Packed with photographs, illustrations and maps the Eyewitness Travel to Italy has mapped out all of the remarkable flavors of Italy. Use this guide to help you decide where to stay, eat, relax, and shop. Every page in the Eyewitness Travel to Italy has pinpointed the highlights of each fascinating region. Annually revised and updated Beautiful new full-color photos, illustrations, and maps Includes information on local customs, currency, medical services, and transportation Consistently chosen over the competition in national consumer market research

    Each novel in this wholly addictive, entirely magical series, set in Sicily and starring a detective unlike any other in crime fiction, blasts the brain like a shot of pure oxygen. Aglow with local color, packed with flint-dry wit, as fresh and clean as Mediterranean seafood — altogether transporting. Long live Camilleri, and long live Montalbano.” A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window American readers were first introduced to Sicily’s inimitable Inspector Salvo Montalbano more than ten years ago. Since then, the detective—and his characteristic mix of humor, cynicism, compassion, and love of good food—has won the affection of crime fiction aficionados and Italophiles alike. With Andrea Camilleri’s last two mysteries appearing on the New York Times bestseller list, it’s clear that interest in the series is at an all time high. Now, Death in Sicily features the Inspector’s first three adventures in one handy volume, offering new readers just the enticement they need to get started.

    People expected painting, sculpture, architecture, and other forms of visual art to have a meaningful effect on their lives, " write the authors of this important new look at Italian Renaissance art. A glance at the pages of Art in Renaissance Italy shows at once its freshness and breadth of approach, which includes thorough explanation into how and why works of art, buildings, prints, and other kinds of art came to be. This book discusses how men and women of the Renissance regarded art and artists as well as why works of Renaissance art look the way they do, and what this means to us. It covers not only Florence and Rome, but also Venice and the Veneto, Assisi, Siena, Milan, Pavia, Padua, Mantua, Verona, Ferrara, Urbino, and Naples -- each governed in a distinctly different manner, every one with its own political and social structures that inevitably affected artistic styles. Spanning more than three centuries, the narrative brings to life the rich tapestry of Italian Renaissance society and the art works that are its enduring legacy.

    Under his discerning eye, we learn about the food, wines, local bakeries, olive oil distilleries, cheeses, markets, restaurants, and best kept secrets of Italy's culinary world. Lovingly drawn portraits of the people who make world-famous regional specialties, and local history make each village, town, and city come alive.

    In the seventy years from 1432 to 1502, some 17,000 men--in a city of only 40,000--were investigated for sodomy; 3,000 were convicted and thousands more confessed to gain amnesty. Michael Rocke vividly depicts this vibrant sexual culture in a world where these same-sex acts were not the deviant transgressions of a small minority, but an integral part of a normal masculine identity.In 1432 The Office of the Night was created specifically to police sodomy in Florence. Seventy years of denunciations, interrogations, and sentencings left an extraordinarily detailed record, which Rocke uses to its fullest in this richly documented portrait. He describes a wide range of sexual experiences between males, ranging from boys such as fourteen-year-old Morello di Taddeo, who prostituted himself to fifty-seven men, to the notorious Jacopo di Andrea, a young bachelor implicated with forty adolescents over a seventeen-year period and convicted thirteen times; same-sex "marriages" like that of Michele di Bruno and Carlo di Berardo, who were involved for several years and swore a binding oath to each other over an altar; and Bernardo Lorini, a former Night Officer himself with a wife and seven children, accused of sodomy at the age of sixty-five. (Mortified, he sent his son Taddeo to confess for him and plead for a discreet resolution of his case.) Indeed, nearly all Florentine males probably had some kind of same-sex experience as a part of their "normal" sexual life.Rocke uncovers a culture in which sexual roles were strictly defined by age, with boys under eighteen the "passive" participants in sodomy, youths in their twenties and older men the "active" participants, and most men at the age of thirty marrying women, their days of sexual frivolity with boys largely over. Such same sex activities were a normal phase in the transition to adulthood, and only a few pursued them much further. Rather than precluding heterosexual experiences, they were considered an extension of youthful and masculine lust and desire. As Niccolo Machiavelli quipped about a handsome man, "When young he lured husbands away from their wives, and now he lures wives away from their husbands." Florentines generally accepted sodomy as a common misdemeanor, to be punished with a fine, rather than as a deadly sin and a transgression against nature. There was no word, in the otherwise rich Florentine sexual lexicon, for "homosexual," nor was there a distinctive and well-developed homosexual "subculture." Rather, sexual acts between men and boys were an integral feature of the dominant culture.Rocke roots this sexual activity in the broader context of Renaissance Florence, with its social networks of families, juvenile gangs, neighbors, patronage, workshops, and confraternities, and its busy political life from the early years of the Republic through the period of Lorenzo de' Medici, Savonarola, and the beginning of Medici princely rule. His richly detailed book paints a fascinating picture of a vibrant time and place and calls into question our modern conceptions of gender and sexual identity.

    8 x 9 1/2" with 245 pages. - If ever a cookbook embodied the essence of a time and a place this is that book. On every page and with every recipe, this book is a celebration of food and its preparation. It also recounts the tales of a family and describes the safe haven that they found around the dinner table, where they took refuge from life's hectic pace, joined together to share the outstanding moments of their daily lives. - From tangy dips and sauces, and hearty soups and stews, to pastas, main dishes, and desserts, this collection, easy to prepare, and a pleasure to serve every day or on special occasions. With menu ideas, wine suggestions, tips, plus author's stories and reminiscences.

    The author traces the artist's development from the penetrating psychological studies of his early portraits to his mature depictions of nudes, which were to become icons of femininity.

    It concentrates on the evidence provided by portraits, reliefs, wall-paintings, architecture and decorative arts. The catalogue entries describe more than 180 works, and seven essays-by Natalie Kampen, Klaus Fitschen, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Susan Treggiari and others-discuss gender theory, portraits of empresses and princesses, the portrayal of women as goddesses and women's roles in society, the home, literature and artistic patronage.

    On her sixth birthday, Julietta's grandfather gives her one of his beautiful homing pigeons and tells her a story of his experience raising and training doves in Italy during the Great War.

    New photography and archival pictures trace the development of the Bulgari style, a distinctive look that has captivated royalty, movie stars, and others for more than a century. Since its start in Rome in 1884 - and throughout its years of expansion through shops from Los Angeles to New York, from Madrid and Athens to Jeddah and Hong Kong - the Bulgari firm has launched trends and revivals. In this volume, detailed chapters examine a range of successful innovations such as the easy-to-wear everyday jewels made with precious gems, the powerful modular units combined in repeating patterns, and the recent trademark Bulgari wristwatches.

    Traces the Italian designer's rise to success in the world of fashion and features photographs and sketches of some of his creations.

    They assume the role of the saint in today's society, since it is presumed that they, rarefied by their own madness, do not suffer like everyone else". (Alda Merini). "In these pages, everything that is touched, even the most painful theme, is transformed into poetry. Every word is a key that finds organ pipes ready to amplify and sublimate the desperation. It's like finding one's self in front of a phenomenon of unconscious lyric power". (Ambrogio Borsani, from the Afterword).

    During the heyday of right-wing violence between 1969 and 1980, street aggressions, attacks, and murders were commonplace. These bloody episodes were assumed to be the work of fanatical bands of political soldiers and urban warriors loosely controlled by secret services and other covert groups, which used them as part of a strategy of tension pursued in domestic and international circles. Franco Ferraresi here acknowledges that these rightist groups were in fact permitted a certain amount of freedom, and even in some cases actually aided, in the hope that revulsion at terrorist tactics would have the effect of mobilizing public opinion in favor of existing political arrangements. However, he also studies the extent to which they operated as autonomous units, while he carefully considers the political heritage, the doctrines, and the ideology that motivated them.With the decline of violent activity on both extremes of the political spectrum in the early 1980s, the theory and practice so comprehensively discussed by Ferraresi seemed to have entered a dormant stage. Ferraresi, however, places in context the recent resurgence of neo-fascist forces in Italy, and of the so-called New Right throughout Europe, together with the rise of fundamentalism in many parts of the world.

    Lacking dignity, unity, and a clear image during the Republic, the urban image of Rome became focused under the control of Augustus, who transformed the city physically and conceptually. This book explores for the first time the motives for urban intervention, methods for implementation and the socio-political context of the Augustan period, as well as broader design issues such as formal urban strategies and definitions of urban imagery.

    But Genoa was also one of medieval Europe's major centers of trade and commerce. In Genoa and the Genoese, 958-1528, Steven Epstein has written the first comprehensive history of the city that traces its transformation from an obscure port into the capital of a small but thriving republic with an extensive overseas empire. In a series of chronological chapters, Epstein bridges six centuries of medieval and Renaissance history by skillfully interweaving the four threads of political events, economic trends, social conditions, and cultural accomplishments. He provides considerable new evidence on social themes and also examines other subjects important to Genoa's development, such as religion, the Crusades, the city's long and combative relations with the Muslim world, the environment, and epidemic disease, giving this book a scope that encompasses the entire Mediterranean. Along with the nobles and merchants who governed the city, Epstein profiles the ordinary men and women of Genoa. Genoa and the Genoese, 958-1528 displays the full richness and eclectic nature of the Genoese people during their most vibrant centuries."A milestone in medieval Italian history. . . . This book is a must read for specialists of medieval and early modern Italy, and highly recommendable to anyone interested in the period.--Sixteenth Century Journal"A learned and intriguing book. . . . It is necessary reading for anyone interested in getting a better view of the historical evolution of the European economy and polity.--Journal of Economic History"Genoa's history is notoriously intricate, but Steven Epstein has produced order out of chaos; this is a work of lasting value, thoughtful, scholarly, and also readable.--David Abulafia, Cambridge University "Genoa and the Genoese holds the promise of becoming the history of medieval Genoa in the foreseeable future.--Benjamin Z. Kedar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem In this comprehensive history of Genoa, Steven Epstein traces the city's transformation from an obscure port into the capital of a small but thriving republic with an extensive overseas empire. His story bridges six centuries of medieval and Renaissance history, interweaving political events, economic trends, social conditions, and cultural accomplishments. Profiling the ordinary men and women of Genoa as well as the nobles and merchants who governed the city, Epstein captures the full richness and eclectic nature of the Genoese people during their most vibrant centuries.

    Phrases are alphabetized according to each one's key word for quick reference.

    This study traces the work of the school in the paintings of French, British, German, Belgian and Danish artists, and its culmination in the Italian paintings of Corot.

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    The choices range from the seafood of the rocky coast to the rich meats from inland, and the fabulous herbs and vegetables, cheeses, breads and desserts that are everywhere. Geography and history are responsible for such exotic accents as saffron -- Sicily's is the finest in the world -- and almonds, jasmine and honey.Here, then, are recipes for lamb cooked with saffron and artichokes, sweet peas with mint, calamari sutffed with pasta, tuna in a vinegar sauce, and gelato scented with jasmine. Bugialli also offers photo essays on Palermo's tumultuous Vucciria, one of the world's outstanding food markets; local festivals; tuna fishing off the coast of Sicily; and the baking of the ancient bread called "carta da musica."The glorious photography was made on location, with ancient ruins, fishing boats, rugged landscapes, cathedrals, village streets and bustling markets providing the settings for the food.

    An eight-page color insert captures the savory appeal of nearly 150 recipes and the very spirit of the region itself in evocative portraits.

    Yet Southern Italy in the ninth and tenth centuries was a complex and vibrant world that deserves to be better understood. In "Before the Normans," Barbara M. Kreutz writes the first modern study in English of the land, political structures, and cultures of southern Italy in the two centuries before the Norman conquests. This was a pan-Meditteranean society, where the Roman past and Lombard-Germanic culture met Byzantine and Islamic civilization, creating a rich and unusual mix.