 1958 • PAPER • 560 PAGES Judged by Balzac to be the most important French novel of his time, this masterpiece is in an English translation that does justice to its speedy, passionate style. Set in Parma, Italy, Stendhal's book transcends the court intrigues and military goings-on of the plot to produce a work of narrative brilliance. (ITL208, $11.95)
City Secrets Florence, Venice • Robert Kahn GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • HARD COVER • 150 PAGES A connoisseur's guide to Italy featuring 200 short recommendations, many by artists, architects and other members of the American Academy in Rome or the organization Save Venice. Each contributor provides a brief profile of a favorite walk, restaurant, garden, market, work of art, building or other attraction. With maps and travel information. (ITL277, $14.95)
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy • Jacob Burckhardt • S. G. C. Middlemore • Peter Gay HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER • 401 PAGES While focusing on the flowering of art and culture in Renaissance Italy, Burckhardt maintains a keen interest in the nature of civilization itself in this Victorian classic -- originally published in this translation in 1878. He covers state, art, society, religion, morality, philosophy and other topics of universal interest. In a new Modern Library edition. (ITL307, $15.95)
A Concise History of Italy • Christopher Duggan HISTORY • 1994 • PAPER • 320 PAGES A history of Italy covering the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day, with particular emphasis on the difficulties it has faced in forging a modern nation state. The book weaves together political, social, economic, and cultural history. (ITL35, $30.99)
D.H. Lawrence and Italy • D.H. Lawrence TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2008 • PAPER • 495 PAGES A collection of D.H. Lawrence's travel writings on Italy, each wonderful and very different in tone. "Sea and Sardinia" is a nostalgic look at traditional ways of life on the island, "Twilight in Italy" an evocation of Lawrence's stay on Lake Garda and "Etruscan Places" a meditation on ancient lives. (ITL62, $18.00)
Dolomites Trekking, Alta Via 1 & Alta Via 2 • Henry Stedman GUIDEBOOK • 2006 • PAPER • 174 PAGES A practical guide to walks and treks in the Dolomites featuring 51 detailed route maps, village plans and concise information on where to go, and what to see and do. The bulk of the book is organized into route descriptions that take the walker refuge-to-refuge. With sketch maps. The covers the Alta Via 1 -- Lago di Braies to Belluno (9-13 days) and Alta Via 2 -- Bressanone to Feltre (10-16 days) in detail. (ITL253, $22.95)
Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens • 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. With commentary and color photographs of the villas and gardens by Vivian Russell, who retraced Wharton's journeys. She includes literary excerpts by Wharton, Charles Dickens, Henry James and other admirers. (ITL716, $45.00)
Eyewitness Guide Milan and the Lakes • Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 240 PAGES This superb guide to Milan and the Italian lakes features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the area's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (ITL165, $25.00)
Eyewitness Guide Umbria • 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. With select, annotated listings of where to eat and sleep and what to buy. (ITL512, $20.00)
Eyewitness Guide Venice & the Veneto • Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2012 • PAPER • 312 PAGES Another in the long line of superb Eyewitness Guides, this one features color photography, dozens of excellent maps and a neighborhood-by-neighborhood synopsis of the region's attractions. It includes numerous cutaways and floor plans of local buildings as well. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (ITL200, $20.00)
Fodor's See It Italy • Fodor's GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 496 PAGES An inaugural volume in this new line of guides by Fodor's this book is notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the country. Each page displays full-color photos accompanied by much useful information on how to eat, sleep, shop, and sightsee in Italy. With seven sections choc-full of tips to help make your visit memorable. The "Out and About" section features pre-planned walking and touring routes such as "A Lover's Walk in the Cinque Terre," "A Wine Tour from Alba to Cuneo" and "The Salentine Peninsula." (ITL550, $24.99)
Fodor's Venice's 25 Best • Citypack GUIDEBOOK • 2012 • PAPER • 176 PAGES This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map of the city center and essential information on Venice's highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing. (ITL106, $12.99)
For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys • 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 • Giorgio Bassini • William Weaver LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 197 PAGES Made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1971, this powerful book deals with unrequited love and classist society in the time of Mussolini, when anti-Semitic laws were beginning to melt down the social hierarchies. A wonderfully written and well-translated tragedy, it takes place in the town of Ferrara, between Venice and Bologna. (ITL205, $13.95)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral • Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 294 PAGES Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $21.95)
Here Is Where We Meet • 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. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $15.00)
A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 • Stanley G. Payne HISTORY • 1996 • PAPER • 628 PAGES A scholarly, comprehensive history of fascism -- and other forms of ultra-nationalism -- with a focus on Europe between the World Wars, and especially Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. (EUR132, $24.95)
History of Italian Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture • David G. Wilkins • Frederick Hartt ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2006 • PAPER • 699 PAGES A comprehensive history of Italian art from the 13th through the 16th centuries, long the standard reference on the flowering of art in the Renaissance. David Wilkins thoroughly revised this sixth edition, broadening the scope of the book and adding many new color plates, including details of the Sistine Chapel frescoes. (ITL308, $136.20)
History of My Life (Vols. III & IV) • Giacomo Casanova • Willard R. Trask BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1997 • PAPER • 704 PAGES Casanova's Venice is a city of intrigue and extravagance, a fitting homeland for a multi-faceted, extravagant man. The foremost scoundrel of the 18th century was also a memoirist of formidable talent. In the fourth volume of his autobiography, Casanova -- who was, variously, a spy, a diplomat, a soldier, an astrologer, and a cleric -- tells of his imprisonment in the dungeon of the Ducal Palace in Venice. The tale made him a wanted commodity throughout Europe in 1756, the year of his escape, and indeed it is no less sensational now. (ITL381, $40.00)
A History of Venice • John Julius Norwich HISTORY • 1989 • PAPER • 673 PAGES A vivid 1,000-year history of the Venetian Republic from its ancient settlement to its humiliating defeat by Napoleon in 1797. Norwich, who also wrote a three-volume history of the Byzantine empire, marshals myriad personalities, battles, sieges, and facts into a compelling history of Venice's rise to power under the Doges. He's a terrific writer, and a great admirer of this "most beautiful of cities." (ITL177, $26.00)
Il Postino • Michael Radford 1995 • DVD The Italian comic actor Massino Troisi stars as a shy Italian postman living in a small fishing village on a Mediterranean island off the coast of Italy who learns the ways of poetry and romance while delivering mail to the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. In Italian with subtitles. (ITL541, $19.99)
Inventing Leonardo • 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)
Italia, The Art of Living Italian Style • Edmund Howard ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1997 • HARD COVER • 192 PAGES A beautifully illustrated tour of Italy's most characteristic and striking architecture, landscapes and design. Howard includes a range of styles from villas, farmhouses and gardens to Baroque churches, mosaics and statuary. Accompanying essays cover the history, artists and background for each photograph. He concludes with a visitor's guide. (ITL398, $40.00)
Italian English Bilingual Visual Dictionary • 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). With a handy reference section in the back. (ITL626, $14.95)
Italian Hours • 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)
The Italian Renaissance Reader • Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella • Mark Musa ANTHOLOGY • 1987 • PAPER Introducing artists and thinkers of the Renaissance, this collection includes selections by Francesca Petrarca, Giovanni Boccacio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Benvenuto Cellini. (ITL218, $18.00)
Italy and Its Invaders • Girolamo Arnaldi HISTORY • 2008 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A wide-ranging history of the many empires and world powers that have invaded Italy, with either success or failure, and their lasting influences, both positive and negative, on Italian art, architecture and culture up to the present day. (ITL661, $19.95)
Italy Map • Borch Maps 2011 • MAP A convenient laminated map of Italy at a scale of 1:800,000 with excellent topographic detail, an index, and large individual maps of Sicily and Sardinia. Two Sides. 27x39 inches. (ITL19, $11.95)
Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion • Lawrence Venuti ANTHOLOGY • 2003 • PAPER • 256 PAGES This collection of tales by diverse Italian writers, organized geographically, captures the spirit, history and allure of the country. Not just a literary companion, this anthology is also a who's who of contemporary Italian writers. Bravo. (ITL466, $14.95)
Karen Brown's Italy B & B, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries • Nicole Franchini GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 455 PAGES A survey of highly recommended bed and breakfasts throughout Italy. (ITL291, $19.95)
Karen Brown's Italy Hotels, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries • Clare Brown GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 482 PAGES A survey of inns, castles and other lodging of character, along with suggested itineraries and highlights of each region. (ITL290, $19.95)
Knopf City Guide Milan • Knopf Guides GUIDEBOOK • 1998 • PAPER • 168 PAGES This is a vibrant, colorful guide to Milan with fine coverage of both cultural sights and the best places to eat and shop. Packed with 600 photographs and illustrations and still small enough to fit in your pocket, this guide features travel facts, maps, a cultural history, and much about where to go and what to see and do. With ten double-page maps. (ITL123, $14.95)
La Dolce Vita • Federico Fellini 1960 • DVD Fellini's celebrated masterpiece which stars Marcello Mastroianni as Marcello Rubini, a Roman tabloid reporter who fully indulges in the decadence of "la dolce vita"-- sex, money, and alcohol. Anita Ekberg is the American starlet whom Marcello takes up with. In Italian with subtitles. Part of the Criterion Collection. (ITL543, $39.98)
Leonardo da Vinci • 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)
The Life of Verdi • John Rosselli MUSIC • 2000 • PAPER • 204 PAGES A biography of the innovative 19th-century composer. In studying Verdi's life, Rosselli also examines the master's major operas and their long-lasting appeal. Part of the Musical Lives series. (ITL447, $38.00)
Liguria Regional Map • Touring Club Italiano MAP A map of the region, including Cinque Terra, at a scale of 1:200,000. Two Sides. 37x58 inches. (ITL118, $14.95)
The Lives of the Artists, Vol 1 • Giorgio Vasari • Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1987 • PAPER • 477 PAGES Vasari offers short biographies of the art and lives of his Renaissance contemporaries in this classic and much-discussed book written in the mid-16th century. He focuses on painters both great and lesser-known, including Giotto, Michelangelo, Titian and others. This edition includes parts one, two and three of the huge original work. (ITL17, $14.00)
Lombardia Regional Map • Touring Club Italiano MAP A colorful regional map of the Lombardy region, with shaded relief and excellent coverage of local towns and landmarks at a scale of 1:200,000. Two Sides. 37x54 inches. (ITL120, $12.95)
Love and War in the Apennines • Eric Newby TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2008 • PAPER • 276 PAGES Eric Newby's powerful account of his days as a young Brit during World War II in German occupied Italy. After leaving a POW camp, he takes flight from advancing German forces and finds allies in some Italian families who take him in and help him hide. Newby has gone on to fall in love with Italy, building a house there and marrying an Italian woman. (ITL171, $14.99)
M, The Man Who Became Caravaggio • 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 • 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, it's a comprehensive handbook, with detailed descriptions, range maps and commentary on behavior. (FG61, $38.50)
Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World • John Larner EXPLORATION • 2001 • PAPER • 288 PAGES A scholarly, insightful study of Marco Polo's famous travel account -- and its impact on European ideas and politics, particularly its influence on cartographers and explorers. The author looks too at the circumstances of Marco Polo's life and travels, arguing that Marco Polo really did visit China -- and that he must have had a highly talented co-author in Rustichello da Pisa. (EXP22, $21.00)
Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World • Peter Weir LITERATURE • 2003 • DVD Peter Weir's exciting adaptation of two of Patrick O'Brian's popular novels, "Master and Commander" and "The Far Side of the World," starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. Crowe is Captain Jack Aubrey, whose British ship, the HMS Surprise, is battling a mysterious French ship off the coast of Cape Horn during the Napoleonic Wars of 1805. An extended sequenced filmed on the Galapagos marks one of the first times the islands have been depicted in a feature film. (GPS66, $14.98)
The Middle Sea • 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 from antiquity to the end of the First World War. (MED98, $21.00)
Milan Map • Streetwise Maps MAP A detailed travel map of Milan, at a scale of 1:19,000. Two Sides. 8.5x32 inches. (ITL65, $8.95)
Modigliani • Doris Krystof ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 96 PAGES This slim illustrated book, part of Taschen's Basic Art series, showcases Modigliani's distinct colorful style of painting and portraiture, and places him within the context of his bohemian contemporaries (and friends), such as Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. (ART44, $9.99)
Northern Italy Map • 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. Printed and tear- and water-resistant paper. One Side. 37x59 inches. (ITL38, $14.95)
On The Road with Francis of Assisi • Linda Bird Francke TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 256 PAGES Weaving tales of the 13th-century saint and her own 21st-century travels, Francke follows in the footsteps of Francis on her own pilgrimage. She lingers in Assisi, Venice and Rome, and takes in Siena, Bologna, Gubbio, and many hill towns, sanctuaries and chapels. The book nicely evokes both the spirit of Francis of Asisi, and the history and pleasures of Italy. (ITL647, $15.95)
One-Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy • Paolo Lazzarin GUIDEBOOK • 2004 • HARD COVER • 276 PAGES A handsome book highlighting Italy's charming and scenic villages. Featuring color photographs and an overview of history and attractions, favorite accommodations and restaurants by photographer-journalist Lazzarin. Translated from the Italian (the book was originally published for the Italian market as an introduction to unique and wonderful places throughout the country). (ITL546, $45.00)
Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy, A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style • Michael Baxandall ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1998 • PAPER • 183 PAGES A slim introduction to Renaissance art and representation with color illustrations throughout. First published in 1972, it's an influential overview of not only how to look at art -- but how the original 15th-century audience may have seen the paintings of the period. Braxandall explores contemporary sermons, dancing manuals, and mathematical treatises, original contracts and other source materials to understand the context in which the paintings were conceived. Among the artists he discusses are Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Stefano di Giovanni, Sandro Botticelli, Masaccio, Luca Signorelli, and Boccaccio. (ITL236, $19.95)
Palladio • 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 • 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. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (ITL630, $19.95)
Portofino, A Novel • Frank Schaeffer LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 288 PAGES A humorous novel of Calvin Becker, a young boy who vacations in Portofino each summer with his Protestant missionary family. Set in the 1960s, the coming-of-age tale follows Calvin's encounters with the sights and locals of the seaside town, while he avoids his parents' constant bickering and their attempts to convert Roman Catholics. The film version starred John Lithgow and Diane Wiest. (ITL164, $15.00)
The Prince • Niccolo Machiavelli • George Bull • Anthony Grafton LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 105 PAGES The classic text of social mobility, written during the peak of the Italian Renaissance. (ITL235, $7.00)
Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron • Edward Trelawney BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • PAPER • 224 PAGES The lives and deaths of these two most romantic of Romantic poets are lovingly recounted in this memoir by Edward Trelawny, a contemporary and friend of both men. The action unfolds mostly in Italy, where Shelley and Byron frolicked and swam (and where Shelley drowned, just off the coast of Cinque Terre); then it follows Byron to his own death in Greece. Trelawny was a fascinating figure in his own right, and his tribute to his two lost friends bears all the marks of his own generous, wild personality. (ITL336, $13.95)
Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary • Rick Steves LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2008 • PAPER • 281 PAGES A compact phrase book for travelers, organized thematically and with a brief dictionary. This is no dry litany of phrases but is instead peppered with humor and Rick Steves' insider insight into how to break the ice and make friends around the world. (ITL424, $8.95)
Romeo and Juliet • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER • 352 PAGES This edition of the Bard's tragedy is heavily footnoted, providing lots of commentary on the immortal text. (ITL322, $10.95)
Short Stories in Italian, Racconti in Italiano • Nick Roberts LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 174 PAGES This bilingual collection, with the English and Italian alongside, features stories by contemporary and established Italian literary figures, including Italo Calvino and Primo Levi, Leonardo Sciascia, Goffredo Parise and Antonio Tabucchi. (ITL730, $14.00)
Spartacus • 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. The screenplay was written by the playwright Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time. Part of the Criterion Collection. (ITL544, $49.95)
The Surprise of Cremona: One Woman's Adventures in Cremona, Parma, Mantua, Ravenna, Urbino, and Arezzo • Edith Templeton • Anita Brookner TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2001 • PAPER • 256 PAGES • COMING IN A new edition of Templeton's 1954 memoir of romance, travel and adventure in northern Italy. The novelist burnishes her reputation as an entertaining, adventurous Bohemian in this classic. (ITL396, $27.50)
The Talented Mr. Ripley • Anthony Minghella 1999 • DVD A screen adaptation of the first in Patricia Highsmith's popular Mr. Ripley mystery series. Matt Damon stars as the obsessive and murderous Mr. Ripley, whose jealousy of his dashing companion Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) quickly turns sinister. The highlight of this thriller, which also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett, is its suspenseful portrayal of an exquisite sundrenched Italian town (the film was shot in, among other places, Venice, Tuscany, the Gulf of Naples and Southern Sicily), where life is carefree but a menacing potential for violence lurks behind every corner. (ITL542, $14.99)
Travelers' Tales Italy • Ann Calcagno • Jan Morris ANTHOLOGY • 2001 • PAPER • 437 PAGES From a climb up the dome of St. Peter's to a walk through Milano Centrale train station, this collection of 48 stories on traveling in Italy and Italian life is an insightful introduction to the country. Contributors include Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Frances Mayes, Jonathan Keats, and Stanley Crouch, who writes on "Umbria Jazz" in Rome. (ITL182, $18.95)
A Traveller's History of Italy • 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)
Trentino Alto-Adige Map • Touring Club Italiano MAP A colorful regional map of the Italian Dolomites at a scale of 1:200,000, with shaded relief and excellent coverage of local towns and landmarks. Two Sides. 37x44 inches. (ITL42, $14.95)
Trentino Alto-Adige Map • Touring Club Italiano MAP A colorful regional map of the Italian Dolomites at a scale of 1:200,000, with shaded relief and excellent coverage of local towns and landmarks. Two Sides. 37x44 inches. (ITL42, $14.95)
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere • 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. This brief book, which Morris says is her last, captures the many political and economic transformations of this region at the head of the Adriatic Sea. (ITL347, $15.00)
Tuscany in Mind • Alice Powers ANTHOLOGY • 2005 • PAPER • 400 PAGES These selections, including D.H. Lawrence, Robert Browning, Mary McCarthy, to Eric Newby, Erica Jong and David Leavitt, cover a wide range of subjects, from the region's geography to its history and culture and (of course) the food. Another fine literary anthology from the editor of Italy in Mind. Powers provides an appreciative introduction to each 8-10 page selection, focusing on the transforamtion wrought upon American and British writers. (ITL607, $14.95)
Venetian Life • 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 and literary lion, first published in 1866. (ITL327, $16.95)
Veneto Friuli Venezia Giulia Map • Touring Club Italiano 2008 • MAP A detailed, shaded relief map of the Veneto at a scale of 1:200,000. Accurate, colorful, and imported from Italy. Eigth edition. Two Sides. 37x54 inches. (ITL22, $12.95)
Venice Map • Borch Maps 2008 • MAP A colorful, detailed, laminated map of Venice at a scale of 1:6,500. Perfect for finding your way around the famously labyrinthine streets and canals. Plastic-coated. Two Sides. 20x26 inches. (ITL26, $8.95)
Venice Observed • Mary McCarthy CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1995 • PAPER • 158 PAGES Originally published over 30 years ago, this collection of eight essays is a literate, evocative celebration of the city, its character, and its history. Most of these essays first appeared in the "New Yorker." (ITL27, $13.95)
Venice, a Maritime Republic • Frederic C. Lane HISTORY • 1973 • PAPER • 505 PAGES A wonderfully written history of the Venetian empire, engrossing in its scholarly detail. Lane (who has also written a book on Venetian ships) focuses on the history of trade from the origin of the city in the 6th century to modern times. With drawings, maps, and archival photos. (ITL24, $32.00)
Venice, Lion City • 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. With 130 illustrations, 30 in color. An accomplished historian and political commentator, Wills is attuned to the nuances of Venetian religious and political power. (ITL324, $20.00)
Verona Map • Litographia Artistica Cartographica MAP A colorful, folded travel map to Verona, Italy, at a scale of 1:12,000. Two Sides. 29x44 inches. (ITL453, $12.95)
Voice of the Violin • Andrea Camilleri • Stephen Sartarelli MYSTERY • 2004 • PAPER • 256 PAGES In this fourth installment in the popular Inspector Montalbano series. Camilleri delivers a delightful cast of characters and wry commentary on Sicilian ways, headed by the irresistible Inspector Montalbano, a small town police detective with a healthy appetite, roving intellect and wry sense of humor. It opens with a classic conceit of police procedurals: a beautiful blond woman is found dead. That's the least of it. (ITL537, $14.00)
Walking in the Dolomites • Gillian Price GUIDEBOOK • 2003 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A comprehensive walker's guide to the Dolomites geared to a wide variety of difficulty levels. Gillian Price is our guide to the natural wonders, historical artifacts and mountain refuges of this spectacular range. Illustrated with photographs and maps. (ITL289, $19.95)
Watermark • Joseph Brodsky TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1993 • PAPER • 135 PAGES In this brief, intense, gem-like book, equal parts extended autobiographical essay and prose poem, Brodsky turns his eye to the seductive and enigmatic city of Venice. A mosaic of 48 short chapters -- each recalling a specific episode from one of his many visits there (Brodsky spent his winters in Venice for nearly 20 years) -- Watermark associatively and brilliantly evokes one city's architectural and atmospheric character. (ITL105, $13.00)
Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries • 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. The authors, both Italian journalists and wine connoisseurs, provide helpful tips alongside the hundreds of magnificent color photographs. (EUR191, $35.00)
The World of Venice • Jan Morris TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1995 • PAPER • 315 PAGES • FAVORITE Morris displays her talent for research, telling anecdote and well-wrought prose in this spirited portrait of a beloved city, its history and inhabitants. If you are going to read one book on Venice, we recommend this favorite. Originally published in 1974 and revised for this edition, it's a tour de force. (ITL12, $18.95)

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