The worlds of Milan and Rome through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and prostitutes, prayer and violence. Graham-Dixon puts the murder of a pimp, Ranuccio Tomassoni, at the centre of his story. It occurred at the height of Caravaggio’s fame in Rome and probably brought about his flight through Malta and Sicily, which led to his death in suspicious circumstances off the coast of Naples. Graham-Dixon shows how Caravaggio’s paintings emerged from this extraordinarily wild and troubled life: his detailed readings of them explain their originality and Caravaggio’s mentality better than any of his predecessors.

    Caterina Riario Sforza was one of the most prominent women in Renaissance Italy—and one of the most vilified. In this glittering biography, Elizabeth Lev reexamines her extraordinary life and accomplishments.Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope’s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy’s political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Rome’s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forlì. Following her husband’s assassination, she ruled Italy’s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy—and an icon’s fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progeny—including Cosimo de Medici—to follow her example to greatness.A rich evocation the Renaissance,The Tigress of Forlì reveals Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler, and a tragic but unbowed figure.

    Everything a busy traveler needs is easy to access: a neighborhood overview, city walks and tours, sights, handy food and accommodations charts, an appendix packed with information on trip planning and practicalities, and a fold-out city map. Included in Rick Steves Pocket Rome: Sights: the National Museum, Palatine Hill, Trajan's Column, Market, and Imperial Forums, Baths of Diocletian, Appian Way, St. Peter-in-Chains, Pilgrim's Tour of Rome, Jewish Ghetto, and Capitoline Museums Walks and Tours: Colosseum Tour, Roman Forum Tour, Night Walk Across Rome, Pantheon Tour, Vatican Museum Tour, St. Peter's Basilica Tour, and Borghese Gallery

    A few months ago, in the dead of night, her husband, an up-and-coming journalist, plunged to his death at the top of a high-rise construction site. The police ruled it an accident. Sanda is convinced it was anything but.Launching her own inquiries, Sanda finds herself on a dangerous trail, working the same case that she is convinced led to her husband's murder. An investigation which is deeply entwined with a series of disappearances that has swept the city, and brings Sandra ever closer to a centuries-old secret society that will do anything to stay in the shadows.

    Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

    His name has become synonymous with cynical scheming and the selfish pursuit of power. Niccolò Machiavelli, Florentine diplomat and civil servant, is the father of political science. His most notorious work, The Prince, is a primer on how to acquire and retain power without regard to scruple or conscience. His other masterpiece, The Discourses, offers a profound analysis of the workings of the civil state and a hardheaded assessment of human nature. Machiavelli’s philosophy was shaped by the tumultuous age in which he lived, an age of towering geniuses and brutal tyrants. He was on intimate terms with Leonardo and Michelangelo. His first political mission was to spy on the fire-and-brimstone preacher Savonarola. As a diplomat, he matched wits with the corrupt and carnal Pope Alexander VI and his son, the notorious Cesare Borgia, whose violent career served as a model for The Prince. His insights were gleaned by closely studying men like Julius II, the “Warrior Pope,” and his successor, the vacillating Clement VII, as well as two kings of France and the Holy Roman Emperor. Analyzing their successes and failures, Machiavelli developed his revolutionary approach to power politics. Machiavelli was, above all, a student of human nature. In The Prince he wrote a practical guide to the aspiring politician that is based on the world as it is, not as it should be. He has been called cold and calculating, cynical and immoral. In reality, argues biographer Miles Unger, he was a deeply humane writer whose controversial theories were a response to the violence and corruption he saw around him. He was a psychologist with acute insight into human nature centuries before Freud. A brilliant and witty writer, he was not only a political theorist but also a poet and the author of La Mandragola, the finest comedy of the Italian Renaissance. He has been called the first modern man, unafraid to contemplate a world without God. Rising from modest beginnings on the strength of his own talents, he was able to see through the pious hypocrisy of the age in which he lived. Miles Unger has relied on original Italian sources as well as his own deep knowledge of Florence in writing this fascinating and authoritative account of a genius whose work remains as relevant today as when he wrote it.

    Some twenty years later he finally visited the island for the first time and, seeing it through the eyes of a chef, he recalls, ‘I was completely blown away. It was so green and gorgeous, the whole island was a garden of wheat and vegetable fields, orange and lemon groves, olive groves and vineyards…’ Now he is producing his own olive oil on the island and the Locatelli family spend a part of every summer there. ‘Sicily has had a big influence on the way I cook,’ says Giorgio. ‘I have always loved simplicity, but there, you have true simplicity. You have no preconceptions, you have a knife and some salt and pepper and then you go out and see what is in the market. It is such a natural way of cooking that makes you feel so free.’ This follow-up book to ‘Made in Italy’ explores the ingredients and history and introduces you to some of the cooks, fishermen and growers that make Sicily what it is, with regional recipes ranging from Insalata di Rinforzo, a famous island salad made with cauliflower, to four kinds of caponata, pasta with anchovies and breadcrumbs, Sicilian couscous, and the celebrated dessert, cassata. ‘When people talk about Sicilian cooking,’ says Giorgio, ‘they always speak about the influences from the Greeks, the Arabs, the Spanish… but I really believe the biggest influence is the land and the sea. They determine the produce, which has stayed the same, throughout all the cultural changes. What grows together, goes together, as my grandmother used to say, and it is the simple combinations of beautiful ingredients that makes Sicilian food special.’

    If he had not invaded Sicily and Naples, we in the north would have the richest and most civilized state in Europe.' After looking cautiously round the room he added in an even lower voice, 'Of course to the south we would have a neighbour like Egypt.''Was the elderly Italian right? The Pursuit of Italy traces the whole history of the Italian peninsula in a wonderfully readable style, full of well-chosen stories and observations from personal experience, and peopled by many of the great figures of the Italian past, from Cicero and Virgil to Dante and the Medici, from Cavour and Verdi to the controversial political figures of the twentieth century. The book gives a clear-eyed view of the Risorgimento, the pivotal event in modern Italian history, debunking the influential myths which have grown up around it.Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive art, civic cultures, identities and cuisine. The regions produced the medieval communes and the Renaissance, the Venetian Republic and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, two of the most civilized states of European history. Their inhabitants identified themselves not as Italians, but as Tuscans and Venetians, Sicilians and Lombards, Neapolitans and Genoese. This is where the strength and culture of Italy still comes from, rather than from misconceived and mishandled concepts of nationalism and unity.This wise and enormously engaging book explains the course of Italian history in a manner and with a coherence which no one with an interest in the country could fail to enjoy.

    Sabina's life changes drastically when she moves to beautiful Florence, where a new humanistic movement is at its artistic peak. She eventually befriends the powerful and intriguing Lorenzo de’ Medici, and begins to frequent the dazzling Medici court where she not only meets talented artists like Botticelli, but also Massimo Reni, whose charms and devilish good looks are hard to resist. This exciting story covers the most incredible period of Florentine history: from the lavish lifestyle of the Renaissance, to the fanatical rule of Savonarola, and finally the strategic restoration of Medici power via Grand Duke Cosimo I, this carefully researched novel will leave you breathless and wanting more.

    With detailed listings of the best hotels, restaurants, bars and shops for all budgets in this fully updated and expanded guide, and insider tips on everything from soaking up the charms of the cafe scene to gaping at the ancient ruins that line the streets, there is in-depth coverage of all Rome's unforgettable sights from the Coliseum to Villa Borghese. "Eyewitness Travel Guide: Rome" includes unique cutaways, floor-plans and reconstructions of the city's stunning architecture, plus 3D aerial views of the best districts to explore on foot. And the new-look guide's indispensible map is so easy-to-use, keep it with the book or remove and use on its own.

     In a city-state known for magnificence, where love affairs and conspiracies play out amidst brilliant painters, poets and musicians, the powerful and ambitious Alfonso d'Este, duke of Ferrara, takes a new bride. Half of Europe is certain he murdered his first wife, Lucrezia, the luminous child of the Medici. But no one dares accuse him, and no one has proof-least of all his second duchess, the far less beautiful but delightfully clever Barbara of Austria. At first determined to ignore the rumors about her new husband, Barbara embraces the pleasures of the Ferrarese court. Yet wherever she turns she hears whispers of the first duchess's wayward life and mysterious death. Barbara asks questions—a dangerous mistake for a duchess of Ferrara. Suddenly, to save her own life, Barbara has no choice but to risk the duke's terrifying displeasure and discover the truth of Lucrezia's death—or she will share her fate.

    She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens and imagine that one day she’ll escape her meager existence and live there surrounded by its otherworldly splendor. Then one day Dante, the son of the villa’s powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside and shows her the enchanting Mermaid Garden. From that moment, Floriana knows that the only destiny for her is there, in that garden, with Dante. But as they grow up and fall in love, their romance causes a crisis, jeopardizing the very thing they hold most dear.Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beau-tiful old country house hotel on England’s Devon coast has fallen on hard times after the financial crash of 2008. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. The man she hires is charismatic and wise and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family and transform the fortunes of the hotel. However, he has his own agenda. Is it to destroy, to seduce, or to heal? Whatever his intentions, he is certain to change Marina’s life forever.Spanning four decades and sweeping from the Italian countryside to the English coast, this new story by Santa Montefiore is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness, and the past revealed.

    79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and rock and leaving them remarkably well preserved for centuries. While Pompeii has been extensively written about and popularized, the remains of its sister city, a smaller yet wealthier community close to the sea, are less widely known. This significant addition to the few available books focusing on Herculaneum is the first major study of the spectacular archaeological findings there since Joseph Jay Deiss' book, published in 1966 and last revised in 1993. It is based on the latest excavation work and incorporates much new material that has revolutionized our understanding of the site. Illustrated with 300 recent color photographs, it is the definitive overview for the general public of what we know and understand about Herculaneum, of what is still unknown and mysterious, and of the potential for future discoveries in both archaeological and political contexts.

    The Complete Short Stories of Natalia Ginzburg brings together in English translation for the first time the eight short stories that Ginzburg wrote between 1933 and 1965.These early works are significant in the context of Ginzburg's wider repertoire. The key themes and ideas occurring therein would come to characterize much of her later work, particularly in terms of her exploration of the difficulties implicit in developing and sustaining meaningful human relationships. Her short stories also provide intriguing insight into the development of her trademark literary style. Including an introduction by the translator and extensive contributions from Alan Bullock, Emeritus Professor of Italian at the University of Leeds, The Complete Short Stories of Natalia Ginzburg encourages a deeper understanding of Ginzburg's life's work and compliments those other collections and individual works which are already widely available in English.

    Ever since her mother died, the sixteen-year-old Italian girl has cared for her rambunctious younger siblings without complaint. Then World War II arrives on her doorstep, leaving her face-to-face with the most terrible evil she has ever witnessed.With the Germans and Americans fighting furiously to control a strategic swath of Italy, Nazi forces seize Benedetta's village, turning her home into a command center--and forcing her beloved father to choose between fleeing or fighting on the front lines.In the midst of great deprivation, Benedetta struggles to feed both her family and the Nazis, all the while keeping her father's whereabouts secret. Yet her blossoming love for a handsome young Italian man hiding in the mountains brings a sliver of joy to her life. But with the Americans advancing and the Germans growing increasingly desperate and cruel, Benedetta knows that one misstep could bring horrible repercussions...and only an extraordinary act of courage can save her family.Revised edition: This edition of To Find a Mountain includes editorial revisions.

    From his modern flat in Florence to the lemon groves of the Amalfi coast, David shares recipes for the local favorites he encounters, including a refreshing Caprese salad with avocado, weeknight chicken breasts with fragrant rosemary and chili flakes, a Sunday meat stew flavored with tomatoes and red wine, and the easy apple-yogurt cake he prepares with his twin daughters.Made in Italy features 140 simple, rustic Italian dishes that any home cook can accomplish—all with David’s signature style. With photographs of gorgeous food and sweeping images of the Italian countryside, this book will inspire cooks across America to bring Italy to life in their own homes.

    Fiat's against-all-odds swoop on Chrysler---masterminded by Sergio Marchionne, the Houdini-like manager who saved Fiat from its own near-collapse in 2005 - has made the automaker one of the most unlikely winners of the financial crisis. Mondo Agnelli is a new book that looks at the chain of unpredictable events triggered by the death of Gianni Agnelli in 2003. Gianni, the charismatic, silver-haired power broker and style icon, was the patriarch who had lead the company founded by his grandfather in 1899. But Gianni's own son had committed suicide. Without a mature heir, the dynasty and Fiat were rudderless. Backed by Gianni's closest advisors, his serious, shy, and determined grandson John plucked Marchionne from obscurity. Together, they saved the family company and, inadvertently, positioned Fiat as a global trailblazer when the global storm hit.A classic story of ingenuity and hard work, the book portrays a business dynasty that triumphed over adversity and family tragedy because of its own smarts, sweat, and ability to bend the rules A an engaging tale for those interested in the stories behind the economic crash, the book contains never-before reported material about how Fiat succeeded in making Chrysler profitable where both Daimler AG and Cerberus, its previous owners, had failed. A story for a wide audience, from car buffs, business readers, lovers of Italy, and anyone fascinated by the lifestyle of Europe's most glamorous industrial dynasty, this book tells the tale of how Fiat achieved the seemingly impossible -- turning around an American automotive icon everyone else had given up for dead.

    Tables are booked months in advance by diners from around the world who are seeking chef Jacob Kenedy's unique take on Italian cuisine.In "Bocca," Kenedy brings his own brand of Italian regional cooking out of the restaurant and into the home. Kenedy's cooking is simple and delicious, covering the full range of regional specialties: Tuscan porcini soup, Venetian tagliatelle with pigeon ragu, Lazian asparagus and prawn frittata, Sicilian fried mullet, and Neapolitan coffee with zabaione. Organized by food group (pasta, soups, stews, roasts, etc.), with over 200 recipes, this book has been designed by the renowned Caz Hildebrand, best known for her work on Nigella Lawson's books. It includes 250 sumptuous photographs of Italy and Kenedy's delectable dishes.For fans of Andrew Carmellini, Mario Batali, the Frankies (Spuntino), and Giada de Laurentiis, for foodies who must have the next "it" chef's cookbook, and for lovers of great Italian cuisine, "Bocca" will be essential reading.

    And his artistic vision remains palpably present today, through the countless statues, fountains, and buildings that transformed Rome into the Baroque theater that continues to enthrall tourists.            It is perhaps not surprising that this artist who defined the Baroque should have a personal life that itself was, well, baroque. As Franco Mormando’s dazzling biography reveals, Bernini was a man driven by many passions, possessed of an explosive temper and a hearty sex drive, and he lived a life as dramatic as any of his creations. Drawing on archival sources, letters, diaries, and—with a suitable skepticism—a hagiographic account written by Bernini’s son (who portrays his father as a paragon of virtue and piety), Mormando leads us through Bernini’s many feuds and love affairs, scandals and sins. He sets Bernini’s raucous life against a vivid backdrop of Baroque Rome, bustling and wealthy, and peopled by churchmen and bureaucrats, popes and politicians, schemes and secrets.The result is a seductively readable biography, stuffed with stories and teeming with life—as wild and unforgettable as Bernini’s art. No one who has been bewitched by the Baroque should miss it.

    This catalogue focuses on a crucial period in the 1480s and 1490s when, as a salaried court artist to Duke Ludovico Sforza in the city-state of Milan, freed from the pressures of making a living in the commercially minded Florentine republic, Leonardo produced some of the most celebrated—and influential—work of his career. The Last Supper, his two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, and the beautiful portrait of Ludovico's mistress, Cecilia Gallerani (The Lady with an Ermine), were paintings that set a new standard for his Milanese contemporaries. Leonardo's style was magnified, through collaboration and imitation, to become the visual language of the regime, and by the time he returned to Florence in 1500, his status had been utterly transformed.

    Lured by the offer of a simple stone cottage in the remote, mountainous region of western Tuscany, distant from the distractions of her everyday life with Fernando in Orvieto, she sets off for some much-needed solitude. But her plans to live simply, in peace and quiet, are overturned when she meets the imperious, tempestuous Antonia, the still-stunning, elderly matriarch of a large, complicated family of four generations of beautiful blue-eyed Italian women, all with stories and ideas of their own. Antonia dislikes tourists and outsiders, and so Marlena at first spars and clashes with her, before they reach an understanding. Over feasts and family dinners, walking in the dark before sunrise to harvest wild lettuces, preparing meals and exchanging recipes, the two women joust, joke, exchange confidences, and grow closer and closer until finally Antonia reveals the terrible secrets behind the vivid beauty of Il Castelleto. Evocative, powerful, and haunting, this is a compelling insight into Italy's recent past and a revealing glimpse into one extraordinary woman's story and her kitchen.

    . . . This book is essential reading for all concerned with who really wrote the works of Shakespeare. A thrilling journey of discovery." —Sir Derek Jacobi, Shakespearean actor, Associate Artist, Royal Shakespeare CompanyEqual parts literary detective story and vivid travelogue, The Shakespeare Guide to Italy chronicles author Richard Paul Roe’s thirty-year quest to find the locations in which Shakespeare set his ten Italian plays—delivering a text which will forever change our understanding of how to read the Bard of Avon and irrevocably alter our vision of who William Shakespeare really was. More than 150 full-color images illustrate and enhance Roe’s captivating narrative, illuminating his lifelong journey and shining alight into the depths of Shakespeare’s experiences in Italy. Until now,Shakespeare’s use of Italian backdrops—Romeo and Juliet’s Verona, Othello’s Venice, Much Ado About Nothing’s Messina, to name a few—has been the source of controversy and conjecture. With The Shakespeare Guide to Italy,Roe’s meticulous study reveals the secrets that have eluded scholars for centuries.

    These expert travel companions share with you their favorite little-known places including restaurants, cafés, art, architecture, shops, outdoor markets, strolls, daytrips, as well all manner of cultural and historic landmarks. Clothbound, elegant, and pocket-sized, City Secrets Rome features a subtle, non-guidebook design and detailed maps. With over 250 contributors and 400 entries, this curated travel guide is a valuable supplement to any book more devoted to travel basics. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to The American Academy in Rome, a center for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities.

    The Florentine painter Botticelli personifies the Golden Age of the early Renaissance. Best known for The Birth of Venus and Primavera, Botticelli painted with an expressive poeticism that eschewed formal realism. He used line and color to gorgeous effect, creating some of the most beloved and familiar images of all time. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details--allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

    Beyond the rural landscape studded with cypress trees, gently rolling hills and traditional farmhouses that everybody knows, Tuscany is renowned for a remarkable culinary tradition that still exists to this day. Over 150 specially commissioned colour photographs reveal a side of the region and its food that many tourists never experience, providing a unique visual journey around one of the world's best food regions.

    

    She adopts the persona of her dead brother Mark and becomes the protegee of Arthur Wolcott, a famous American expatriate author who discovers Marcia's artistic talent. Wolcott introduces his protegee to wealthy art patrons in Florence, Venice, Paris, and London, including three women who, deceived as to Marcia's sex, fall in love with the captivating artist. Marcia emulates her idol, the great English landscape artist William Turner. As she develops her skills, James Whistler, John Singer Sargent, and Sir Frederic Leighton, the leader of the London art establishment, praise her paintings of Florence and Venice. However, on the eve of her greatest triumph, Marcia's first love returns to threaten her with exposure and scandal. The Flower to the Painter is...an enjoyable read its tone delightful, its subject matter intriguing and it should not disappoint the reader.Alison Steadman, Halfway Down the Stairs

    In the waning years of the 14th century, Fiore dei Liberi was a famed master of this art, whose students included some of the most renowned and dangerous fighting men of his day. Toward the end of his life, Master Fiore preserved his teachings in a series of illustrated manuscripts, four of which have survived to the present day, and have become the basis of a world-wide effort to reconstruct this lost martial art. However, because medieval books were written for an audience with different expectations than the modern readers "how-to" manuals, today's students often have trouble understanding the old swordsman's choices in including, omitting or organizing information as he did. They may see that fighting art was a system, but lack the background to see the systematic instruction of the book itself. In Armizare: The Chivalric Martial Arts System of il Fior di Battaglia, Robert Charrette brings together his experiences as a martial artist and respected 14th century living historian with his skills as a professional author graphic artist to not only take readers on a walking tour of Master Fiore's manuscripts, but into the mindset behind its creation. More than just an interpretation of an old book's contents, this is a tool-kit that reveals Fiore dei Liberi's brilliance as not just a fighter, but as martial arts teacher. Whether a long-time student, a newcomer to the art or a more academic devote of the medieval warrior and his craft, readers will find themselves educated and entertained as a door is opened into another time and place - the training hall of the medieval knight.

    As generous patrons to the likes of Botticelli and Michelangelo, the ruling Medici embodied the progressive humanist spirit of the age, and in Lorenzo the Magnificent they possessed a diplomat capable of guarding the militarily weak city in a climate of constantly shifting allegiances between the major Italian powers.However, in the form of Savonarola, an unprepossessing provincial monk, Lorenzo found his nemesis. Filled with Old Testament fury and prophecies of doom, Savonarola's sermons reverberated among a disenfranchised population, who preferred medieval Biblical certainties to the philosophical interrogations and intoxicating surface glitter of the Renaissance. Savonarola's aim was to establish a 'City of God' for his followers, a new kind of democratic state, the likes of which the world had never seen before.The battle which this provoked would be a fight to the death, a series of sensational events - invasions, trials by fire, the 'Bonfire of the Vanities', terrible executions and mysterious deaths - featuring a cast of the most important and charismatic Renaissance figures.This famous struggle has often been portrayed as a simple clash of wills between a benign ruler and religious fanatic, between secular pluralism and repressive extremism. However, in an exhilaratingly rich and deeply researched story, Paul Strathern reveals the paradoxes, self-doubts and political compromises which made the battle for the soul of the Renaissance city one of the most complex and important moments in Western history.

    Follow Hadrian the Dog of Pompeii amid famous ruins and friendly tourists, and experience the adventure that changed his life. Discover more about Pompeii in the historical sections of the book and the location map. Suitable for all children with a love of animals, and for parents and educators seeking an entertaining way to introduce the subjects of travel, history, archeology, and geography. The Italian text followed by the English translation on every page make the book a fun tool for language students and teachers as well. Fully illustrated. Large print. Ages: 3+

    In her previous books, she has shown us how to make a quick meal with just five ingredients, helped us get dinner on the table in just thirty minutes, and encouraged us to slow down and take it easy in the kitchen while re-creating the rich aromas of Italy. Now Mary Ann returns to her family's humble beginnings to bring us a treasure trove of more than 200 time-honored recipes. They represent traditional, everyday foods that she regards as culinary royalty—always admired, respected, and passed down through generations. Even better, they are easy to make and guaranteed to please. You'll be dog-earing the pages to try such classics as:- Sicilian Rice Balls- Spaghetti with Tuna, Capers, and Lemon- Risotto with Dried Porcini Mushrooms- Lasagna Verdi Bologna Stylegnese- Homemade Italian Sweet Sausage- Veal Cutlet Sorrento Style- Roasted Sea Bass with Fennel, Oranges, and Olives - Almond Cheesecake- Orange-Scented MadeleinesGeorgeously designed with appetizing full-color photographs of recipes and homespun essays about Italian cooking and family traditions throughout, Ciao Italia Family Classics will have fans old and new pulling it off the shelf again and again.

    Some of Rome's quiet corners boast breathtaking views, while others are filled with archaeological or architectural details, from crumbling aqueducts or majestic stone archways, to Renaissance garden follies, frescoed walls, and baroque fountains. Author David Downie and photographer Alison Harris climb the Janiculum-the highest hill within Rome's ancient walled fortifications-and find hidden benches with see-forever views; a church forecourt where Goethe sat and sighed, drinking in the inspiration; and the park of a once-noble villa now luxuriantly overgrown, its long trellises knotted with fragrant wisteria and climbing roses. On the Palatine, they find a narrow lane that passes over the ancient ruins, affording rare glimpses of the Forum and Colosseum, free of charge and with no wait. Beyond the Domus Aurea of Emperor Nero, they discover a sweeping staircase from a century ago and the massive brick remains of a temple to Isis. Even the most intrepid travelers who think of themselves as Rome “insiders” will be surprised when they follow the author and photographer of this guidebook through the Roman labyrinth. Historical anecdotes and quotations from antiquity to the present day are woven throughout the text, bringing Rome alive.

    In 1939, a centuries-old way of life is shattered when Vittorio Palumbo's family seeks to escape poverty by answering their fascist leaders' call to colonize Arab lands in Libya. Only months later, this six-year-old joins several thousand other children back to Italy for forced enrollment in Mussolini's military schools of indoctrination.

    . . Far from the crowds and usual clichés, Florence holds many well-hidden treasures that are revealed only to the city’s inhabitants or travellers who know how to step off the beaten track. An essential guide for those who think they know Florence well or for those looking to discover the hidden side of the city.

    In this remarkable text, Capoferro described and illustrated--in unmatched detail--the use of the rapier alone and with a left-handed dagger, cloak and shield, offering the modern historical fencing student a true wealth of Renaissance fencing theory, form and repertoire.With this book, expert researcher and rapier instructor Tom Leoni offers a full, accurate and accessible English translation of Capoferro’s teachings, complete with high-resolution reproductions of the 43 original illustrations. To make the book even more useful, Tom has included bullet-point synopses of all the actions illustrated by Capoferro, as well as a glossary of rapier-fencing terms with examples referring the reader to how they are used in the text. Also included is a primer on key rapier-fencing concepts and actions, as well as a historical introduction about Capoferro and his extraordinary relevance in the revival of historical martial arts.

    It could be anywhere in southern Europe where people once lived and then moved away because there was no work to hold them there. You might find things scattered in the empty rooms: a bread oven, a broken spade, earthenware jars that still hold the pungent scent of olive oil; even clothes left hanging in a cupboard, a silent clock on a shelf, a picture cut from a newspaper pinned on a wall.The house is remote, but it is surrounded by a tracery of thin paths. One path goes steeply down to a village; others zigzag their way to scattered huts and stone shelters, to caves where you could hide in times of danger and to unexpected lookout points from where you could watch the approach of animals or human intruders.Julia Blackburn and her husband moved to a little house in the mountains of northern Italy in 1999. She arrived as a stranger speaking no Italian, but a series of events brought her close to the old people of the village. They began to tell her stories that made the landscape come alive, repopulating it with their vivid memories. Until quite recently most of them had been mezzadri, half-people who were trapped in an archaic feudal system and owned by a local padrone who demanded his share of all they had - even a pretty wife or daughter. They were eager to talk about the old way of life and about how everything changed with the eruption of the Second World War. This village was at the heart of the conflict between the fascists and the partisans, so they learnt a lot about death and fear and hunger and how men and women could hide like foxes in the mountains. 'Write it down for us,' they said, 'because otherwise it will all be lost.'Thin Paths is a celebration of the songlines of one place that could be many places; it is also a celebration of the humour and determination of the human spirit.

    Lost for five centuries, the painting not only rewrites art history, but takes her on a dark journey through her own subconscious, to meet the man who concealed it hundreds of years before.

    Peter's Basilica. Inspired by this hub of art and historical heritage, Fabrice Moireau, the artist behind some of the other books in this series of cities such as Paris Sketchbook and Venice Sketchbook, presents a timeless collection of watercolour paintings and sketches that will prove equally delightful to those familiar with the city, or discovering it for the first time.

    Goldstein, Choice - "An impressive book that nicely complements existing studies... It deserves a wide audience." - Mike Rosenow, H-Net Reviews - "Bencivenni's superb analysis... ensure[s] that the works of these men and women will have a lasting legacy." - Diane C. Vecchio, Furman University - "A great book that will benefit well-established scholars, newly minted Ph.D.'s, and graduate students." - Caroline Merithew, Italian American Review - "Sheds illuminating light on a part of that history that is often overlooked." - Stefan Bosworth

    But as history tells us, these flanks quickly caved in before the massive Soviet counter-offensive which commenced that November, dooming the Germans to their first catastrophe of the war. However, the historical record also makes clear that one allied unit held out to the very end, fighting to stem the tide—the Italian Alpine Corps.As a result of Mussolini’s disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany, by the fall of 1942, 227,000 soldiers of the Italian Eighth Army were deployed on a 270km front along the Don River to protect the left flank of German troops intent on capturing Stalingrad. Sixty thousand of these were alpini, elite Italian mountain troops. When the Don front collapsed under Soviet hammerblows, it was the Alpine Corps that continued to hold out until it was completely isolated, and which then tried to fight its way out through both Russian encirclement and “General Winter,” to rejoin the rest of the Axis front. Only one of the three alpine divisions was able to emerge from the Russian encirclement with survivors. In the all-sides battle across the snowy steppe, thousands were killed and wounded, and even more were captured. By the summer of 1946, 10,000 survivors returned to Italy from Russian POW camps. This tragic story is complex and unsettling, but most of all it is a human story. Mussolini sent thousands of poorly equipped soldiers to a country far from their homeland, on a mission to wage war with an unclear mandate against a people who were not their enemies. Raw courage and endurance blend with human suffering, desperation and altruism in the epic saga of this withdrawal from the Don lines, including the demise of thousands and survival of the few.Hope Hamilton, fluent in Italian and having spent many years in Italy, has drawn on many interviews with survivors, as well as massive research, in order to provide this first full English-language account of one of World War II’s legendary stands against great odds.

    Among the singular moments in the evolution of Western art, the Venetian Renaissance forged an artistic vocabulary of dazzling virtuosity. Celebrating the poetic potential of color and beauty observed in nature, Venetian painters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries transcended the spatial, textural, and emotional realism of their predecessors to create works unsurpassed in their sensual depictions, velvety surfaces, and unique and glorious treatment of light. Focusing on canonical works from Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum (one of the world's four great imperial museums, along with the Hermitage, the Louvre, and the Prado), this book's lavish illustrations and illuminating essays offer a rich introduction to the treasures of the Venetian Renaissance. Among the spectacular artworks are Mantegna's tortured Saint Sebastian, Titian's enigmatic Bravo (The Assassin) and sumptuous Danae, and a rare group of paintings by the elusive Giorgione, including Portrait of a Young Woman (Laura) and The Three philosophers. The book also includes exemplary works by Veronese, Palma ecchio, Bordone, and Bassano, among others, revealing the full range of Venetian accomplishment in the Renaissance era.

    You're not overwhelmed by it all! Supported by engaging exercises, these 50 units cover all aspects of grammar and vocabulary, giving you a solid foundation in the language. Each unit is three pages in length, and you can expect to be completed with each in 10 to 15 minutes.FeaturesKey grammatical concepts and core vocabulary are absorbed almost effortlessly through exercisesFlexibility for self-study or as a complement to your first-year class

    The real Italy lies here, in the Comino Valley, north of Naples, south of Rome, high in the mountains, surrounded by the Apennine peaks.' Since childhood, Paolo Tullio has returned each year to his hometown of Gallinaro and the immoderate, warmhearted people of his valley, delightfully evoked here. North of Naples, South of Rome encompasses a chaotic wine competition, the Italian cantina, market-day haggling and truffle-hunting, winning a local election, roasting a pig whole, and the scams and the charms of Naples. It looks in disbelief at local bureaucracy, and observes the Catholic Church's relationship to daily life. With fascinating detours on local buildings, history, folklore and fashion, the reader is taken aboard a carousel of picnics, feasts and fireworks, illuminating an unknown and irresistible corner of Italy. 'Less manipulative than Peter Mayle ... a wonderful initiation to the piquant joys of Italian country living ... As reviving as a hot espresso.' - The Sunday Times. 'A genuine warm breeze of Italy blows from these pages.'a - Brian Fallon, The Irish Times. ' ...this book will warm the heart, expand the soul, and can even be used to nourish the body.'a - Image. 'A delightful, often hilarious insight to the Italy of today. If you want to know what makes the real Italy and real Italians tick, do not on any account neglect to read this. You will be intrigued and delighted.'a - Tim Cranmer, Cork Examiner. Tullio brings his home town and the valley stretching beneath alive to us with all their faults, beauty and charm. It deserves to be more widely read than the book the fellow wrote about Provence.'a - Gillian Somerville Large, Irish Independent. 'Colourful, sometimes hilarious, sometimes frustration and pathos filled, this is a fascinating portrayal of family life in and around the little Italian town that has been home to the author and his many relatives for 600 years.' - Marian Curd, The Universe"

    From traditional favorites to little-known delights, this book shows how to make eye-popping, mouth-watering, authentic Italian sweets, including: • Amaretti Morbidi  (Soft Amaretti Cookies) • Pizzelle-Ferratelle  (Italian Waffle Cookies) • Bomboloni alla Crema  (Italian Cream-Filled Doughnuts) • Fiadone Dolce di Ricotta  (Abruzzo Sweet Cheesecake) • Cannoli Siciliani (Sicilian Cannoli) • Cicerchiata-Struffoli  (Italian Honey Balls) • Torta Sette Strati  (Seven-Layer Cake) • Torta Caprese  (Flourless Chocolate Torte) • Fichi allo Zabaione  (Figs with Zabaglione Cream) • Panna Cotta con Gelatina  (Panna Cotta with Jelly) Even if you’re a novice baker, Grace’s Sweet Life guides you through the process of creating amazing delights. With illustrative photos and detailed step-by-step instructions for making complex treats in your own kitchen, this easy-to-use book will enable you to enjoy the labor of love that is Italian dessert.

    

    Today's designers must be clear on all the steps necessary to create work that stands out in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Unfortunately, most design books only focus on type, color, and layout issues. The Design Matters series takes a more in-depth approach, allowing designers to learn not only how to create work that is aesthetically appealing, but also strategy-driven and smart.This compilation features the best of the Design Matters series, indispensable guides to design, in one handy volume. Design Matters focuses on developing, creating and implementing brochure designs, logo designs, packaging, and portfolios. The compendium includes all the essential information needed to execute strong designs in concert with beautiful and well-crafted examples, so that designers can successfully hit the mark every time.

    The first book covers their new town, the neighbors, and of course food and wine; the second, restoring an abandoned thirteenth-century friary and starting a now world-renowned wine estate; the third, the indispensable life lessons they learned along the way. The Mátés' story will inspire us all.

    It was a sport so popular that it created the geography of Italy in the minds of her citizens, and some have said that it was cycling, not political change, that united Italy.Pedalare! Pedalare! is the first complete history of Italian cycling to be published in English. The book moves chronologically from the first Giro d'Italia (Italy's equivalent of the Tour de France) in 1909 to the present day. The tragedies and triumphs of great riders such as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali appear alongside stories of the support riders, snow-bound mountains and the first and only woman to ride the whole Giro.Cycling's relationship with Italian history, politics and culture is always up front, with reference to fascism, the cold war and the effect of two world wars. The sport is explored alongside changes in Italian society as a whole, from the poor peasants who took up cycling in the early, pioneering period, to the slick, professional sport of today. Scandals and controversy appear throughout the book as constant features of the connection between fans, journalists and cycling.Concluding with an examination of doping, which has helped to destroy what was at one time the most popular sport of all, Pedalare, Pedalare is an engrossing history of a national passion.

    Drawing on more than 40 years of experience traveling and eating in Italy, Andrews explores every region, from Piedmont to Puglia, and provides the fascinating origins of dishes both familiar and unexpected. This gloriously photographed keepsake depicts an ingredient-focused culture deeply rooted in rural traditions, in which even the most sophisticated dishes derive from more basic fare. With 230 sumptuous recipes highlighting the abundant flavors of the land, all set against the backdrop of Andrews vivid storytelling and Hirsheimer's evocative images, this luxe package is sure to delight home chefs and lovers of Italian food alike.

    This largest known temple of the Roman Empire, dedicated to Venus Felix, carrier of good fortune, was recently renovated and is back better than ever!Get all the details on how to be a "Savvy Traveler"--in the chapter including handy info such as Getting Around, Useful Phrases, and a Brief History--and be perfectly prepared to experience the best day trips and tours in one of the world's most amazing cities.Star ratings for all hotels, restaurants, and attractions clue readers in on great finds and valuesPocket size, plus full color throughout with hundreds of photos and dozens of maps-- all at an affordable priceIncludes tear-resistant foldout map in a handy, reclosable plastic walletFoldout front cover, with at-a-glance maps and quick-reference infoMore than 1 million copies sold

    There, she discovers an ancient Benedictine monastery that accommodates travelers, and she decides to stay there, among the monks. Everything in her life turns upside down when she falls for Brother Anthony Lamberti, a soft-spoken Italian completely different from the men she knows in New York. Together Madeline and Anthony find love for the first time, and learn that life and love always find a way. When her sister dies, a new life for Madeline begins. A new life that she would never have imagined and yet is perfect for her in every way.

    827 to the Norman conquest in A.D. 1070. It is first the detailed study in English covering the various aspects of this 243-year period. It incorporates new Arabic sources and draws upon archaeological studies that hitherto have not been used. The book covers the political, social, economic, demographic, and cultural impacts that during this period forever changed the islands character. All aspects of society underwent change, making Sicily part of the Arabo-Muslim world for more than two hundred years. The book also examines Sicilys relations with Muslim Spain, the Byzantine Empire, southern Italy, and North Africa. A History of Muslim Sicily brings to light a history of the island that rarely has been known outside Italy. It therefore is an important contribution to American and European scholarship, and it fills the gap in the general history of medieval Europe and the Middle East/North Africa.

    As a phrase it has come to sum up the Golden Age of stylish sophistication in Italy that spanned the years 1958 to 1964. This glorious period was also marked by a rise in celebrity culture and with it the emergence of paparazzi photographers. All the big movie stars, from Kirk Douglas, Clark Gable, Tony Curtis and John Wayne to Jayne Mansfield and Brigitte Bardot were candidly snapped as they visited Rome or vacationed in Positano. Like a magnet, Italy drew the beautiful people of the period to its playground shores and there they were captivated by its "sweet life" of plenty. Text in English, German & Italian.

    The volume offers anecdotes, in-depth and practical information, updated in annually revised editions. Illustrated with 310 colour photos, 40 drawings and maps, reconstructions of ancient monuments, and accompanied by a map of Rome centre and a detailed map of the Vatican City.

    (A. Hitler) The base for this book was a midterm paper entitled “Broadcasts in Fascist Italy” written during author's postgraduate studies of communicology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The university professors and the editorial staff of the “Communication Manager” quarterly magazine described it as a thorough scientific paper and noted that “... it tackles a theme that lacked proper scientific attention in the region. The books and sources used are mostly foreign (Italian) which gives a special value to the evaluated paper; the paper is significant also for the facts and data it contains which are mostly less known to our academia. The theses in the paper are coherent with the general scientific positions and opinions in regard to the topic in question” The book is the first publishing project of the Serbian PR Society; the book’s value was recognized by the entire membership. The original edition of the book “Mussolini’s Microphone” is a part of the official, additional, curriculum at the University of Belgrade. This is the first book in both Serbia and the wider Balkan and Adria region to deal with the subject of the use of radio as a propaganda tool during the regime of the Italian fascists.

    The south of the country hosts two other major mafias: the Camorra from Naples and its hinterland, and the 'Ndrangheta, the mafia of Calabria. In this book John Dickie studies Italy's less well known - but equally dark - brotherhoods of crime.

    And, indeed, maskers of all ranks—nobles, clergy, imposters, seducers, con men—could be found mixing at every level of Venetian society. Even a pious nun donned a mask and male attire for her liaison with the libertine Casanova. In Venice Incognito, James H. Johnson offers a spirited analysis of masking in this carnival-loving city. He draws on a wealth of material to explore the world view of maskers, both during and outside of carnival, and reconstructs their logic: covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history. This vivid account goes beyond common views that masking was about forgetting the past and minding the muse of pleasure to offer fresh insight into the historical construction of identity.

    Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. Titles in this series include lectures, compiled sketches, and chronological discourses on Greece, Rome, and other early European and African civilisations. The collection also has a selection of physical and classical geography texts. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Holmes, Thomas Rice Edward; Caesar, Caius Julius; 1899. xliii, 846 p.; 8 . 9041.h.7.

    This book scrutinizes the ambivalent and shifting attitudes toward the movement held by the major Italian political parties and the State, caught up as they were in an ambitious project to build a new nation out of the ruins of Fascism and the Second World War. Using a wide array of texts, Cooke bridges the gap between historical and cultural studies and shows how Italian politics, history, and culture have interacted over the long term. Fusing historical and cultural analysis, this is a unique contribution to our understanding of modern Italy.

    Can he steal a magic feather from the back of the terrifying feathered ogre who eats tasty boys and girls for his supper? Part of our new Illustrated Reading Series, designed to make reading alone a pleasure for early, confident and advanced readers. This title targets early readers with simple sentences, carefully chosen vocabulary and exciting storylines to give new readers a head start.

    Seasonal. Inspired. A father of New American cuisine and mentor to chefs like Bobby Flay, Jonathan Waxman introduced a new generation to the pleasures of casual food by shining a spotlight on seasonal produce. Now, in Italian, My Way, he shares the spontaneous and earthy dishes that made him a Top Chef Master and culinary legend, and turned his restaurant Barbuto into a New York destination. Waxman’s rustic Italian food is accessible, delicious, and a joy to prepare. It’s food you cook for friends and family with music in the background and a glass of wine in hand—fresh ravioli with pumpkin and sage, chicken al forno with salsa verde, a blueberry crisp. Italian, My Way gives you the confidence to transform simple ingredients into culinary revelations and create bold and robust flavor without a lot of fuss. You’ll make the perfect blistered-crust pizza and spaghetti alla carbonara, the creamiest risotto with sweet peas and Parmesan, and an unforgettable grilled hanger steak with salsa piccante. Waxman breaks down the culinary lessons of Italy into plain English, helping you sweat less in the kitchen and enjoy cooking more. After all, simpler recipes mean less time planning meals—and more time enjoying them. As chef Tom Colicchio writes in his foreword, “This is food that is meant to be made in your home. Cook it with love and for your family and friends. That’s Italian, Jonathan’s way.”

    For over two and a half millennia, the combat arts of Europe served the hoplite, gladiator, legionnaire, knight, duelist, boxer and wrestler on the battlefield, in the duel, as street defense and in the ring. Interest in these traditions has grown dramatically over the last twenty years, bringing together a unique combination of fighters and scholars in the quest to resurrect and preserve this proud heritage of fighting lore. The Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW) was founded in 1999 as a way for the students of these martial arts to meet, train, exchange research, and lay the foundation for an enduring Western martial arts community. In the Service of Mars, Volume One is both a compilation of some of the most popular and detailed lectures and class notes from WMAW's first decade, and a record of the growth of the Western martial arts community in depth and breadth over the same time. But it is not only a "best-of" anthology; most of the inclusions here are substantially different from the form in which they first appeared in the WMAW event guides. The contributions in this book have been substantially revised, expanded, and photo-illustrated, coming as close to recreating an actual class in the subject as the written word can ever replicate a physical discipline. From armoured axe combat to the elegant and swift rapier; the wrestling of Germany to the swordplay of the Scots Highlander, In the Service of Mars contains something new for every student of the Western martial arts, providing hours of training, food for thought, and a chronicle of the community's growth over the last decade.