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Sicily is the Key to Everything

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Books for

Athens to Rome

Essential Reading

Item EXMED480. Buy these 4 items as a set for $72 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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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)

The Fires of Vesuvius, Pompeii Lost and Found

The Fires of Vesuvius, Pompeii Lost and Found

by Mary Beard

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

With the panache of a gifted classicist, Mary Beard (Wonders of the World) conjures daily life in celebrated Pompeii, not only demolishing with particular relish the many myths that have grown up around the place but also emphasizing the limits of our knowledge. Some things we simply shall never know for certain. (ITA46, $17.95)

Mediterranean Explorer

Mediterranean Explorer

by Ocean Explorer Maps

  • 2006
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

This handy color map of the Mediterranean from Spain to the Black Sea and the Levant puts ancient sites and historic ports into context. With notable people, a timeline and descriptions of dozens of places across the classical world, this map serves equally well for Mediterranean and Black Sea cruises. (MED89, $11.95)

Blue Guide Sicily

Blue Guide Sicily

by Ellen Grady

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 479 PAGES

This in-depth guide to Sicily's ancient history and archaeology features detailed maps and site plans. (ITL125, $26.95)

 
Companion Guide Sicily

Companion Guide Sicily


by Raleigh Trevelyan

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

This comprehensive, serious-minded guide to the architecture, art and culture of Sicily, combines descriptions of the major attractions with Trevelyan's many anecdotes and references to writers over the ages who have been enchanted by the island of Sicily. (ITL04, $34.95)

Fodor's Rome's 25 Best

Fodor's Rome's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

This shirt-pocket guide includes a map of the city and essential information on its highlights. (ITL112, $11.99)

Frommer's Amalfi Coast with Naples, Capri & Pompeii


by Bruce Murphy

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 344 PAGES

A comprehensive, practical guide to the region with excellent recommendations for hotels, restaurants and excursions. With two-color maps throughout. (ITA81, $19.99)

Between Salt Water and Holy Water, A History of Southern Italy

Between Salt Water and Holy Water, A History of Southern Italy


by Tommaso Astarita

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Astarita captures the fanfare, rivalry and changing fortunes of Sicily from antiquity through Norman, Spanish and Bourbon rule to unification and the 20th century. (ITL597, $22.95)

In the Shadow of Vesuvius

In the Shadow of Vesuvius


by Jordan Lancaster

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A sparkling portrait of Naples from its volcanic origins to its lively present. Lancaster's cultural history explores the city's tumultuous past, its spirited inhabitants and the mythical allure that's drawn so many travelers to its siren song. (ITL969, $16.95)

On Persephone's Island

On Persephone's Island


by Mary Taylor Simeti

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1986
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Strong on the delights of rural life, Simeti's portrait of Sicily takes the form of a yearlong journal, capturing the spirit of the people, daily life, traditions and the land. (ITL03, $14.95)

Sicily, Three Thousand Years of Human History

Sicily, Three Thousand Years of Human History


by Sandra Benjamin

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 498 PAGES

With clarity and authority, Benjamin traces the rich legacy of the Greeks and Romans, Vandals and Goths, Arab traders, Normans, Bourbons and others who have contributed to the multi-faceted history of the kingdom of Sicily. (ITL731, $19.95)

The Ancient Mediterranean

The Ancient Mediterranean


by Michael Grant

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 374 PAGES

Grant explores the realms of archaeology, geography, art and economics to sketch this classic portrait of the ancient world, from prehistory through the Roman Imperium, and the influence on western civilization. (MED10, $20.00)

The Greek Cities of Magna Graecia and Sicily

The Greek Cities of Magna Graecia and Sicily


by Fausto Longo | Lorena Jannelli | Luca Cerchiai

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 288 PAGES

An engaging history of the Western Greek colonies in Sicily and southern Italy in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., featuring 240 magnificent color illustrations, maps and a site-by-site review of major archaeological sites. (ITL751, $45.00)

The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World

The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World


by John Boardman

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 446 PAGES

Diverse scholars, including Robin Lane Fox, Peter Levi, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray contribute to this well-illustrated overview of classical Greek history, literature, art, philosophy, architecture, religion, government and daily life. (GRE428, $29.95)

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World


by Jasper Griffin | Oswyn Murray | John Boardman

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 456 PAGES

Diverse scholars contribute chapters to this authoritative, illuminating overview of history, art, society and life of Roman and the Roman world. With maps, drawings and illustrations throughout. (ITA127, $35.00)

The Sicilian Vespers, A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century

The Sicilian Vespers, A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century


by Steven Runciman

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 355 PAGES

A spellbinding history of the 13th-century Kingdom of Sicily. The massacre of the French at Palermo, known as the Sicilian Vespers, is the springboard for the author's sweeping depiction of the Mediterranean in the late 1200s. (ITL295, $25.00)

The Tomb of Agamemnon

The Tomb of Agamemnon


by Cathy Gere | Mary Beard

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES

An enlightening brief guide to the archaeological site (a fortified hill in the Peloponnese at Mycenae), its history and current scholarship on the Bronze Age. (GRE252, $19.95)

Herculaneum: Italy's Buried Treasure

Herculaneum: Italy's Buried Treasure


by Joseph Jay Deiss

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 222 PAGES

An artful and wonderfully written description of daily life of the Romans at the time of the destruction of Herculaneum. (ITL41, $19.95)

Dinner with Persephone

Dinner with Persephone


by Patricia Storace

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 398 PAGES

The pleasures and complexities of contemporary Greece, marvelously described by an American poet spending a year there. Storace intertwines her own perceptions with the history of the country and the influence of pop culture on the classical landscape. (GRE28, $15.95)

Greene on Capri, A Memoir

Greene on Capri, A Memoir


by Shirley Hazzard

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

This book is ultimately a memoir about the author's friendship with Graham Greene, but there's plenty of commentary of Capri's history and culture for those seeking a flavor of the place. (ITL440, $15.00)

Italian Journey, 1786-1788

Italian Journey, 1786-1788


by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe | W.H. Auden | Elizabeth Meyer

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 498 PAGES

"Sicily is the key to everything" is only one of Goethe's many astute observations included in this Penguin Classics edition of his journals and letters from his grand tour of southern Italy. (ITL144, $18.00)

Midnight in Sicily, On Art, Food, History, Travel and La Cosa Nostra

Midnight in Sicily, On Art, Food, History, Travel and La Cosa Nostra


by Peter Robb

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Combining interviews, research and essays on Sicilian history and culture, this vivid report by journalist Peter Robb is a superb introduction to Italy's glorious, corrupt and troubled south. (ITL74, $18.00)

Sicilian Carousel

Sicilian Carousel


by Lawrence Durrell

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 291 PAGES

Durrell writes with warmth and grace of his journey around the island in the 1950s. (ITL08, $12.00)

A Literary Companion to Travel in Greece

A Literary Companion to Travel in Greece


by Richard Stoneman

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 347 PAGES

Poetry, prose and literature over the ages, arranged geographically with an excellent introduction and commentary. Stoneman artfully weaves together hundreds of short excerpts. (GRE06, $19.95)

The Iliad

The Iliad


by Homer | Robert Fagles

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 704 PAGES

In the excellent Fagles translation -- here presented in a deluxe paper edition -- Homer's Trojan epic hasn't aged a bit in the last 2,700 years. Take it along to Troy and the Aegean. We also carry Fagles's translation of The Odyssey. (Item no. GRE45, $17.00) (GRE173, $17.00)

The Leopard

The Leopard


by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Evoking a lost world of privilege and tradition, Giuseppe Di Lampedusa's memorable tale, set on a rural Sicilian estate during the days of independence, follows the world-weary Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina. A classic, now in a 50th anniversary edition. (ITL11, $16.00)

The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water


by Andrea Camilleri

  • MYSTERY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

The first of 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. If you like the series, it continues in 12 more installments -- and counting. (ITL528, $14.00)

The Volcano Lover, A Romance

The Volcano Lover, A Romance


by Susan Sontag

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 419 PAGES

A steamy and evocative historical novel by social critic Sontag, set in 18th-century Naples. The sweeping story focuses on the British Ambassador to the King in Naples, his passionate and notorious love, and her infatuation with Lord Nelson. (ITL143, $16.00)

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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.