Here's a page from Longitude, the specialty bookseller for travelers. To order online, and to see the latest, most comprehensive selection of books and maps, go to http://reading.longitudebooks.com/E73219. You may also call 800-342-2164 to order or request a catalog.

These 5 items are available for $83, including U.S. shipping, a 15% discount (Item no. EXITL544)

Eyewitness Guide Italy  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2010 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 674 PAGES • BEST SELLER Another gem in the Eyewitness series, this superb guide is handsome, convenient and up-to-date; it's the guide to carry. Featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (ITL32, $30.00)
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind  •  Beppe Severgnini CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • BEST SELLER Hugely popular in Italy, this witty guide to the Italian character addresses the apparently never-ending Italian passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. An Italian journalist, Severgnini opens with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, taking the unwary reader firmly by the hand on a journey to Milan,Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia. He hilariously points out Italian rituals and quirks from the highway to hotels, bedrooms, restaurants, the office and beach. (ITL718, $12.95)
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)
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)
Italy Map  •  Borch Maps 2006 •  MAP • BEST SELLER 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)

Fodor's Florence's 25 Best  •  Fodor's   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map and essential information on the city's highlights, including sightseeing, restaurants and shopping. (ITL140, $11.95)
Fodor's Rome's 25 Best  •  Fodor's   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This shirt-pocket guide includes a map of the city and essential information on its highlights. (ITL112, $11.99)
Fodor's Venice's 25 Best  •  Citypack   • GUIDEBOOK  •  This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map of the city center and essential information. (ITL106, $11.99)
Made in Italy, A Shopper's Guide  •  Laura Morelli   • GUIDEBOOK  •  The second edition of Morelli's expert survey of handcrafted Italian shops and products from Murano glass to ceramics, jewelry and leather. (ITL473, $24.95)
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)
Biba's Italy  •  Biba Caggiano   • FOOD  •  Ms. Caggiano focuses on regional, seasonal food in this omnibus cookbook (featuring 100 recipes), menu planner and travel guide to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice. Nicely produced, this handsome sepia-toned book includes recommended restaurants, cafes and markets in each city. (ITL777, $29.95)
The Tuscan Year, Tuscan Life and Food in an Italian Valley  •  Elizabeth Romer   • FOOD • FAVORITE  •  An intimate portrait of life on a Tuscan farm as seen primarily through the robust food and a Longitude favorite. Romer captures the goings-on in the countryside, and especially in the Cerotti kitchen, where traditional Tuscan rural food is prepared with loving care. Every chapter includes concisely described recipes. (ITL131, $14.00)
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)
La Bella Lingua  •  Dianne Hales   • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • NEW  •  Signed Book Plates. Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazze, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir and cultural primer. Brava, Signora! (ITA26, $24.95)
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 Renaissance, A Short History  •  Paul Johnson   • HISTORY  •  The history, background, literature, sculpture, paintings and architecture of the Renaissance in just over 200 lively, thought-provoking pages. (ITL774, $14.00)
The World of Venice  •  Jan Morris   • HISTORY • FAVORITE  •  Morris displays her talent for research, anecdote and well-wrought prose in this spirited history of a beloved city. (ITL12, $16.00)
Brunelleschi's Dome, How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture  •  Ross King   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  The story of the design and construction of the dome in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, a tale rife with politics, cut-throat competition and mighty inspiration. (ITL410, $15.00)
Italy, Monuments Past and Present  •  R.A. Staccioli   • ARCHAEOLOGY  •  This informative volume shows Italy's most important monuments as they look today and, via overlaid illustrations, as they were once upon a time. The book surveys the history and archeological highlights of Pompeii, Rome and Sicily. (ITL455, $22.50)
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling  •  Ross King   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  Presented with flair and backed by a wealth of research, King's captivating chronicle of Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel tells the story of its conception and creation. (ITL464, $17.00)
St. Peter's  •  Keith Miller  •  Mary Beard   • ART & ARCHITECTURE  •  Miller traces in enthusiastic, succinct detail the evolution of St. Peter's from its original incarnation, built on the orders of Emperor Constantine, to its medieval rebirth and additions by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Maderno in this history, guide and celebration of the great baroque basilica. One in a growing series of marvelous Wonders of the World publsihed by Harvard University Press. (ITL886, $19.95)
The Search for Ancient Rome  •  Claude Moatti   • ARCHAEOLOGY • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE  •  This pocket-sized portrait of Rome and its archaeology features hundreds of color photos and paintings, a chronology and history. (ITL18, $12.95)
Four Seasons in Rome  •  Anthony Doerr   • TRAVEL NARRATIVE  •  Anthony Doerr captures the romance and challenge of living abroad in this lyrical memoir. Invitingly subtitled "On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World," this short, sweet book reels you in, demanding to be read in one bemused sitting. (ITL840, $14.00)
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)
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)
The Italian Lover  •  Robert Hellenga   • LITERATURE  •  A novel of food, romance and Florence, Hellenga's exhilarating sequel to The Sixteen Pleasures finds Margot Harrington overseeing the production of a film based on her experiences in the first installment. (ITL892, $14.99)
The Patience of the Spider  •  Stephen Sartarelli  •  Andrea Camilleri   • LITERATURE  •  Book number eight in Camilleri's series, starring the world-weary, earthy -- and now aging not so gracefully -- Inspector Montalbano (made into a wildly popular television series in Italy). (ITL826, $14.00)
The Shape of Water  •  Andrea Camilleri   • MYSTERY  •  The first installment in Camilleri's wildly popular Inspector Montalbano mysteries, nicely translated and shot through (pun intended) with not just memorable characters but also with Sicilian lore and politics. The series continues in eight best-selling installments, including The Patience of the Spider (ITL826, $13.00), which finds Montalbano aging not so gracefully but still animated by wine and women. (ITL528, $14.00)