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50 Hikes in & Around Tuscany, Hiking the Mountains, Forests, Coast & Historic Sites of Wild Tuscany & Beyond  •  Jeff Taylor   • GUIDEBOOK  •  With day and overnight hikes from Liguria to Toscana itself, Umbria, Abruzzo, Le Marche and Emilia-Romagna, with a cluster of suggested mountain hikes in the Apennine's and coastal walks in Maremma. (ITL827, $16.95)
 
 
The Accidental Connoisseur, An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World  •  Lawrence Osborne   • FOOD  •  With a winning wit and not a drop of pretense, Osborne sets out to discover what's what with wine, traveling through Sonoma and Napa, France, Italy and other European wine meccas, 11 adventures in all. He meets plenty of interesting characters along the way, revealing much about the pleasures of wine (and travel!). (TVL31, $14.00)
 
 
After Hannibal  •  Barry Unsworth   • LITERATURE  •  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  •  William Black   • FOOD  •  William Black tosses a few receipts into this mix of travel, gastronomy and family history. (ITL548, $13.95)
 
 
And Then You Die  •  Michael Dibdin   • MYSTERY  •  Our detective hero (recovering from wounds) is dodging Mafia hitmen on the coast of Tuscany in this installment of the enjoyable series. (ITL619, $12.95)
 
 
Architecture in Italy 1500-1600  •  Wolfgang Lotz  •  Deborah Howard   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A classic, comprehensive introduction to Italian architecture of the 16th century. (ITL247, $40.00)
 
 
The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance  •  Peter Murray   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  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)
 
 
The Art of Florence  •  John Hunisak  •  Glen Andres  •  A. Richard Turner   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A magnificent, prize-winning survey of Florentine painting, architecture and sculpture. (ITL474, $185.00)
 
 
The Art of the Renaissance  •  Peter Murray   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  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 Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini  •  Benvenuto Cellini  •  George Bull   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  The story of a sculptor and goldsmith during the Italina Renaissance. (ITL172, $15.00)
 
 
Bella Tuscany, The Sweet Life in Italy  •  Frances Mayes   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  In this sequel to "Under the Tuscan Sun," best-selling author Frances Mayes goes out in search of Italian Life in the small town of Cortona. (ITL224, $15.00)
 
 
Berlitz Tuscany and Umbria  •   Berlitz Pocket Guides  •  Steven Brewer   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A practical brief guide to Tuscany and Umbria. (ITL293, $8.95)
 
 
Birds of Europe  •  Killian Mullarney  •  Lars Svensson  •  Dan Zetterstrom  •  Peter J. Grant   • FIELD GUIDE • FAVORITE  •  A Princeton field guide to European birds, featuring 3,500 color illustrations that depict 722 species found across the continent. (FG47, $29.95)
 
 
The Birth of Venus, A Novel  •  Sarah Dunant   • LITERATURE  •  A rich novel of art, passion and patronage, memorably set in late 15th-century Florence and prominently featuring the famously pious reformer Savonarola. (ITL532, $13.95)
 
 
Blue Guide Tuscany  •  Alta MacAdam   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A guide to the cultural riches of Tuscany with a focus on history, art and architecture. Serious-minded travelers will not want to be without it. (ITL43, $24.95)
 
 
Bonaventure: The Life of St. Francis  •  Ewart Cousins   • RELIGION  •  The Church's official life of St Francis, written by the Franciscan monk Bonaventure in the 13th century. (ITL602, $11.95)
 
 
The Book of the Courtier  •  Baldasar Castiglione   • HISTORY  •  Written between 1513-1518, Castiglione's classic book of etiquette was inspired by a series of conversations among a group of aristocrats at the court of Urbino in 1507. Its central theme includes the nature of graceful behaviour, especially the impression of effortlessness, or "sprezzatura." (ITL238, $13.95)
 
 
The Cambridge Companion to Dante  •  Rachel Jacoff   • LITERATURE  •  An engaging collection of 15 scholarly essays on Dante's life and work. (ITL436, $24.00)
 
 
Carmen and Other Stories  •  Prosper Merimee  •  Nicholas Jotcham   • LITERATURE  •  A collection of nine stories, including Carmen, memorably set in southern Spain -- and source for the Bizet opera of the same name. (FRN201, $13.95)
 
 
Casa Rossa  •  Francesca Marciano   • LITERATURE  •  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)
 
 
Central Italy Map  •   Touring Club Italiano    •  A regional map of Central Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria and Rome, at a scale of 1:400,000. (ITL103, $12.95)
 
 
Charming Small Hotel Guides, Tuscany & Umbria : Including Florence and Siena  •  Fiona Duncan  •  Leonie Glass   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A full page with a color photograph is dedicated to each entry in this guide focused on hotels with 20 bedrooms or less. (ITL771, $15.95)
 
 
The City of Florence, Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings  •  R.W.B. Lewis   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 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, $19.00)
 
 
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy  •  Jacob Burckhardt  •  S. G. C. Middlemore  •  Peter Gay   • HISTORY  •  A classic survey of life, society and culture suring the Italian Renaissance. (ITL307, $15.95)
 
 
The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Florence  •  Louise Fili   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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)
 
 
Classic Italian Jewish Cooking  •  Edda Servi Machlin   • FOOD  •  The pioneering work on Jewish-Italian food, this classic cookbook retails the food traditions of Pitigliano, Tuscany, which was a thriving Jewish community as recently as 1943. (ITL383, $29.95)
 
 
A Concise History of Italy  •  Christopher Duggan   • HISTORY  •  A history of Italy from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day. (ITL35, $28.99)
 
 
Cooking With Fernet Branca  •  James Hamilton-Paterson   • LITERATURE  •  A glimpse into the quirkily peaceful life of Gerald Samper, an Englishman who spends his days in his Tuscan home inventing eccentric recipes, from the author of Playing With Water. (ITL642, $14.95)
 
 
A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany  •  Beth Elon   • FOOD  •  Elon presents favorite recipes from a hand-picked selection of restaurants in this guide to restaurants, food and culinary specialties. (ITL729, $24.95)
 
 
Dante  •  R.W. Lewis   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  A brief, literate biography of the exceptionally literate Dante Alighieri. (ITL313, $19.95)
 
 
The Dark Heart of Italy  •  Tobias Jones   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  An insightful portrait of contemporary Italy by a roving British journalist living in Parma. (ITL533, $15.00)
 
 
A Day in Tuscany, More Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide  •  Dario Castagno   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  This second book from Dario Castagno is a delightfully honest mix of memoirs from life in the hills of Tuscany's legendary Chianti region. Set on the day the author arrived home after a three-month tour of the United States promoting his first book, A Day in Tuscany compels readers to experience this enchanted corner of Italy through the heart and mind of a true Tuscan. (ITL838, $18.95)
 
 
The Divine Comedy  •  Dante Alighieri  •  Charles H. Sisson   • LITERATURE  •  In this classic, Dante molds a universe in which reason and faith shape social order. (ITL310, $17.95)
 
 
Dreaming of Tuscany  •  Barbara Milo Ohrbach   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  With over 300 color photographs, this coffee-table slice of life celebrates the food, architecture, people and landscapes of Tuscany. (ITL762, $45.00)
 
 
Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens  •  Vivian Russell   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  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)
 
 
The English Patient  •  Michael Ondaatje   • LITERATURE  •  Ondaatje's luminous novel, which unfolds at a villa in Tuscany and in the North African desert during World War II. (ITL703, $14.95)
 
 
Etruscan  •  Larissa Bonfante   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  A brief guide to decoding Etruscan inscriptions, using representative vases, coins and other objects. Useful for serious scholars of Etruscan art and archeology. (ITL242, $13.95)
 
 
Etruscan Art  •  Nigel Spivey   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A thoroughly-illustrated, wide-ranging and literate introduction to Etruscan art. A volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series. (ITL68, $18.95)
 
 
The Etruscan Chimera  •  Lyn Hamilton   • MYSTERY  •  In the 6th in Hamilton's Archaeological Mystery series, Globetrotting antiques dealer Lara McClintoch gets involved with a reculsive millionaire, and an artifact from ancient Tuscany. (ITL962, $7.99)
 
 
The Etruscans  •  Graeme Barker  •  Tom Rasmussen   • HISTORY  •  A study of the Etruscans. Using the most recent archaeological evidence, the authors detail their culture, economics and inscriptions (ITL169, $41.95)
 
 
Eyewitness Florence Pocket Map & Guide  •   Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This superb guide to Florence features color photography, easy-to-use foldout maps and top attractions. Convenient and up-to-date with an unbeatable price, this is the guide to carry. (ITL790, $6.99)
 
 
Eyewitness Guide Florence & Tuscany  •   Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  Superbly illustrated, this compact guide shows the neighborhoods, museums, shops and sites of Florence and surroundings in full color. (ITL46, $25.00)
 
 
Eyewitness Guide Italy  •   Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This superb guide features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (ITL32, $30.00)
 
 
Eyewitness Guide Sardinia  •   Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A comprehensive guide to the island of Sardinia, featuring color photography, dozens of excellent maps and a synopsis of the island's attractions. (ITL183, $20.00)
 
 
Eyewitness Guide Umbria  •   Eyewitness Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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)
 
 
Family Chronicle  •  Vasco Pratolini  •  Martha King   • LITERATURE  •  A portrait of two brothers, set against a Florence just after WWII. (ITL479, $12.50)
 
 
Florence Map  •   Borch Maps    •  A detailed, plastic-covered city map of Florence at a scale of 1:7,000. (ITL59, $7.95)
 
 
Florence, The City and its Architecture  •  Richard Goy   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  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)
 
 
Fodor's Exploring Italy  •   Fodor's   • GUIDEBOOK  •  An excellent, up-to-date overview of Italy and its attractions. (ITL73, $22.00)
 
 
Fodor's See It Italy  •   Fodor's   • GUIDEBOOK  •  Fodor's informative guide to touring Italy, notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the country. (ITL550, $24.95)
 
 
The Food of Italy  •  Waverly Root   • FOOD  •  Evocative of Italy and its diverse cuisine, this classic book, organized geographically, offers a cook's tour of the country. It's a well-informed and wonderful culinary guide. (ITL75, $19.95)
 
 
For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys  •  Thomas Urquhart   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  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)
 
 
Frommer's Florence & the Best of Tuscany Day by Day  •  Darwin Porter   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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, $12.99)
 
 
Frommer's Tuscany & Umbria  •  Reid Bramblett   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A practical guide in the popular series, revised annually. (ITL83, $19.99)
 
 
Galileo's Daughter, A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love  •  Dava Sobel   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  The life of Sister Maria Celeste, Galileo Galilei's illegitimate daughter, as told through letters to her father. (ITL176, $16.00)
 
 
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral  •  Robert A. Scott   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  An accessible overview of the medieval cathedral, its history, design and architecture with black-and-white photographs. (EUR190, $17.95)
 
 
Here Is Where We Meet  •  John Berger   • LITERATURE  •  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, $14.00)
 
 
The Hills of Tuscany, A New Life in an Old Land  •  Ferenc Mate   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  A memoir of the author and his wife, a painter, living among farmers in rural Tuscany. Mate's love of Italy, and especially of its food, comes through loud and clear. (ITL155, $15.00)
 
 
Il Postino  •  Michael Radford    •  A shy Italian postman who learns the ways of poetry and romance while delivering mail to the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. (ITL541, $19.99)
 
 
Images & Shadows: Part of a Life  •  Iris Origo   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  The marvelously written, engrossing memoirs of a privileged life, including the accomplished author's efforts to shelter refugees and others during WWII. (ITL442, $16.95)
 
 
In Tuscany  •  Bob Krist  •  Frances Mayes   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  An edition of Maye's warm, anecdotal account of life on her now-restored Tuscan estate, much enhanced by Bob Krist's color photographs. (ITL348, $35.00)
 
 
The Inferno of Dante, A New Verse Translation  •  Dante Alighieri  •  Robert Pinsky   • LITERATURE  •  The celebrated modern translation of Dante's "Inferno." (ITL411, $11.00)
 
 
Innocence  •  Penelope Fitzgerald   • LITERATURE  •  A comic novel set in mid-twentieth century Italy, by the inimitable Penelope Fitzgerald, author of "The Blue Flower". (ITL317, $12.00)
 
 
Insight Guide Italy  •   Insight Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  An illustrated overview of Italy with essays on its attractions, history and culture. (ITL108, $23.95)
 
 
Insight Guide Mediterranean Cruises  •   Insight Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  Covering 120 ports of call throughout the Mediterranean from the Canary Islands to Egypt. (MED94, $22.95)
 
 
Inventing Leonardo  •  A. Richard Turner   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  Turner, a leading art historian of the Renaissance, offers a lively appraisal of the controversial genius. It's an elegant and stimulating book. (ITL79, $22.95)
 
 
Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val D'Orcia  •  Caroline Moorehead   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  In this biography of a privileged Anglo-Italian, Moorehead captures the World War II-era expatriate community in Tuscany, life at D'Orcia, and the accomplishments, both literary and social of the remarkable Marchesa. (ITL441, $19.95)
 
 
Italian Bed & Breakfasts  •   Touring Club Italiano   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A guide to 1,200 places to stay in Italy, from simple rooms to luxurious suites, the heart of Rome to off-the-beaten track. (ITL598, $16.95)
 
 
Italian Cinema, From Neorealism to the Present  •  Peter Bondanella   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A scholarly history modern Italian film. (ITL350, $29.95)
 
 
Italian Days  •  Barbara Grizzuti Harrison   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 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  •   DK Publishing   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  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, $12.95)
 
 
Italian Folktales  •  Italo Calvino   • LITERATURE  •  A treasured collection of 200 lively folk tales presented by none other than the great Italo Calvino, a modern master with great affection for the folkloric traditions of his childhood. (ITL314, $25.00)
 
 
Italian Hours  •  Henry James   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  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, $16.00)
 
 
Italian Indispensables Vocabulary Builder  •   Audio-Forum   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  A short audio program wiith 50 common words and phrases for travelers. (ITL401, $9.95)
 
 
Italian, A Language Map  •  Kristine K. Kershul   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  This durable, foldout card, featuring 1,000 words and phrases, works as a quick reference for travelers. (ITL645, $7.95)
 
 
The Italians  •  Luigi Barzini   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  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  •  Girolamo Arnaldi   • HISTORY  •  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 in Mind  •  Alice Powers   • LITERATURE  •  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, $14.95)
 
 
Italy Map  •   Borch Maps    •  A laminated map at a scale of 1:800,000. (ITL19, $11.95)
 
 
Italy Northeast Map  •   Michelin Travel Publications    •  (ITL72, $11.95)
 
 
Italy, A Short History  •  Harry Hearder   • HISTORY  •  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, $26.99)
 
 
Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion  •  Lawrence Venuti   • ANTHOLOGY  •  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)
 
 
Italy, Charming Small Hotels  •  Fiona Duncan   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A pocket-size guide to unusual places to stay throughout Italy. (ITL92, $19.95)
 
 
Karen Brown's Tuscany & Umbria, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries  •  June Brown  •  Clare Brown  •  Nicole Franchini   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A survey of inns and other lodging of character, along with suggested itineraries and highlights of the region. (ITL768, $19.95)
 
 
Knopf Mapguide, Florence  •   Knopf Guides   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A practical and handy passport-sized guide to the city, featuring fold-out maps. (ITL807, $8.95)
 
 
Leonardo da Vinci  •  Kenneth Clark   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  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 Little Flowers of St. Francis  •  W. Heywood  •   Ugolino  •  Madeleine L'Engle   • LITERATURE  •  Classic tales attributed to St. Francis, divided into 50 vignettes, including the story of the wolf of Gubbio, set along the Franciscan Way. (ITL132, $13.00)
 
 
The Lives of the Artists, Vol 1  •  Giorgio Vasari  •  Julia Conway and Peter Bondanella   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  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)
 
 
Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook  •   Lonely Planet   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  A handy, palm-size phrasebook for the traveler. (ITL531, $8.99)
 
 
Lonely Planet Tuscany & Umbria  •  Damien Simonis   • GUIDEBOOK  •  A practical guide to Tuscany. (ITL233, $19.99)
 
 
Love and War in the Apennines  •  Eric Newby   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  This unassuming memoir of remarkable wartime adventures in German-occupied WWII Italy is perhaps Newby's best book. Escaping a POW camp, he takes refuge with Italian families who hide him from advancing German forces. It's here that he meets Wanda, the love of his life. They marry in 1946. (ITL171, $14.99)
 
 
M, The Man Who Became Caravaggio  •  Peter Robb   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  A masterful biography of the Renaissance painter by the author of "Midnight in Sicily." (ART47, $22.00)
 
 
Mammals of Europe  •  Priscilla Barrett  •  David W. MacDonald   • FIELD GUIDE  •  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, $34.95)
 
 
The Marche  •   Touring Club of Italy   • GUIDEBOOK  •  With over 32 maps and 15 walking and driving tours, this guidebook is great for exploring the area at your own pace. Provides information on historic cities, national parks and natural sites. (ITL859, $18.95)
 
 
Michelin Green Guide Tuscany  •   Michelin Travel Publications   • GUIDEBOOK  •  (ITL139, $21.95)
 
 
Modigliani  •  Doris Krystof   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  This slim illustrated volume showcases Modigliani's distinct colorful style of painting and portraiture in the handsome Taschen style. (ART44, $9.99)
 
 
The Name of the Rose  •  Umberto Eco   • LITERATURE  •  Umberto Eco's masterwork is, among other things, a murder mystery, a riff on the Book of Revelations, and a meticulous recreation of medieval Europe, particularly of Benedictine monastic life in Italy. (ITL413, $15.00)
 
 
The Olive, Tree of Civilization  •  John Train  •  Mark E. Smith   • HISTORY  •  A history of the celebrated vegetable and the mythology behind it. (NAT72, $25.00)
 
 
One-Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy  •  Paolo Lazzarin   • GUIDEBOOK  •  Each charming town gets an appreciative essay and evocative color photographs in this handsome tribute and excellent guide. (ITL546, $45.00)
 
 
Painting in Late Medieval and Renaissance Siena (1260-1555)  •  Diana Norman   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  An illustrated survey of the remarkable, original art of Siena. (ITL698, $42.00)
 
 
The Piero Della Francesca Trail  •  John Pope-Hennessy  •  Aldous Huxley   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A slim guide to the major paintings and frescoes of Piero found across Tuscany and Umbria. Originally published in 1993, this edition includes 52 color illustrations along with Huxley's influential essay on Piero's Resurrection of Christ. (ITL409, $24.95)
 
 
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Italian  •   Pimsleur Language Method   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  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  •  Gene A. Brucker   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  A classic overview of early 15th-century Florence, its architecture, economic and political character, social and cultural life, and development. Revised edition. (ITL695, $21.95)
 
 
Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany  •  Rick Steves   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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, $17.95)
 
 
Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary  •  Rick Steves   • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS  •  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, $7.95)
 
 
The Rise of Christianity  •  Rodney Stark   • RELIGION  •  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, $14.95)
 
 
Romola  •  George Eliot   • LITERATURE  •  George Eliot is best-known for novels of English country life, but in this book she recreates Renaissance Florence. (ITL318, $14.00)
 
 
A Room with a View  •  James Ivory    •  A young woman falls in love and must face the consequences of her privileged upbringing during and after a trip to Florence. (ITL540, $26.99)
 
 
Rough Guide Italy  •  Ros Belford   • GUIDEBOOK  •  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)
 
 
Rough Guide Tuscany and Umbria  •  Jonathan Buckley  •  Tim Jepson   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This comprehensive travel guide includes region-by-region descriptions and a good overview of history and culture. With chapters on Florence and surroundings, Lucca, Pisa, Maremma, Siena, Arezzo, Peruguia, Assisi, Spoleto and Orvieto. (ITL292, $19.99)
 
 
Salvation, Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis  •  Valerie Martin   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  A new and splendid biography of Saint Francis of Assisi. It's a splendid literary accompaniment to Giotto's frescoes in the basilica of San Francesco, Assisi. (ITL282, $13.00)
 
 
Short Stories in Italian, Racconti in Italiano  •  Nick Roberts   • LITERATURE  •  These modern tales in the bilingual series of Penguin Parallell Texts make for good reading in any language. (ITL730, $13.00)
 
 
Siena Map  •   Litographia Artistica Cartographica    •  A very detailed map of Siena, scale 1:7000. (ITL299, $10.95)
 
 
Sienese Painting, The Art of a City-Republic  •  Timothy Hyman   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  An illustrated introduction to Duccio, Lorenzetti and other important Sienese artists from the 13th to the 15th century. Covering the influence of the Black Death, the Fransciscan movement and the importance of local saints, this book in the "World of Art" seris places the art in its hisorical and cultural context. (ITL689, $16.95)
 
 
Sixteen Pleasures  •  Robert Hellenga   • LITERATURE  •  A compelling novel about a young woman who went to Florence to save books after the devastating flood of 1966. (ITL699, $17.00)
 
 
The Stones of Florence  •  Mary McCarthy   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  The classic history of the art, architecture and culture of Florence. Novelist McCarthy takes us on a quick and vivid tour of the history of the Medicis and the city of Florence, focusing on Renaissance art. (ITL15, $14.00)
 
 
The Surprise of Cremona: One Woman's Adventures in Cremona, Parma, Mantua, Ravenna, Urbino, and Arezzo  •  Edith Templeton  •  Anita Brookner   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • OUT OF PRINT  •  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    •  A suspenseful thriller of obsession and jealousy starring Matt Damon and Jude Law, based on the popular mystery by Patricia Highsmith. (ITL542, $14.99)
 
 
Tea With Mussolini  •  Franco Zeffirelli   • LITERATURE  •  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)
 
 
That Fine Italian Hand  •  Paul Hoffman   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT  •  An affectionate -- and insightful -- portrait of a people. (ITL346, $17.00)
 
 
Tilt, A Skewed History of the Tower of Pisa  •  Nicholas Shrady   • HISTORY  •  A breezy history of the Tower of Pisa. (ITL501, $21.95)
 
 
Too Much Tuscan Sun, Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide  •  Roberto Rodi  •  Dario Castagno   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  Castagno's memoirs of his experiences as a tour guide in Tuscany. His ease with and taste for the Chianti region combine to evoke intoxicating images of the much loved Tuscany. (ITL547, $14.95)
 
 
Travelers' Tales Italy  •  Ann Calcagno  •  Jan Morris   • ANTHOLOGY  •  A collection of 48 stories on traveling in Italy and Italian life, featuring the writing of Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Frances Mayes, Jonathan Keates, Stanley Crouch and others. (ITL182, $18.95)
 
 
Travelers' Tales, A Woman's Europe  •  Marybeth Bond  •  Mary Morris   • ANTHOLOGY  •  Visit Europe through the eyes of women writers, including Frances Mayes and Jan Morris. (EUR160, $17.95)
 
 
A Traveller in Italy  •  H.V. Morton  •  Barbara Grizzuti Harrison   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  The much-beloved, enduring account of Morton's ramblings in the temples, tombs and villas of Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia and the Veneto. (ITL417, $25.00)
 
 
A Traveller's History of Italy  •  Valerio Lintner   • HISTORY  •  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)
 
 
A Tuscan Childhood  •  Kinta Beevor   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  A vibrant, rosy-hued memoir of growing up privileged, bohemian and English in Tuscany during the interwar period. (ITL388, $13.95)
 
 
Tuscany FlexiMap  •   American Map    •  A sturdy laminated map of Tuscany for travelers (ITL311, $7.95)
 
 
Tuscany in Mind  •  Alice Powers   • ANTHOLOGY  •  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)
 
 
Tuscany Map  •   Borch Maps    •  A convenient, laminated map of Tuscany, scale 1:400,000. (ITL281, $10.95)
 
 
Two Lives, Reading Turgenev and My House in Umbria  •  William Trevor   • LITERATURE  •  The second of these two Booker Prize-nominated novellas is the beautifully rendered story of an ex-prostitute who settles in Umbria to write romance novels, but whose life is disturbed by local political events. (ITL122, $15.00)
 
 
Umbria Regional Map  •   Touring Club Italiano    •  A detailed map at a scale of 1:200,000. (ITL119, $12.95)
 
 
A Valley in Italy, The Many Seasons of a Villa in Umbria  •  Lisa St. Aubin de Teran   • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  •  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, $13.00)
 
 
The Vinegar of Spilamberto, And Other Italian Adventures With Food, Places, And People  •  Doris Muscatine  •  Alice Waters   • FOOD  •  An account of the author's travels and love of Italy, its food and culture. (ITL662, $15.00)
 
 
Vineyard in Tuscany, Shooting for the Moon  •  Ferenc Mate   • FOOD  •  A loving account of learning (and succeeding at!) the art of wine-making in the Tuscan hills. (ITL883, $24.95)
 
 
World Food Italy  •  Gabriella Cossi  •  Matthew Evans   • FOOD • OUT OF PRINT  •  Take this book along to Italy and eat knowledgeably after taking in the author's explanations of ingredients, regional specialties, classic dishes and methods of preparation. (ITL386, $12.95)
 
 
Worldly Goods, A New History of the Renaissance  •  Lisa Jardine   • HISTORY  •  A history of the influence of commerce on the Renaissance. (ITL173, $19.95)
 
 
 




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