. . but all too well. Confidante of Nostradamus, scheming mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots, and architect of the bloody St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Catherine de Medici is one of the most maligned monarchs in history. In her latest historical fiction, Jeanne Kalogridis tells Catherine’s story—that of a tender young girl, destined to be a pawn in Machiavellian games. Born into one of Florence’s most powerful families, Catherine was soon left a fabulously rich heiress by the early deaths of her parents. Violent conflict rent the city state and she found herself imprisoned and threatened by her family’s enemies before finally being released and married off to the handsome Prince Henry of France. Overshadowed by her husband’s mistress, the gorgeous, conniving Diane de Poitiers, and unable to bear children, Catherine resorted to the dark arts of sorcery to win Henry’s love and enhance her fertility—for which she would pay a price. Against the lavish and decadent backdrop of the French court, and Catherine’s blood-soaked visions of the future, Kalogridis reveals the great love and desire Catherine bore for her husband, Henry, and her stark determination to keep her sons on the throne.

    They could not have been more different, and they would meet only for a short time in 1502, but the events that transpired when they did would significantly alter each man’s perceptions and the course of Western history.In 1502, Italy was riven by conflict, with the city of Florence as the ultimate prize. Machiavelli, the consummate political manipulator, attempted to placate the savage Borgia by volunteering Leonardo to be Borgia’s chief military engineer. That autumn, the three men embarked together on a brief, perilous, and fateful journey through the mountains, remote villages, and hill towns of the Italian Romagna the details of which were revealed in Machiavelli’s frequent dispatches and Leonardo’s meticulous notebooks. Superbly written and thoroughly researched, The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrioris a work of narrative genius whose subject is the nature of genius itself.

    Dozens of Top 10 lists provide vital information on each destination, as well as insider tips, from avoiding the crowds to finding out the freebies, The DK Top 10 Guides take the work out of planning any trip.

    This book is broken down into chapters such as: 'Meat', 'Fish', 'Dolci' and 'Cheese'. Each chapter contains 'masterclasses' on technique, revealing the practical secrets of Italian cooking.

    This fictionalized version of a true story emphasizes the importance of artistic vision and personal resilience. Editorial Reviews In fifteenth century Florence, a contest is announced for the best design of a dome for the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith called Pippo the Fool for his practice of designing peculiar machines and structures, vows to win. No one has been able to figure out how to build a dome of the necessary size. Pippo studies the problem and prepares sketches. The contest judges eliminate him. But he builds a model, and the judges are impressed. However, to his anger, they insist that he work with the sneering, arrogant Lorenzo Ghilberti. Overcoming his pride, Pippo begins. It takes sixteen years to finish—without Ghilberti—but the result is the marvel we can see today. Estrada takes pains to depict Florence with historic thoughtfulness. At the same time, his characters are effectively humorous. Lorenzo is depicted with foolish bravado, while Pippo has youthful arrogance. The detailed watercolor-and-gouache scenes with crowds of citizens are informative as well as attractive; the images of the building in process and finished at last are truly impressive. Notes by both author and illustrator add factual information. Includes a list of resources for those who want to learn more. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

    But until the publication in 2007 of Guy Raffa’s guide to the Inferno, students lacked a suitable resource to help them navigate Dante’s underworld. With this new guide to the entire Divine Comedy, Raffa provides readers—experts in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Dante neophytes, and everyone in between—with a map of the entire poem, from the lowest circle of Hell to the highest sphere of Paradise.Based on Raffa’s original research and his many years of teaching the poem to undergraduates, The CompleteDanteworlds charts a simultaneously geographical and textual journey, canto by canto, region by region, adhering closely to the path taken by Dante himself through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. This invaluable reference also features study questions, illustrations of the realms, and regional summaries. Interpreting Dante’s poem and his sources, Raffa fashions detailed entries on each character encountered as well as on many significant historical, religious, and cultural allusions.

    The recipes included in the book are all very easy to cook, perfect for those with little experience or who are short of time. Throughout there are clever suggestions for how to 'upgrade' a basic recipe alongside ingenious ideas for using up leftovers. These are Antonio's favourite recipes, illustrated with fabulous photography from Alistair Hendy and including several step-by-step sequences.

    Married for political advantage at the age of seven to her six-year-old Hungarian cousin, Joanna saw her brilliant, cultivated world shattered twelve years later by the brutal assassination of her husband. Accused of the murder by her powerful in-laws, Joanna was forced to flee her kingdom and stand trial for her life before the papal court at Avignon on March 15, 1348. The account of how, despite her youth and sex, she triumphed over her enemies, raised an army, and took back her realm makes for one of the most compelling sagas of any age.Joanna went on to rule for a further thirty years, weathering war, plague, and treason to become one of the most powerful and influential leaders in Italy. Dedicated to the welfare of her subjects and realm, she reduced crime, built hospitals and churches, encouraged the licensing of women physicians, and expertly navigated the dangerous complexity of papal politics. Her elegant court became a window on the century, luring some of the most important writers and artists of the period, including Giovanni Boccaccio, author of the The Decameron, and Francesco Petrarch. Her reign rivaled that of Elizabeth I in power and scope - until the violence and treachery of the medieval world ultimately betrayed her.As she did in her acclaimed Four Queens, Nancy Goldstone takes us back to the turbulent Middle Ages, and with skill and passion brings fully to life one of history's most remarkable women. Her research is impeccable, her eye for detail unerring. From the pageantry and splendor of the royal court to the ferocity of the battlefield and the intricacy of medieval politics, The Lady Queen paints a captivating portrait of medieval royalty, and reclaims the life of a woman notorious throughout history for a crime she did not commit.

    One artist falls in love with a local Orkney woman and leaves a token of his love in the chapel. It is still there today and, until now, no-one has ever known its true meaning . . .

    Amanda takes us to the very heart of a region where the splendour of the scenery is more than matched by the warmth and charm of the people.Along the way we are invited to share Amanda's own story: the holiday that led to a love affair, which in turn inspired her to trade a glamorous fashion career in Florence for bare feet, a bikini and a beautiful man in the jewel-like town of Positano. We follow Amanda as she becomes a mother, business owner, and bona fide local, before finally making the decision to return to Australia.Beautifully photographed by Carla Coulson, My Amalfi Coast is a warm and intimate account of one of the world's most spectacular coastal regions, and of a culture that knows how to appreciate the things that truly matter in life.

    She was known as Aradia, and by the titles The Beautiful Pilgrim, and The Holy Strega. But was Aradia a real person, and is there any true basis for her legends? Pagan scholar Raven Grimassi explores this and many other questions in this new revised edition (greatly expanded from the 1981 published version of The Book of the Holy Strega).The Book of the Holy Strega is a seminal work that brings together historical and folkloric sources. Grimassi delivers a ground-breaking view of the misconceptions of “historical witchcraft” and presents a refreshing approach to understanding how fantasy became regarded as fact. Revealed in this one volume is the role of the Church in distorting witchcraft and promoting its contrived vision for political purposes.Discover the truth about the denied culture of the witch. Examine the elements that joined together to form the witches’ gospel. The journey of exploration in the sub-culture of the witch is well guided in this pioneering text.Grimassi reveals his own hand in assembling the published versions of the Book of the Holy Strega, and he provides the reader with an overview of the evolution of these writings. Here you will see the gospel of the witches through the eyes of those who have honored it in the past, and how it continues to speak to each new generation.

    This nuts-and-bolts guide to building Italian-style walks the reader through all the elements that make the rustic Italian home so unique, from the hand-laid stone walls to the artisanal stucco wall finishes. Author Elizabeth Minchilli, an American design writer based in Rome and Tuscany, received dozens of questions from readers after publishing her last book, Artisan's Restoring a Home in Italy. The queries went beyond the usual searches for fabric and couches. "People were hungry to know how terra-cotta tiles were laid, or how fireplaces were built," she says. Italian Rustic, researched with the help of her Italian architect husband, is the user-friendly result: a book that explains, in clear text accompanied by photographs and drawings, how to lay a tile floor a la Italiana, or add a Tuscan-style pergola to any garden. With more than 300 stunning photographs shot on location in Tuscany and Umbria, the book contains profiles of local artisans, engaging text on how the farmhouse style evolved, and targeted advice on how Americans can find Italian-style building materials and craftsmen close to home. This essential sourcebook will appeal to anyone building an addition or an entire house from scratch, or for homeowners who want to add just a touch of Italian style to their houses.

    Very Good/Very Good in Illustrated Boards; Hard Cover with Clear Plastic Dust Jacket; Folio Oblong; 176 pages; Illustrated End papers; B/W Illustrations and Photographd; Welcome Books; 2009; Later Printing; Introduction by Alice Waters; Preface by Carlo Petrini; Edited by Katrina Fried; Designed by Gregory Wakabayashi; Minor shelfwear; Bump to foredge top corner of boards; text clean and unmarked; Rubbing to DJ.

    Madden presents an intriguing series of lectures based on a fascinating premise: that the United States has more in common with the rising Roman Republic than with the declining Roman Empire.The Tiber and the Potomac explores the amazing parallels between history's two most unusual superpowers. Both nations built empires based on trust, skillfully making friends of enemies. During the course of these lectures, Madden not only reveals these often surprising similarities, but also extracts useful principles from history, including vital lessons from Rome's 100-year struggle with terrorism.

    For each neighborhood, listings are in three categories: 1) dining: restaurants, trattorie, osterie; 2) gourmet shopping: bakeries, markets, salami makers, cheesemongers, and more; 3) wine: shops and wine bars. A dozen or more sidebars add entertaining and informative bits of city lore, culture, customs, quotes, and anecdotes to bring alive the city?s historic culinary richness: the Roman love affair with artichokes; the watermelon festival held for years on August 24, when giant, ripe watermelons would be released into the river upstream and Roman kids would dive into the river to grab them; Lucullus? Kitchen Garden; the Cacio e Pepe Family of Pastas; the cult of the strawberries of Nemi (one of whose devotees was Caligula); Papal cuisine; the Renaissance of Rome?s wines; Holy Water and the Aqueducts; Spring Fever (lamb, favas, artichokes, zucchini flowers); and dozens more.A glossary of essential Roman/Italian food terms helps make shopping, marketing, and eating fun and rewarding. It is illustrated with scores of atmospheric photographs and an overall map of central Rome, plus detailed maps for each of Rome?s nine central neighborhoods, so that readers can find addresses immediately.

    Dr. Isabel Soto is an archaeologist and world explorer with the skills to go wherever and whenever she needs to research history, solve a mystery, or rescue colleagues in trouble. Readers join Izzy on her journeys and gain knowledge about historical places, eras, and cultures on the way.

    He provides a vivid account of this "strange and divine museum of architecture," where Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Norman influences combine to produce monuments of beauty and a unique Sicilian style. In a land then little touched by modern transportation, with and without guides, he traveled by train, boat, horse and foot to reach the places he had set out to see: Palermo and the great cathedral of Monreale; the ancient Greek sites of Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento; Messina and the Aeolian Islands; Catania, Taormina, Syracuse. Maupassant climbs to the top of Vulcano, Mount Etna, and the fortified monastery on Monte Cuccio, and down into the Capuchin catacombs in Palermo and the sulphur mines of Casteltermini. He visits many places that had special aesthetic and poetic importance for him, like the Archaeological Museum of Syracuse and its famous statue of Venus and in Palermo both the Palatine Chapel and Wagner's room in the Hotel des Palmes where the composer wrote the final notes of his last opera, Parsifal. Sicily is edited and translated by Robert W. Berger, an art historian who has published extensively on French art and architecture and on the history of Paris. Introduction, notes, bibliography, map. 25 engravings and photographs. Historical Travel, Paperback.

    It is a place where well-tanned Italians joyfully share the islands beauty with celebrities and emphatic island lovers: from limoncello, the native digestivo, to its eponymous Capri pants, to the bright turquoise jewelry and bejeweled sandals made famous by its glamorous denizens.In a colorful tribute to the isle adored by literary icons and the jet set alike, author Pamela Fiori explains with resonant texts and vibrant images the effortless charm of this fabled island.

    Stationed in Prague during World War II, Marco and Alice become enemies when the United States enters the war, forcing Alice and the children to move from Prague to Rome and finally to Cernobbio in a desperate attempt to flee to Switzerland. Through alternating passages narrated by Alice and daughter Susie, readers shuttle back and forth between war-torn Europe and 1950s Massachusetts to search for answers and unravel the mystery about what really happened to Alice during the war.

    This definitive and important contribution on Federico Fellini chronicles the body of work of one of the most influential and revered directors of all time, and one of Italy’s most important modern cultural icons. It features the great director’s own drawings, sketches, storyboards, notes, and commentary along with behind-the-scenes photographs—both on set and off—and covers each film from the entire span of his career. Largely never before published, the material collected in this lavishly illustrated volume is drawn primarily from the archives of the Fellini Foundation and from the Fellini family’s private collection. This major tribute is certain to be a must-have for any serious cinephile, fan, or student.

    In the course of that century, the city’s convents evolved from small, semiautonomous communities to large civic institutions. By 1552, roughly one in eight Florentine women lived in a religious community. Historian Sharon T. Strocchia analyzes this stunning growth of female monasticism, revealing the important roles these women and institutions played in the social, economic, and political history of Renaissance Florence.It became common practice during this time for unmarried women in elite society to enter convents. This unprecedented concentration of highly educated and well-connected women transformed convents into sites of great patronage and social and political influence. As their economic influence also grew, convents found new ways of supporting themselves; they established schools, produced manuscripts, and manufactured textiles.Strocchia has mined previously untapped archival materials to uncover how convents shaped one of the principal cities of Renaissance Europe. She demonstrates the importance of nuns and nunneries to the booming Florentine textile industry and shows the contributions that ordinary nuns made to Florentine life in their roles as scribes, stewards, artisans, teachers, and community leaders. In doing so, Strocchia argues that the ideals and institutions that defined Florence were influenced in great part by the city’s powerful female monastics.Nuns and Nunneries in Renaissance Florence shows for the first time how religious women effected broad historical change and helped write the grand narrative of medieval and Renaissance Europe. The book is a valuable text for students and scholars in early modern European history, religion, women’s studies, and economic history.

    Many countries had anti-fascist Resistance movements, and Italy's was one of the biggest and most politically radical yet it remains relatively unknown outside of its own homeland.Within Italy many plaques and streets commemorate the actions of the partisans - a movement from below that grew as Mussolini's dictatorship unravelled. Led by radical left forces, the Resistance trod a thin line between fighting their enemies at home and maintaining an uneasy working relationship with the Allies.Essential for courses on World War Two and European history, Tom Behan uses unpublished archival material and interviews with surviving partisans to tell an inspiring story of liberation.

    Elliott Erwitt delves into the heart of this enduring magnetism. With carefulprecision, he lays bare the unflagging spirit of a magnificent metropolis.Undaunted by history, Erwitt portrays the distinctive mix of ancient glory andcasual indifference which is uniquely Roman. With a blend of science andartistry, Erwitt captures forms, textures andathe mark of the true artistaatmospheres.A wonderful addition to the Elliott Erwitt series by teNeues.

    Attracted by the perfect combination of history, art, architecture, superb natural beauty and weather - not to mention magnificent traditions of food and drink - British visitors and residents have been at times so numerous that the local word for foreigners was simply 'gli inglesi' - 'the English'. Currently over 10,000 Britons live there, not to mention the huge numbers who travel there for holidays. What is it that makes this exquisite part of Italy so seductive? To answer this question Alistair Moffat embarks on a journey into Tuscany's past. From the flowering of the Etruscan civilization in the seventh century BC through the rise of the powerful medieval communes of Arezzo, Luca, Pisa and Florence, and the role the area played as the birthplace of the Renaissance, he underlines both the area's regional uniqueness as well as the vital role it has played in the history of the whole of Italy.Insightful, readable and imbued with the author's own enthusiasm for Tuscany, this book includes a wealth of information not found in tourist guides, and is the only modern history of the area available in English.

    Dazzling listeners with the transformative power of her performances and the sparkling wit of the music she composed for more than a dozen court theatricals, Caccini is best remembered today as the first woman to have composed opera. Francesca Caccini at the Medici Court reveals, for the first time, how this multitalented composer established a fully professional musical career at a time when virtually no other women were able to achieve comparable success. Suzanne Cusick argues that Caccini’s career depended on the usefulness of her talents to the political agenda of Grand Duchess Christine de Lorraine, Tuscany’s de facto regent from 1606 to 1636. Drawing on Classical and feminist theory, Cusick shows how the music Caccini made for the Medici court sustained the culture that enabled Christine’s power, thereby also supporting the sexual and political aims of its women. A CD of rare recorded samples of Caccini’s oeuvre, specially prepared, further enhances this long-awaited study. In bringing Caccini’s surprising story so vividly to life, Cusick ultimately illuminates how music making functioned in early modern Italy as a significant medium for the circulation of power.

    Elizabeth Horodowich, one of the leading historians of the city, tells the whole story, showing that Venice, alongside Florence and Rome, was one of the great Renaissance capitals. The book will also investigate the history of Venice as a multicultural trading city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together at the crossroads between East and West. The narrative runs all the way to the present to the current problems with the sinking island.

    Indiana Jane strikes again: another painting has been salvaged from centuries of decay; another woman artist rescued from oblivion. From the lofty halls of the Uffizi to the attic storerooms of the Pitti Palace, Jane Fortune leads the reader on a quest whose aim is the restoration, recuperation and rediscovery of famous or unknown works by women artists in Florence s museums. In a city of indisputable masters, Fortune opens a window on the trials and triumphs of remarkable women whose lives and works remain an unfamiliar but fascinating part of Florence s cultural heritage. With historical episodes and modern-day milestones, Invisible Women is a celebration of creativity, a protest against indifference, a race against time and a daring dream for the future.

    

    In doing so the book utilizes Caesar's own extant writings and those of his contemporaries.

    It was a deliberate death, accelerated by the desire for a “new beginning.” That new beginning never came, and the world lost an invaluable, complex political, organizational and theoretical heritage.In this detailed and probing work, Lucio Magri, one of the towering intellectual figures of the Italian Left, assesses the causes for the demise of what was once one of the most powerful and vibrant communist parties of the West. The PCI marked almost a century of Italian history, from its founding in 1921 to the partisan resistance, the turning point of Salerno in 1944 to the de-Stalinization of 1956, the long ’68 to the “historic compromise,” and to the opportunity—missed forever—of democratic transformation.With rigor and passion, The Tailor of Ulm merges an original and enlightening interpretation of Italian communism with the experience of a militant “heretic” into a riveting read—capable of broadening our insights into contemporary Italy, and the twentieth-century communist experience.

    Ancient sources reveal that after the Augustan conquest of Egypt, valued commodities from India, Arabia and China became increasingly available to Roman society. These sources describe how Roman traders went far beyond the frontiers of their Empire, travelling on overland journeys and maritime voyages to acquire the silk, spices and aromatics of the remote East.Records from ancient China, early India and a range of significant archaeological discoveries provide further evidence for these commercial contacts. Truly global in its scope, this study is the first comprehensive enquiry into the extent of this trade and its wider significance to the Roman world. It investigates the origins and development of Roman trade voyages across the Indian Ocean, considers the role of distant diplomacy and studies the organization of the overland trade networks that crossed the inner deserts of Arabia through the Incense Routes between the Yemeni Coast and ancient Palestine. It also considers the Silk Road that extended from Roman Syria across Iraq, through the Persian Empire into inner Asia and, ultimately, China.

    Through a series of intriguing examples and clearly explained processes, this new addition to the National Gallery’s popular Closer Look series will draw the reader into the complex issues—not all of them fully resolved—confronted by gallery professionals.

    Dull is not how Paulo describes life in Leonardo’s busy studio. There are floors to sweep, paints to mix, errands to run, and drawings to be made. But there are mysterious events, too. Another apprentice is not all that he seems, and an evening visit to a hospital uncovers some very interesting happenings… Paulo’s diary tells of an exciting moment in Renaissance Italy; it’s a young boy’s insight into a fascinating time and place and his glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s greatest geniuses, as well as a story told from the heart.

    Remarkably, many of these inscriptions are still to be found in situ, on the walls, gates, temples, obelisks, bridges, fountains, and churches of the city. Classicist Tyler Lansford has collected some 400 of these inscriptions and arranged them—with English translations—into fifteen walking tours that trace the physical and historical contours of the city.Each itinerary is prefaced by an in-depth introduction that provides a survey of the history and topography of the relevant area of the city. The Latin texts appear on the left-hand page with English translations on the right. The original texts are equipped with full linguistic annotation, and the translations are supplemented with historical and cultural notes that explain who mounted them and why.This unique guide will prove a fascinating and illuminating companion for both sophisticated visitors to the Eternal City and armchair travelers seeking a novel perspective into Rome's rich history.

    Authors Mario Lupano and Alessandra Vaccari explore and compare a huge range of forgotten archival sources, such as women's glossies, fashion, film and gossip magazines, photo archives, exhibition and commercial catalogues, books, manuals and magazines on tailoring, dressmaking, design and architecture, and corporate and government journals. This abundance of materials is presented in a fluid sequence of image and text that charts the rhythms, rituals and lifestyles of the typical Italian day through the four basic themes of "Measurements," "Model," "Brand" and "Parade." Each section includes texts that highlight the key figures and phases in Italian fashion, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, juxtaposing them with Modernism's broader salient themes and emphasizing the conscious use of glamour in the regime's super-choreographed portrayal of itself. Fashion at the Time of Fascism is further enriched by a thorough iconographic index and a detailed reference list, making the volume a revelation for both general readers and scholars.

    Discover the vibrant regions of Tuscany and Umbria; with full accounts of Tuscany and Umbria's major centres of Florence, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Assisi and Orvieto, complete with coverage of the many smaller towns and villages of Tuscany and Umbria. Fully updated and expanded, guide features detailed coverage of the regions' many sublime landscapes, from the wooded hills and vineyards of Chianti, to the mountains of the Alpi Apuane and lucid accounts of the regions' artistic and cultural attractions. Find detailed practical advice on what to see and do in Tuscany and Umbria, whilst relying on up-to-the-minute recommendations of the best hotels in Tuscany and Umbria, authentic restaurants and bars in Tuscany and Umbria, plus all the insider tips for the best shopping and entertainment options in Tuscany and Umbria, whatever your budget. Explore all corners of Tuscany and Umbria with the clearest maps of any guide.Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria.

    Drawing both on archival material--wills, letters, and manuscript compositions, some presented here for the first time--and on printed writings, Ross gives us an unprecedented sense of educated early modern women's lives.Sponsored and often educated by their learned fathers and other male relatives within a model that Ross terms "the intellectual family," female authors publicized their works within the safety of family networks. These women, including Christine de Pizan, Laura Cereta, Margaret More Roper, Lucrezia Marinella, and Bathsua Makin, did not argue for women's political equality, but they represented and often advocated women's intellectual equality. Ross demonstrates that because of their education, these women had a renaissance during the Renaissance, and that in so doing they laid the foundation for the emancipation of womankind.

    The girl wanders alone through the dark forest and soon spots a curious little house. When she knocks at the door, seven little dwarves welcome her in! Snow White lives happily with them for a time. Then, one day, the evil stepmother learns about the girl's new home. She has evil plans for her stepdaughter.

    Discover the essential list of magnificent museums that should not be missed—still too many to see on one trip!—and stay in irresistible hotels, from centuries-old favorites to sleek, new luxurious hideaways. Tuscany expert, author, and design style-setter Barbara Ohrbach also takes the reader to stylish shops filled with exquisite silks, handmade paper, and jewelry, and to watch artisans at work handcrafting silver and leather. Learn to dine like a Florentine in a chapter devoted to food and wine that includes new restaurants, big and small, and delicious Tuscan recipes. For a soothing respite, this visit also includes the author’s favorite hidden gardens created by the Medici and Corsini, and itineraries in the surrounding hill towns. With an inspiring list of suggested reading and filled with luscious original images by photographer Ovidio Guaita, Dreaming of Florence is the ultimate love letter to this spectacular city.

    Follow Frommer's for an up-close and personal look at Venice's mostculturally rich areas, from famous places to lesser-known gems. Filled with color photos, easy-to-follow maps, clear route directions, and helpfulcommentary, this guide makes it easy to find your way around.Let Frommer's take you to: The history and beauty of the Piazza San MarcoThe Grand Canal, Venice's main "street" and backbone of the cityScenes and sights from Marco Polo's childhoodThe art and artistry of traditional handmade Murano glassand Burano laceLively Rialto markets and the beautiful Rialto Bridge

    He is most famous for having written, in Italian, the first pastoral romance in European literature, the Arcadia (1504). But after this early work, Sannazaro devoted himself entirely to Latin poetry modeled on his beloved Virgil. In addition to his epic The Virgin Birth (1526), which earned him the title of "the Christian Virgil," he also composed Piscatory Eclogues, an innovative adaption of the eclogue form, as well as elegies, epigrams, and a number of shorter works. This volume contains the first complete English translation of all of Sannazaro's poetry in Latin, accompanied by extensive notes.

    Pugliese. A founding member of the Italian Communist Party, Silone took up writing only after being expelled from the PCI and garnered immediate success with his first book, Fontamara, the most influential and widely translated work of antifascism in the 1930s. In World War II, the U.S. Army printed unauthorized versions of it, along with Silone's Bread and Wine, and distributed them throughout Italy during the country's Nazi occupation. During the cold war, he was an outspoken opponent of Soviet oppression and was twice considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature.Twenty years after his death, Silone was the object of controversy when reports arose indicating that he had been an informant for the Fascist police. Pugliese's biography, the most comprehensive work on Silone by far and the first full-length biography to be published in English, evaluates all the evidence and paints a portrait of a complex figure whose life and work bear themes with contemporary relevance and resonance. Bitter Spring, the winner of the 2008 Fraenkel Prize in Contemporary History, is a memorable biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest writers against totalitarianism in all its forms, set amid one of the most troubled moments in modern history.

    Explore the Galgano Monastery, Volterra's Etruscan Gate, Orvieto's Duomo, or relax while wine tasting in Montalcino. You'll get Rick's firsthand advice on the best sights, eating, sleeping, and nightlife, and the maps and self-guided tours will ensure you make the most of your experience. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves Snapshot guide is a tour guide in your pocket.Rick Steves' Snapshot guides consist of excerpted chapters from Rick Steves' European country guidebooks. Snapshot guides are a great choice for travelers visiting a specific city or region, rather than multiple European destinations. These slim guides offer all of Rick's up-to-date advice on what sights are worth your time and money. They include good-value hotel and restaurant recommendations, with no introductory information (such as overall trip planning, when to go, and travel practicalities).

    But they also marveled at the people they saw, both male and female. In an era in which castrati were "rock stars," men served women as cicisbei, and dandified Englishmen became macaroni, Italy was perceived to be a place where men became women. The great publicity surrounding female poets, journalists, artists, anatomists, and scientists, and the visible roles for such women in salons, academies, and universities in many Italian cities also made visitors wonder whether women had become men. Such images, of course, were stereotypes, but they were nonetheless grounded in a reality that was unique to the Italian peninsula. This volume illuminates the social and cultural landscape of eighteenth-century Italy by exploring how questions of gender in music, art, literature, science, and medicine shaped perceptions of Italy in the age of the Grand Tour.

    Alastair Sawday has handpicked forty-six exceptional places to stay–places where attention is lavished on some of the most important things in life: convivial meals, community, a respect for the environment, and a celebration of regional distinctiveness. From the mountainous north, through cypressdotted Tuscany, and on down to the gutsy, colorful south, you’ll discover innkeepers and cooks that have an unmatched passion for Slow Travel and Slow Food, and whose hospitality embody their commitment to the finest accommodations and food. Go Slow Italy celebrates fascinating people, fine architecture, history, landscape, and real food.

    Giorgio Morandi was the real thing. And the retrospective, Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964), at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the second of its size in the United States, with nearly 100 still lifes and a dozen landscapes, is something that anyone in love with painting and its very specific poetry will want to see." This volume presents more than 500 crisp documentary photographs that Gianni Berengo Gardin--winner of the 2008 Lucie Award for Lifetime Achievement--made of Morandi's studio during the course of its legendary move from the artist's home in the center of Bologna to the Museo Morandi. Carlo Zucchini and Silvia Palombi contribute an affectionate conversation about this epic happening on the occasion of Morandi's studio coming home.

    Drawing exclusively on the evidence from urban Rome up to the age of Constantine, the book analyzes the pagan, Jewish, and Christian concepts of "god" along the lines of space, time, personnel, function, iconography and ritual.

    One of them, the political thinker Antonio Negri, spends his days writing. Among his writings are twenty letters addressed to a young friend in France letters in which Negri reflects on his own personal development as a philosopher, theorist and political activist and analyses the events, activities and movements in which he has been involved. The letters recount an existential journey that links a rigorous philosophical education with a powerful political passion, set against the historical backdrop of postwar Italy. Crucially, Negri recalls the pivotal moment in 1978 when the former prime minister of Italy, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigades, and how the institutions then pinned that killing onto him and his associates.Published here for the first time, these letters offer a unique and invaluable insight into the factors that shaped the thinking of one of the most influential political theorists of our time and they document Negri’s role in the development of political movements like Autonomia. They are a vivid testimony to one man’s journey through the political upheavals and intellectual traditions of the late 20th century, in the course of which he produced a body of work that has had, and continues to have, a profound impact on radical thought and politics around the world.

    Mary Ann Esposito knows that the genius behind great Italian cooking is the simple philosophy of using just a few quality ingredients to create something delicious. In Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, she shows home cooks how to make that philosophy work for them so that they can save time and money without sacrificing flavor. With seventy five authentic Italian recipes--from antipasti to pastas, main courses and desserts -Esposito draws on the Italian culinary tradition of simplicity in the kitchen to create such effortless and tasty dishes as:- Prosciutto di Parma, Fontina and Fig Wraps- Spicy Soppressata Tartlets- Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs- Pistachio Dusted Pork Chops- Oven-Poached Halibut with Shallots and Fennel- Escarole Salad with Mustard Dressing- Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Banana Tartlets- Buttermilk Panna Cotta Infused with VanillaWith Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, Mary Ann Esposito serves up a surefire way to please family and friends with easy recipes that are quick and delicious.