Ultimately it is the story of all immigrant families and the hope and sacrifice that took them from the familiarity of the old world into the mysteries and challenges of the new.

    In Tuscany celebrates the abundant pleasures of life in Italy as it is lived at home, at festivals, feasts, restaurants and markets, in the kitchen and on the piazza, in the vineyards, fields, and olive groves. Combining all-new essays by Frances Mayes and a chapter by her husband, poet Edward Mayes, with more than 200 full-color photos by photographer Bob Krist, each of this book's five sections highlights a signature aspect of Tuscan life:La Piazza--the locus of Italian village life. With photgraphs of the shop signs, the outdoor markets, medieval streets, people, their pets and their cars, and snippets of conversations overheard, Mayes reveals the life of the Piazza in her town of Cortona as well as out-of-the-way places such as Volterra, Asciano, Monte San Savino, and Castelmuzio.La Festa--the celebration. Essays and photos of feasts and celebrations, such as the Christmas dinner for twenty-seven at a neighbor's house and a donkey race around the church at Montepulciano Stazione, illustrate how the Tuscans celebrate the seasons--their open ways of friendship, their connection to nature, and most of all, their sense of abundance.Il Campo--the field. Here Edward Mayes evokes the deep sense of the shift of seasons as he picks olives before he and Frances head off to the olive oil mill and enjoy the first bruscette with new oil.La Cucina--the kitchen. An intimate view of the all-important role of the kitchen in Tuscan culture, including photographs of her own kitchen and gardens, menus from great local cooks, the elements of the Tuscan table, dishes with cultural and culinary notes on each, and, of course, delectable recipes.La Bellezza--the beauty. From the quality of the light falling on sublime landscapes in different seasons and Tuscan faces in moments of laughter to a silhouette of cypress trees in the early evening and a wild bird perched on a neigbor's head, In Tuscany features views of beauty that reveal the singular splendor of one of the world's best-loved and most artistic regions.

    It is a traveller's book, geographically arranged but wandering at will from the past to the present, evoking not only contemporary landscapes and sensations but also the characters, the emotions and the tumultuous events of the past. The first such work ever written about the Venetian ‘Stato da Mar’, it is an invaluable historical companion for visitors to Venice itself and for travellers through the lands the Doges once ruled.

    This classic insider's account has been updated and supplemented with rare photographs from the LRDG collection in the Imperial War Museum.

    This edition contains four new cultural collages which trace four topics, such as "The City", up to the present day. An accompanying audiotape for instructors is also available.

    Carefully devised routes lead the traveler away from the crowds, through labyrinthine alleyways to deserted squares, lively markets, and treasure-filled churches.

    It was a city every bit as vicious as ancient Rome, as lofty as Athens, as uninhibited as Sodom and Gomorrah. Poets, soldiers, artists, popes, courtesans - all played their part in Florence's towering tragi-comedy.This drama was reflected and depicted by three men of genius: Dante, politician and poet; Giotto, artist, architect and wit; and Boccaccio, adventurer and writer. Dante held high office at the time when Florence's affairs - bitterly chronicled in his Divine Comedy - were at their bloodiest and most violent, and tried, unavailingly and tragically, to divert the city's disaster course. Giotto, whose concerns were paint and stone rather than politics, never suffered from Florentine savagery - his life and work reflect rather the city's liberality, magnificence, comedy; its lavish way of life and its passionate love of art. But it is left to Boccaccio, youngest of the trio, standing on the threshold of the Renaissance, to reveal in The Decameron Florence's rampant sensuality, from the elegant and luxurious to the outrageously bawdy.Drawing on contemporary anecdotes, and later Italian writers, Timothy Holme has written an absorbing account of the men and women of medieval Florence, and in particular of the three giants, Dante, Giotto and Boccaccio. Very different in temperament, their fortunes were closely entwined; Dante wrote of Giotto; Boccaccio hero-worshipped Dante; Giotto painted Dante; Boccaccio portrayed Giotto in his Decameron. And all three were involved in that extraordinary, turbulent city - the Florence of the Middle Ages.

    Modigliani's art covers a vast field, from religious drawings to sculpted caryatids, beautiful in their intensity of expression and perhaps the most avantgarde aspect of his work; many examples are described and illustrated, together with their preparatory drawings.

    The material is arranged thematically, offering the reader a comprehensive review of the idea and practice of slavery in ancient civilization. In addition, a thorough bibliography for each chapter, as well as an extensive index, make this a valuable source for scholars and students.

    Fodor's Essential Italy takes the guesswork out of choosing the perfect Italian experiences by compiling the top choices chosen by Fodor's Italy-based experts. EXPANDED COVERAGE: Fodor's Essential Italy provides thorough, insightful coverage of the highlights of this beloved European destination. Dozens of scintillating new reviews are sure to entice first-time and even repeat visitors to hotels and restaurants scattered throughout Rome, Venice, and Florence. ILLUSTRATED FEATURES: The visual impact of hundreds of lively images throughout the guide is doubly enhanced by ten in-depth, magazine-style articles highlighting Italy's top attractions, including Rome's imperial ruins; Tuscan wine country; Venice's Grand Canal; a Who's Who of Renaissance Art in Florence; the Sistine Chapel Ceiling; the frescoes at the Basilica of St. Francis; villas by the great Palladio; and more. INDISPENSABLE TRIP PLANNING TOOLS:  The major attractions of the big three---Rome, Venice, and Florence---are given at-a-glance treatment, alongside top itineraries, "Best Bets" for restaurants and lodging, and what to do whether on your own or with the kids. Our user-friendly "Experience" chapter helps travelers plan the most memorable trip, cueing them in to "Top Attractions," "Top Experiences," "Italy Today," "What's New," and a multitude of useful information. Easy-to-scan recommendations run the gamut from alfresco dining in Venice to the art treasures of Florence; how to trek the Cinque Terre; and where to find the best beaches along the Amalfi Coast. DISCERNING RECOMMENDATIONS: Fodor's Essential Italy offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. INCLUDES: Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Umbria. PULLOUT MAP: Handy take-along maps of Rome and Venice provide added value, giving travelers essential information about top attractions, walking tours, and nearby dining so they can travel with confidence. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts.

    Here it gains even greater prominence as the poet attempts to find catchholds and constancies in an unstable world, finally to accede to 'precariousness the muse of our time.'

    James Gregor contends, to the contrary, that Italian Fascism has much in common with an inclusive class of developmental revolutionary regimes.Originally published in 1980.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

    --antiqbook.com

    The author traces the rise of a new attitude to classical antiquity, an attitude which became noticeable in the late 13th century but which came fully of age in the first half of the 15th century with humanists such as Poggio and Flavio Biodon. The book covers the period 1300 to 1527.