What can possibly be said about Italy that hasn't been already? Primarily, that you can enjoy it too! Refreshingly relate-able in a genre previously populated by wealthy expats and Hollywood stars, this book chronicles an ordinary family taking an extraordinary trip, and most importantly, paves the way for you to take one of your own! With hilarious wit and fast-paced narrative, Brady thrills with honest commentary on what a “trip of a lifetime” actually feels like, and most endearingly, he succeeds in convincing you that not only should you take a similar one, but that you will! Within a few pages you'll be visualizing panoramic Tuscan vistas and breaking open the piggy bank, laughing as you turn the pages and dreaming of your own escape.

    Road to Valor is the inspiring, against-the-odds story of Gino Bartali, the cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and secretly aided the Italian resistance during World War II.     Gino Bartali is best known as an Italian cycling legend: the man who not only won the Tour de France twice, but also holds the record for the longest time span between victories.  During the ten years that separated his hard-won triumphs, his actions, both on and off the racecourse, ensured him a permanent place in Italian hearts and minds.   In Road to Valor, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali’s journey, starting in impoverished rural Tuscany where a scrawny, mischievous boy painstakingly saves his money to buy a bicycle and before long, is racking up wins throughout the country.  At the age of 24, he stuns the world by winning the Tour de France and becomes an international sports icon.   But Mussolini’s Fascists try to hijack his victory for propaganda purposes, derailing Bartali’s career, and as the Nazis occupy Italy, Bartali undertakes secret and dangerous activities to help those being targeted.  He shelters a family of Jews in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings and is able to smuggle counterfeit identity documents hidden in his bicycle past Fascist and Nazi checkpoints because the soldiers recognize him as a national hero in training.    After the grueling wartime years, Bartali fights to rebuild his career as Italy emerges from the rubble.  In 1948, the stakes are raised when midway through the Tour de France, an assassination attempt in Rome sparks nationwide political protests and riots.  Despite numerous setbacks and a legendary snowstorm in the Alps, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog comes back and wins the most difficult endurance competition on earth.  Bartali’s inspiring performance helps unite his fractured homeland and restore pride and spirit to a country still reeling from war and despair.   Set in Italy and France against the turbulent backdrop of an unforgiving sport and threatening politics, Road to Valor is the breathtaking account of one man’s unsung heroism and his resilience in the face of adversity.  Based on nearly ten years of research in Italy, France, and Israel, including interviews with Bartali’s family, former teammates, a Holocaust survivor Bartali saved, and many others, Road to Valor is the first book ever written about Bartali in English and the only book written in any language to fully explore the scope of Bartali’s wartime work.  An epic tale of courage, comeback, and redemption, it is the untold story of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century.

    Its breathtaking architecture, art, and opera ensure that Venice remains a perennially popular destination for tourists and armchair travelers alike. Yet most of the available books about this magical city are either facile travel guides or fusty academic tomes. In Venice, renowned historian Thomas F. Madden draws on new research to explore the city's many astonishing achievements and to set 1,500 years of Venetian history and the endless Venetian-led Crusades in the context of the ever-shifting Eurasian world. Filled with compelling insights and famous figures, Venice is a monumental work of popular history that's as opulent and entertaining as the great city itself.

    Ingredients are left to shine. . . . So, if on your visit, I hand you an apron, your work will be easy. We’ll start with primo ingredients, a little flurry of activity, perhaps a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and soon we’ll be carrying platters out the door. We’ll have as much fun setting the table as we have in the kitchen. Four double doors along the front of the house open to the outside—so handy for serving at a long table under the stars (or for cooling a scorched pan on the stone wall). Italian Philosophy 101: la casa aperta, the open house.” —from the Introduction   In all of Frances Mayes’s bestselling memoirs about Tuscany, food plays a starring role. This cuisine transports, comforts, entices, and speaks to the friendly, genuine, and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life. Both cooking and eating in Tuscany are natural pleasures. In her first-ever cookbook, Frances and her husband, Ed, share recipes that they have enjoyed over the years as honorary Tuscans: dishes prepared in a simple, traditional kitchen using robust, honest ingredients.             A toast to the experiences they’ve had over two decades at Bramasole, their home in Cortona, Italy, this cookbook evokes days spent roaming the countryside for chestnuts, green almonds, blackberries, and porcini; dinner parties stretching into the wee hours,  and garden baskets tumbling over with bright red tomatoes.             Lose yourself in the transporting photography of the food, the people, and the place, as Frances’s lyrical introductions and headnotes put you by her side in the kitchen and raising a glass at the table. From Antipasti (starters) to Dolci (desserts), this cookbook is organized like a traditional Italian dinner.             The more than 150 tempting recipes include: ·         Fried Zucchini Flowers ·         Red Peppers Melted with Balsamic Vinegar ·         Potato Ravioli with Zucchini, Speck, and Pecorino ·         Risotto Primavera ·         Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Sausage ·         Cannellini Bean Soup with Pancetta ·         Little Veal Meatballs with Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes ·         Chicken Under a Brick ·         Short Ribs, Tuscan-Style ·         Domenica’s Rosemary Potatoes ·         Folded Fruit Tart with Mascarpone ·         Strawberry Semifreddo ·         Steamed Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Sauce   Frances and Ed also share their tips on stocking your pantry, pairing wines with dishes, and choosing the best olive oil. Learn their time-tested methods for hand rolling pasta and techniques for coaxing the best out of seasonal ingredients with little effort.             Throw on another handful of pasta, pull up a chair, and languish in the rustic Italian way of life.

    But it's never that simple, especially when old family ties have been strained by years of geographic and emotional distance. A chance encounter with a childhood friend brings back a betrayal she could never put to rest, and readjusting to life in the States in upper mid-life wears her thin in ways she never could have imagined. Just when Meryl feels she can't go on, Providence steps in and gives her permission to completely fall apart. Only then can she finally manage to grieve both her magnanimous, flawed Francesco and the unforgettable country she left behind.True Vines traverses the manicured rows of northern Italy's majestic wine country and the winding path of Pennsylvania's Delaware River as Meryl seeks to reconcile her past and her present. Several people on each side of the Atlantic guide her as she relives her own stories: a spirited sister-in-law, a petulant physician, a strong-willed landlady, a good-guy boss, a determined mother-in-law, an amazing flood survivor, a Senegalese English student, a young co-worker. Each recollection and encounter deepens Meryl's insight into how to make peace with her new reality.Saying goodbye to one existence allows Meryl to swing the door open to another as she weaves a new, uniquely beautiful tapestry that transports her to exactly the place in this short, sacred life she is meant to be.

    The sheer number and proximity of works of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Florence can be so overwhelming that Florentine hospitals treat hundreds of visitors each year for symptoms brought on by trying to see them all, an illness famously identified with the French author Stendhal.While most guidebooks offer only brief descriptions of a large number of works, with little discussion of the historical background, Judith Testa gives a fresh perspective on the rich and brilliant art of the Florentine Renaissance in An Art Lover’s Guide to Florence. Concentrating on a number of the greatest works, by such masters as Botticelli and Michelangelo, Testa explains each piece in terms of what it meant to the people who produced it and for whom they made it, deftly treating the complex interplay of politics, sex, and religion that were involved in the creation of those works. With Testa as a guide, armchair travelers and tourists alike will delight in the fascinating world of Florentine art and history.

    Brilliant in its interpretation of the 16th-century master's paintings, this monumental biography of Titian draws on contemporary accounts and recent art historical research and scholarship, some of it previously unpublished, providing an unparalleled portrait of the artist, as well as a fascinating rendering of Venice as a center of culture, commerce, and power. Sheila Hale's Titian is destined to be this century's authoritative text on the life of greatest painter of the Italian High Renaissance.

    She draws effortlessly upon influences ranging from Dante to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the authority of her presentation makes the world she’s created come alive. A wonderfully action-packed ride through the lush landscape of Renaissance Italy." Starred Review, Publishers Weekly The King’s Agent is based loosely on the life of Battista della Palla-a patriotic plunderer, a religious rogue-of the 16th century, a lifelong friend to the great Michelangelo. As the cloistered ward of the Marquess of Mantua, Lady Aurelia is a woman with a profound duty, and a longing for adventure. In search of a relic intended for the King of France, Battista and Aurelia cross the breathtaking landscape of Renaissance Italy. Clues hide in great works of art, political forces collide, secret societies and enemies abound, and danger lurks in every challenge, those that mirror the passages of Dante's Divine Comedy. It is an adventurous quest with undercurrents of the supernatural, powers that could change the balance of supremacy throughout Europe.

     He is separated from his family at the age of ten and placed alone on an ocean liner in the Bay of Naples- sacrificed for his parent's dream of a better life.  In Italy Antonio runs through the fields, works on his family's farmland, and roasts chestnuts over the fire in the evenings with his grandmother.  But his parent's goal was to rise from the impoverished life they were living.  They found a way to do this but it would mean parting with their eldest child.  They did the unthinkable, and thus begins the journey of this young boy's life.

    He examines the extraordinary personal relationships that millions of Italians had with Mussolini, explores the religious dimensions of totalitarianism, and discusses why the 'cult of the Duce' still resonates in contemporary Italy. Fascist Voices is a fresh and disturbing look at a country in thrall to a charismatic dictator.

    Following the success of Two Greedy Italians, Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo embark on a journey to explore Italy's distinct and varied terrains, and to find out how these have shaped the produce and, in turn, the peoples and their traditions. Containing over 80 mouth-watering recipes and breathtaking photography, Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy showcases the wisdom and passion of these two men for their native land, its people and produce. It is an essential book for anyone with an interest in this extraordinary country and its food.

    Written by Amanda Ruggeri, Rome resident, travel journalist, and the blogger behind www.revealedrome.com, it's full of advice to help you enjoy every aspect of your trip, including tips like:-how to pick an authentic Roman restaurant at a glance-budget accommodation options you may not have considered-how to skip the lines at the Colosseum and the Vatican-how to protect yourself from pickpocketing in Rome-which Roman dishes you have to try-where to find drinking water, and bathrooms, while out and about-how to navigate Rome's public transportation system-the best neighborhoods in Rome for shopping...and much more!Armed with these tips, both first-time and frequent visitors to Rome will come away feeling like true Rome insiders!

    Besides, all you need for la dolce vita is to be able to tell your Moschino from your macchiato and your Fellini from your fettuccine!Get More From Your Trip with Easy-to-Find Phrases for Every Travel Situation!Lonely Planet Phrasebooks have been connecting travellers and locals for over a quarter of a century - our phrasebooks and mobile apps cover more than any other publisher!Order the right meal with our menu decoderNever get stuck for words with our 3500-word two-way dictionaryWe make language easy with shortcuts, key phrases & common Q&AsFeel at ease, with essential tips on culture & mannersCoverage includes: Basics, Practical, Social, Safe Travel, Food!Lonely Planet gets you to the heart of a place. Our job is to make amazing travel experiences happen. We visit the places we write about each and every edition. We never take freebies for positive coverage, so you can always rely on us to tell it like it is.Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Pietro Iagnocco, Anna Beltrami, Mimi Cicioni, Karina Coates, and Susie Walker.About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

    Expert wine writer Kerin O’Keefe has a deep personal knowledge of Tuscany and its extraordinary wine, and her account is both thoroughly researched and readable. Organized as a guided tour through Montalcino’s geography, this essential reference also makes sense of Brunello’s complicated history, from its rapid rise to the negative and positive effects of the 2008 grape-blending scandal dubbed “Brunellogate.” O’Keefe also provides in-depth profiles of nearly sixty leading producers of Brunello.

    After a dozen years at the court of Lodovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, Leonardo was at a low point personally and professionally: at forty-three, in an era when he had almost reached the average life expectancy, he had failed, despite a number of prestigious commissions, to complete anything that truly fulfilled his astonishing promise. His latest failure was a giant bronze horse to honor Sforza's father: His 75 tons of bronze had been expropriated to be turned into cannons to help repel a French invasion of Italy. The commission to paint The Last Supper in the refectory of a Dominican convent was a small compensation, and his odds of completing it were not promising: Not only had he never worked on a painting of such a large size-15' high x 30' wide-but he had no experience in the extremely difficult medium of fresco.  In his compelling new book, Ross King explores how-amid war and the political and religious turmoil around him, and beset by his own insecurities and frustrations-Leonardo created the masterpiece that would forever define him. King unveils dozens of stories that are embedded in the painting. Examining who served as the models for the Apostles, he makes a unique claim: that Leonardo modeled two of them on himself. Reviewing Leonardo's religious beliefs, King paints a much more complex picture than the received wisdom that he was a heretic. The food that Leonardo, a vegetarian, placed on the table reveals as much as do the numerous hand gestures of those at Christ's banquet. As King explains, many of the myths that have grown up around The Last Supper are wrong, but its true story is ever more interesting. Bringing to life a fascinating period in European history, Ross King presents an original portrait of one of the world's greatest geniuses through the lens of his most famous work.

    He received his JD from Yale Law School in 2005 and his MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University in 2011. He has been published in 236 and is currently a Writing Fellow/Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Houston. His story “Italy” appears in this issue of The Journal. Recently associate fiction editor J. Preston Witt talked to Antonio about “Italy,” writing, and Lorrie Moore-induced shame. -The Journal Magazine, Ohio State University

    Five years after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto, a ship steals unnoticed into Venice bearing a deadly cargo. A man more dead than alive disembarks and staggers into Piazza San Marco. He brings a gift to Venice from Constantinople. Within days the city is infected with bubonic plague—and the Turkish Sultan has his revenge. But the ship also holds a secret stowaway—Feyra, a young and beautiful harem doctor fleeing a future as the Sultan's concubine. Only her wits and medical knowledge keep her alive as the plague ravages Venice. In despair the Doge commissions the architect Andrea Palladio to build the greatest church of his career—an offering to God so magnificent that Venice will be saved. But Palladio's own life is in danger too, and it will require all skills of medico Annibale Cason, the city's finest plague doctor, to keep him alive. But what Annibale had not counted on was meeting Feyra, who is now under Palladio's protection, a woman who can not only match his medical skills but can also teach him how to care.

    In this important text, Michael Mallett and Christine Shaw place the conflict within the political and economic context of the wars. Emphasising the gap between aims and strategies of the political masters and what their commanders and troops could actually accomplish on the ground, they analyse developments in military tactics and the tactical use of firearms and examine how Italians of all sectors of society reacted to the wars and the inevitable political and social change that they brought about.The history of Renaissance Italy is currently being radically rethought by historians. This book is a major contribution to this re-evaluation, and will be essential reading for all students of Renaissance and military history.

    A peacemaking marriage could still quiet the outraged factions, but that fragile alliance may crumble under pressure from an interfering woman, a scorned bride, and a demand for revenge. And only Corrado, the reluctant messenger, is in a position to see it all taking shape.He doesn’t care who comes out on top, but he does care a lot about surviving and about protecting those he loves, and he’ll do whatever he must to prevent the enraged nobles from destroying his city. Will his famous wit and ingenuity be enough? Will anything?Inspired by real events, A Thing Done tells of a hapless David caught between warring Goliaths. Corrado’s story makes it clear that the rich and powerful aren’t the only ones who can make history. Co-winner of the 2014 Sharp Writ Book Award for Fiction.

    So why, when Cassia Blake has just three months to organise her wedding, has he suddenly granted her magazine an exclusive, all-access interview? Against Cassia's better judgement, she hands the wedding planning over to her frosty mother-in-law, and flies out to Italy to spend time with Rocco. But Rocco isn't exactly looking forward to Cassia's arrival. Persuaded to do the interview to help publicise his business, he has enough on his plate with his fiery girlfriend, wedding-obsessed sister and fiercely protective grandmother. And now it seems as if someone is trying to sabotage his restaurants too... Cassia's summer in Sorrento is shaping up to be a recipe for disaster. But could it also be a recipe for love?

    Recipes are included along the way.

    Sigrid Harald or her housemate, Roman Tramegra. All three were previously published, but collected here for the first time.My first three years of marriage were spent in Italy, overlooking the Bay of Naples. By the time I returned, I had written several books about Lt. Sigrid Harald of the NYPD and her eccentric housemate, Roman Tramegra. He was only supposed to be a walk-on character who would fade away after that first book. Except that he kept popping up. He wanted to write crime novels and he wanted to pick Sigrid's brains for plots and procedures. It occurred to me that if he ever sold a novel, he would take the advance and fly straight to Italy, a country as colorful and extravagant as he himself. Happily, this gave me an excuse to fly back to Italy myself, to research certain details. In "Roman's Holiday," I thought it would be amusing to let him try to solve a mystery just as would the amateur detective he had created. A later trip let Sigrid solve an Italian mystery, too ("Murder at Montefugoni")."El Tramegra" is set mostly in Spain, not Italy and the "postcards" are emails, not scenic bits of pasteboard, but not even the foreign keyboards can foil our intrepid Roman as he takes on a quixotic adventure.

    The song, first recorded by Vittorio de Sica in 1939, catapulted to the top of the Hit Parade and earned its composer the moniker "the Italian Cole Porter." The German version, "Du Immer Wieder Du," would be performed by Zarah Leander, the foremost film star of the German Reich, and its English counterpart, "You, Fascinating You," by the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. Twenty-two years would pass before the maestro and his ballerina again met face-to-face. You, Fascinating You begins as a backstage romance and ends as an epic triumph of the human spirit. Editor's Choice, Historical Novel Society: "FAULTLESS."

    . . and a dog named Todo.Todo had been waiting at Poggiolino since his mistress died over two years before. The house lay empty and neglected and yet he wouldn't leave. He seemed to know that someday the right people would come along and make it a home again.Louise and Lawrence weren't thinking of buying the very first house they looked at in Tuscany. In fact, their plans to move from London were barely formed . . . but there was something enchanting about the dog waiting at the gates. If they were honest, they wanted Todo - the scruffy dog with the huge grin - as much as they wanted the house.With Todo as their faithful companion they began to restore Poggiolino to life, unlocking her secrets and giving Todo, their beloved dog, a second chance.A heart-warming memoir of moving country, making a new life and coming home.

    Gambler, cheat, womanizer, he yet produced some of the most divine art. This is the story of how, under the guidance - and provocation - of his patron, Cosimo de' Medici, Filippo transcends his bodily appetites to make paintings for the soul. Meanwhile he is abducting the nun who models for him - or is he? The book examines common ideas of goodness and finds them wanting.

    Over three years since the charismatic 17th century composer, violinist, and singer Alessandro Stradella sought refuge in the palaces and twisted alleys of Genoa, royally welcomed despite the alleged scandals and even crimes that forced him to flee from Rome, Venice, and Turin, his professional and personal life have begun to unravel again. He is offered, by the very man he is rumored to have wronged, a respectable if slightly shabby apartment and yet another chance to redeem his character and career. He moves in to the curiosity and consternation of his caretakers, also tenants, three women whose reputations are of concern only to themselves. Donatella, still unmarried in her mid-thirties, is plainly irrelevant. Yet, like the city she lives in, there are hidden longings in her, propriety the rule, not cure, for what ails her. She cares more for her bedridden grandmother and cats than overbearing aunt, keeping house and tending to a small terraced garden, painting flowers and waxing poetic in her journal. At first, she is in awe of and certain she will have little to do with Stradella. Slowly, his ego, playfulness, need of a copyist and camouflage involve her in an inspired and insidious world, exciting and heartbreaking as she is enlarged by his magnanimity and reduced by his missteps, forging a friendship that challenges how far she will go.

    At this time (415 BC), Athens was locked in a decades-long struggle with Sparta for mastery of the Greek world. The expedition to Sicily was intended to give Athens the extra money and resources to crush the Spartans. New archaeological discoveries allow the ensuing siege to be reconstructed in greater detail than ever before. The cast of characters includes Alcibiades, the flamboyant, charismatic young aristocrat; Nicias, the aging, reluctant commander of the ill-fated expedition and Gylippus, the grim Spartan general sent to mastermind the defense of Syracuse. It was he who stopped the Athenians dead in their tracks within weeks of his arrival, then turned the tables on the invaders. The Athenians were in their turn surrounded, besieged, and forced to ask for mercy from a man who had none to give. In short, we have an epic story packed with colorful characters and dramatic episodes. There are battles on land and sea, siege and counter-siege and tales of self-sacrifice, villainy and heroism. Yet there is also the overarching unifying theme which is the story of the expedition itself. Philip Matyszak's combination of thorough research and gripping narrative makes him the perfect man to do justice to this famous story.REVIEWS a riveting account of the conflict, telling of the key players their motivations, their heroism, their failure, providing an educating narrative that does much to bring much understanding to people of the times is a must for history collections focusing on the Greeks and their military endeavors. Midwest Book Review"

    Listen to your gondolier sing sweetly while gliding past centuries-old Venetian palaces, sample olives and wines amid the storybook hills of Tuscany, or lose yourself amid thousands of years of Roman history and art, all with your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of Italy and begin your journey now!Inside Lonely Planet's Discover Italy:Full-colour maps and images throughoutHighlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interestsInsider tips save you time and money, and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spotsEssential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and pricesHonest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks missCultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, culture, architecture, politics, landscapes, outdoor experiences, cuisine and wineFree, convenient pull-out Rome map (included in print version), plus over 45 colour mapsCoverage of Rome, the Vatican, Milan, the Lakes, Piedmont, Venice, Veneto, Bologna, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria, Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Southern Italy, and moreThe Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Discover Italy, our easy-to-use guide, is perfect for travellers who seek the most popular attractions a destination has to offer. Filled with inspiring and colourful photos, this guide focuses on the best of the best.Looking for a comprehensive guide that recommends a wide range of experiences, both popular and offbeat, and extensively covers all the country has to offer? Check out Lonely Planet's Italy guide.Looking for a guide for Rome, Florence or Venice? Check out Lonely Planet's Rome guide, Florence & Tuscany guide or Venice & the Veneto guide for a comprehensive look at all each of these cities has to offer; or check out Lonely Planet's Discover Rome, a photo-rich guide to the city's most popular attractions; or Lonely Planet's Pocket Rome, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Abigail Blasi, Cristian Bonetto, Alison Bing, Kerry Christiani, Gregor Clark, Duncan Garwood, Anthony Ham, Paula Hardy, Vesna Maric, Virginia Maxwell, Brendan Sainsbury, Helena Smith and Donna Elizabeth WheelerAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' -The New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' -Fairfax Media (Australia)

    Come enjoy the "vita bella" (beautiful life). This full-color guide with 3D illustrations of major highlights and insightful features on seasonal and regional food and outdoor activities is essential for those wanting to see the best Italy has to offer 15 authors, 13 volcanoes, 7600km of coastline and hundreds of Renaissance masterpiecesInspirational photos, pull-out city map, 3D plans of iconic sights, comprehensive planning tools, special Eat and Drink Like a Local feature and in-depth background

    Cicero is still celebrated to this day for his skills as a Roman Senator, rhetorician, orator, lawyer, and writer; and for the courage and conviction of his desperate efforts to preserve the Roman republic in the face of conspiracies and violence against the state.The clear lucidity of his written insight has preserved the power of his voice through the ages, and a vast collection of his works have been brought together here in this Bybliotech Anthology.This Anthology contains, "On Friendship", "On Old Age", "On Rhetoric", "On the nature of Good and Evil", "Academica", "On Topics", On the Commonwealth", "Scipio's Dream", "The Letters", "The Philippics", "An Oratory Against Brutus", "The Tusculum Disputations", "On the Nature of the Gods", and "On Oratory".This unexpurgated anthology has been compiled and optimised for e-readers. It includes an active table of contents for ease of navigation, and features unique illustrations as frontispieces for the individual books in the anthology

    And this delectable cookbook from owner Fabrizia Lanza is the definitive source of authentic seasonal Sicilian foods. Co-authored with former Gourmet magazine editor Kate Winslow, it tells Fabrizia's story of coming home to the family estate, Regaleali, to assist her aging mother with the cooking school that she founded in 1989. Fabrizia writes eloquently and in detail about the seasonal harvests, the foods produced--cheeses, jams, olive oil, vin cotto, estratto, and more--and the loyal and talented staff who make it all possible. Along the way, she offers more than 100 family recipes that she shares with her students. Guy Ambrosino's stunning color photographs bring the beauty of Case Vecchie to life.

    Part of a brand-new series from National Geographic that showcases the world's great cities, Walking Rome is divided into the following sections:The Whirlwind Tours section shows you how to see the entire city in a day or a weekend; what sights will interest kids most; plus, a hedonist's tour that's pure pleasure from dawn to midnight and beyond.The Neighborhoods section of the book presents the city broken down into 15-odd itineraries that lead you on a step-by-step tour to the best sights in each of the city's greatest neighborhoods--from Rome's ancient heart to Laterano to Piazza di Spagna to Trastevere.Travel Essentials provides information on how to get to the city and how to get around, as well as hand-picked hotels and restaurants.Each itinerary includes the following features: Distinctly Rome: Explore the city through 2-page features that showcase the quintessential aspects of the city, such as Renaissance Architecture, the popes through history, and Roman baths. Here you'll get intriguing background information to help you understand why this city is one of the world's greatest. Best of: Specific thematic groupings of sights are described, such as coffee and cafes, street markets, and gelato shops. In-depth: These spreads take a deep dive into a major museum or other sight--the Colosseum, Palazzo Barberini, and Galleria Borghese, for example--providing step-by-step guidance on what to see and how to plan your visit. Sidebars throughout give you the low down on shopping, eating, and going out on the town, and offer insider tips and interesting asides.

    Carved by Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1636–37 for his own pleasure, the portrait of Costanza is one of his most captivating works, but until now little has been known about its subject.For centuries Costanza was identified only as Bernini's mistress, who later incited his rage by betraying him for his brother. Author Sarah McPhee corrects and expands this story in her remarkable biography of a sculpture and its subject. Bernini's Beloved sets the bust and Costanza's own life—her childhood and noble name, her marriage, affair, fall from grace, and recovery—against the backdrop of Baroque Rome. Beautifully illustrated and written, this fascinating story expands our understanding of the woman whose intelligence and passion served as inspiration for Bernini's celebrated sculpture, and who courageously forged a life for herself in the decades following its creation.

    when his car struck and killed a little girl, Sofia Buonomano. The Buonomano family is torn apart by Sofia’s death and is caught in a political firestorm that spreads from their village to Rome and across America and Europe. One family member, 16-year-old Isolina, witnesses the accident and recognizes Mussolini as the driver. She lies to the police to protect herself and her boyfriend, but she’s caught. Falling deeper into trouble, she confides in Sofia’s mother, Lucia, and sets off an unexpected chain of events. Lucia, who now knows the truth, voices her disapproval of Mussolini and comes in conflict with the police and her husband Donato, an ardent Fascist. As Lucia and Donato become increasingly estranged while struggling with Sofia’s death, Lucia is attracted to Elio Sardolini, a Jewish anti-Fascist living in town. The family’s love and loyalty is further tested when the incident becomes an international scandal and Mussolini orders the police to silence all opposition. One family member is killed and the rest must choose between their allegiance to Mussolini and their allegiance to each other.

    Amy Abel needs to start over. What better way for a shy, risk-averse woman to start than to sink all her savings into a travel agency specializing in adventure? Her first project is a mystery road rally through the European countryside. At the starting line in Monte Carlo, Amy finds herself attracted to Marcus Alvarez, the most mysterious of her two dozen game-loving clients. But the rally gets off to a rocky start when an eccentric writer, the only person who knows the game's solution, is himself murdered back in New York. Who would kill a harmless mystery geek, and why are weird accidents beginning to happen along the way? To her horror, Amy discovers that this fictional mystery was based on a real, unsolved case, one that Marcus knows too much about. Now she has no choice but to join forces with Fanny, her domineering mother, and solve this on her own, before the killer strikes again.

    Before his tragically early death from consumption at the age of thirty five he produced two short volumes of verse La via del rifugio and I colloqui , the latter rendered into English as The Colloquies , which quickly became renown for their quietly perfect evocations of nature, melancholy, tenderness and nostalgia.But unknown to most English speakers Gozzano also wrote short stories, conte cruels influenced by Poe and Maupassant and aesthetic prose nightmares; both of which display the same delicate crepuscular style and sense of tragic absurdism. Requiems & Nightmares collects together the best of these tales and presents them to the Anglophone reader for the first time.Within these pages the reader will find The Real Face, the bizarre fate of a promising young artist whose works grow too close to nature; A Romantic Story , a Gothic tragedy and The Soul of the Instrument , a Symbolist fairy tale after the manner of Lorrain and Wilde, along with other morbid and fantastic pieces. An exquisite item for those interested in Italian poets of the early twentieth century and the various literary movements which bloomed in that country in the years following the Fin de siècle.

    Selected by Choice as a 2012 Outstanding Academic Title Awarded a 2012 PROSE Honorable Mention as a Single Volume Reference/Humanities & Social Sciences A Companion to Women in the Ancient World presents an interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of newly-commissioned essays from prominent scholars on the study of women in the ancient world.The first interdisciplinary, methodologically-based collection of readings to address the study of women in the ancient world Explores a broad range of topics relating to women in antiquity, including: Mother-Goddess Theory; Women in Homer, Pre-Roman Italy, the Near East; Women and the Family, the State, and Religion; Dress and Adornment; Female Patronage; Hellenistic Queens; Imperial Women; Women in Late Antiquity; Early Women Saints; and many more Thematically arranged to emphasize the importance of historical themes of continuity, development, and innovation Reconsiders much of the well-known evidence and preconceived notions relating to women in antiquity Includes contributions from many of the most prominent scholars associated with the study of women in antiquity

    The next volume of memoir from the author of the international bestseller A Thousand Days in Venice.

    Set within the shifting landscape of neoliberal welfare reform in the Lombardy region of Italy, Andrea Muehlebach tracks the phenomenal rise of voluntarism in the wake of the state’s withdrawal of social service programs. Using anthropological tools, she shows how socialist volunteers are interpreting their unwaged labor as an expression of social solidarity, with Catholic volunteers thinking of theirs as an expression of charity and love. Such interpretations pave the way for a mass mobilization of an ethical citizenry that is put to work by the state. Visiting several sites across the region, from Milanese high schools to the offices of state social workers to the homes of the needy, Muehlebach mounts a powerful argument that the neoliberal state nurtures selflessness in order to cement some of its most controversial reforms. At the same time, she also shows how the insertion of such an anticapitalist narrative into the heart of neoliberalization can have unintended consequences.

    Combining concise review with extensive practice, this book provides the ultimate way to polish your Italian-language skills.The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice offers:Clear, concise explanations of all the grammar topics, illustrated with examples from everyday lifeMore than 350 exercises with an answer key to help you master Italian grammar and vocabularyVocabulary boxes providing the terms and expressions that will increase your ability to express yourselfCultural notes enhancing the effectiveness of the grammar exercises while acquainting learners with contemporary ItalyExpand your knowledge of grammar parts such as: The present tense of irregular verbs * Passato prossimo * Gerunds * Gender of nouns * The pronoun ne * Possessive adjectives * Prefixes * Cardinal numbers * Imperatives * and much more

    My goal has been to help make these paintings come alive for you, and to make the experience of visiting them interesting, stimulating and memorable.I hope you find this guide useful as you make your way through the amazing worlds of imagination that are housed in the Uffizi.Buon viaggio!Sam HiltSiena, Italywww.TuscanyTours.com

    Visit palaces closed to the public, admire exceptional works of art away from the tourist circuit, listen to a concert in a magnificent hidden oratory, have your dog or car blessed, observe the miraculous liquefaction of the blood of Saint Pantaleon, puzzle over a rare catoptric meridian or a wonderful anamorphic fresco, discover the remarkable motorised Rubens, enter into the secrets of the Vatican, rediscover a lost Bernini masterpiece, say a prayer before an image of the Holy Face of Jesus like that deposited on the moon in 1969, organise a dinner for two in a private palace, protect your throat from the rigours of winter. Far from the crowds and the usual clichés, Rome is still a reserve of well-concealed treasures that only reveal themselves to those who know how to wander off the beaten track, whether residents or visitors. An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew Rome well, or who would like to discover the hidden face of the city.

    A full-length, fun holiday read!

    Spending months planning an itinerary that would take her to almost every region of Italy from the Aosta Valley to Sicily, she traveled to over fifty towns in the three months she spent there.Not speaking Italian, she learned the language by taking private lessons from a teacher who grew up in Italy. Armed with this knowledge, she was able to communicate with people she met along the way, and experience the lifestyle and culture of the Italian people. She went back to the villages of her grandparents, walked the same streets they had walked, and discovered cousins she never knew she had."Memoirs of a Solo Traveler - My Love Affair with Italy" is based on Margie's blog, margieinitaly, which she wrote from Italy, but with much more detail and insight.

    In this intriguing volume, Rudolph M. Bell offers an alternative — and broader — portrait, highlighting daily life in Renaissance Rome, the center of western Christendom. Bell's introduction provides a look at this era from the bottom up, focusing on the streets of Rome to view the era's impact on ordinary citizens, the plight of social outcasts, and the dangers of urban life. A rich collection of primary sources and illustrations bring to life the experience of everyday Romans, including women, the homeless, the ostracized (especially Jews), and other marginalized people. Protestant and Catholic reformers are also present, allowing for discussion about critical themes in sixteenth-century religious history. Documents include poetry, short fiction, songs, letters, trial records, household inventories, a diary entry, a papal bull, and travelers' accounts. Additional pedagogy includes a chronology, questions for consideration, and selected bibliography.

    In A Family Farm in Tuscany, Sarah Fioroni, chef, cooking instructor, sommelier, and manager of her family's organic farm near historic San Gimignano, shares stories of family traditions and daily life as well as seasonal recipes at Fattoria Poggio Alloro.

    An old man, Montale remembers his youth and recalls the dead. At times he seems to wonder if he himself is dead. And so his is a grim majesty, a new kind of poetry that faces the void: “She’s lied too often, now let darkness, / void, nothingness fall on her page. / Rely on this, my scribbling friend: / Trust the darkness when the light lies.”

    Slavitt, the distinguished translator and author of more than one hundred works of fiction, poetry, and drama, turns his skills to Il Canzoniere (Songbook) by Petrarch, the most influential poet in the history of the sonnet. In Petrarch's hands, lyric verse was transformed from an expression of courtly devotion into a way of conversing with one's own heart and mind. Slavitt renders the sonnets in Il Canzoniere, along with the shorter madrigals and ballate, in a sparkling and engaging idiom and in rhythm and rhyme that do justice to Petrarch's achievement.At the center of Il Canzoniere (also known as Rime Sparse, or Scattered Rhymes) is Petrarch's obsessive love for Laura, a woman Petrarch asserts he first saw at Easter Mass on April 6, 1327, in the church of Sainte-Claire d'Avignon when he was twenty-two. Though Laura was already married, the sight of her woke in the poet a passion that would last beyond her premature death on April 6, 1348, exactly twenty-one years after he first encountered her. Unlike Dante's Beatrice--a savior leading the poet by the hand toward divine love--Petrarch's Laura elicits more earthbound and erotic feelings. David Slavitt's deft new translation captures the nuanced tone of Petrarch's poems--their joy and despair, and eventually their grief over Laura's death. Readers of poetry and especially those with an interest in the sonnet and its history will welcome this volume.

    More than any other group, Italian immigrants and their families have made California viticulture one of America's most distinctive and vibrant achievements, from boutique vineyards in the Sonoma hills to the massive industrial wineries of the Central Valley. But how did a small group of nineteenth-century immigrants plant the roots that flourished into a world-class industry? Was there something particularly "Italian"in their success? In this fresh, fascinating account of the ethnic origins of California wine, Simone Cinotto rewrites a century-old triumphalist story. He demonstrates that these Italian visionaries were not skilled winemakers transplanting an immemorial agricultural tradition, even if California did resemble the rolling Italian countryside of their native Piedmont. Instead, Cinotto argues that it was the wine-makers' access to "social capital," or the ethnic and familial ties that bound them to their rich wine-growing heritage, and not financial leverage or direct enological experience, that enabled them to develop such a successful and influential wine business. Focusing on some of the most important names in wine history—particularly Pietro Carlo Rossi, Secondo Guasti, and the Gallos—he chronicles a story driven by ambition and creativity but realized in a complicated tangle of immigrant entrepreneurship, class struggle, racial inequality, and a new world of consumer culture. Skillfully blending regional, social, and immigration history, Soft Soil, Black Grapes takes us on an original journey into the cultural construction of ethnic economies and markets, the social dynamics of American race, and the fully transnational history of American wine.

    Additionally, it highlights the various cultural policies and points of view concerning the promotion of artistic heritage in Europe. The most emblematic European museums are presented along with some well-kept and fascinating secrets, such as in Nicosia of Cyprus and Sofia in Bulgaria.

    Original, contributed essays by leading academics in the field explore places from Hadar to Xi'an, Salvador to New York, and numerous other locations that have produced historical shockwaves and significant global impact throughout history. With a chronologically organized table of contents, each chapter dissects a particular moment in history, with personal commentary from each contributor, a narrative of the location's historical significance at the time, and a section on significant global connections. Primary sources and discussion questions at the end of each chapter allow students a view into the lives of individuals of the time. Students will experience the narrative of historic individuals as well as modern scholars looking back over documentation to offer their own views of the past, providing students with the perfect opportunity to see how scholars form their own views about history.This text can be purchased as two volumes, providing a breadth of information for survey courses in world history.

    The outcome was the Battle of Actium which would lead directly to the foundation of the Roman Empire.In a compelling new chronicle brought vividly to life by moving eyewitness accounts, this book recounts the chain of events that culminated in the fall of Egypt and reveals the central charismatic personalities of Octavian, Mark Antony and Cleopatra who were responsible for it. Usually told from the Roman perspective but retold here from the Egyptian standpoint, the gripping narrative also explores the role of chance, human fallibility, ruthlessness and tragedy tha tlay at the heart of the power struggle.Illustrated throughout with iconic objects from the superb collection of the British Museaum and evocative locations, 31 BC tells the dramatic story of a defining momen which would change the course of history.

    Battles were resolved by violent face-to-face encounters: war was a very personal experience. At the same time, warfare and its conduct often had significant and wide-reaching economic, social, or political consequences. The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World offers a critical examination of war and organized violence. The volume's introduction begins with the ancient sources for the writing of war, preceded by broad surveys of warfare in ancient Greece and Rome. Also included herein are chapters analyzing new finds in battlefield archaeology and how the environment affected the ancient practice of war. A second section is comprised of broad narratives of classical societies at war, covering the expanse from classical Greece through to the later Roman Empire. Part III contains thematic discussions that examine closely the nature of battle: what soldiers experienced as they fought; the challenges of conducting war at sea; how the wounded were treated. A final section offers six exemplary case studies, including analyses of the Peloponnesian War, the Second Punic War, and Rome's war with Sasanid Persia. The handbook closes with an epilogue that explores the legacy of classical warfare. Authored by experts in classics, ancient history, and archaeology, this handbook presents a vibrant map of the field of classical warfare studies.

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    In addition to helpful descriptions of the primary monuments and churches of Rome, this book will give the reader just enough historical background to enhance the spiritual nature of a trip to the Eternal City. Along with the description of each church, Papandrea includes prayers from the ancient church, and across the span of the history of Christianity, in order to facilitate prayer and meditation in the very sites that have been considered holy ground for over a millennium. Over one hundred photographs are included, not only to help the reader use this book as a guide in Rome, but also to make the book a valuable devotional aid both before and after the trip. Coming back from Rome after using this book, the reader will find that Rome has become a second home.“There are many guidebooks to Rome, but this is the one true pilgrim guide. It has been almost a half-century since the last great one was published, and Rome has changed much since then. Christian travelers have been in dire need of this book. A pilgrim should always travel light, but never be without Papandrea’s Rome. It goes deep in history and still deeper in true piety.”—Mike Aquilina, author of The Fathers of the Church and many other booksJames L. Papandrea, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Church History at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is the author of Reading the Early Church Fathers (2012), Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy (Pickwick 2011), The Wedding of the Lamb: A Historical Approach to the Book of Revelation (Pickwick 2011), Spiritual Blueprint: How We Live, Work, Love, Play, and Pray (2010), and The Trinitarian Theology of Novatian of Rome: A Study in Third-Century Orthodoxy (2008). His Web site is www.JimPapandrea.com.

    The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca lets you wander in this maze, quickly find out where you are, what you are looking at, and learn something about it. Every building on the map is color coded and numbered for easy reference to the text.CONTENTSHISTORY A review of the 2,000 years which gave us the city we see today. Many more historical details are woven into the sections that follow.CHURCHES There seems to be a church on every corner in Lucca, and they are the repository of much of its artistic heritage. A comprehensive guide to 78 churches, present and past, with 30 floor plans and 16 numbered walking tours.THE PALAZZI An architectural and historical introduction to 85 Medieval and Renaissance mansions and palaces.THE FAMILIES The families who lived in these buildings were the soul of the town. 40 of the greatest families are introduced. THE STREETS The origins and curiosities of the most interesting streets.THE WALLS The Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance (today's) fortifications.374 pages + 5 pages color maps. More than 100 b&w illustrations.

    Take a journey through the back roads of northern and central Italy to discover the area's real soul and charm.DK Eyewitness Back Roads Northern and Central Italy driving vacation guide will take you via scenic routes to discover charming Italian villages, local restaurants, and intimate places to stay. Unearth the real soul of northern and central Italy relying on all the practical information you could need, from road conditions and length of drive to parking information and opening hours.Twenty-five themed drives, each lasting one to five days, reveal breathtaking views, hidden gems, and authentic local experiences that can only be discovered by road. Each tour is bursting with insider knowledge and loaded with ideas for varied activities, from short walks and longer hikes to days on the beach or at a spa, to wine tours, cycling trips, and swimming in secluded Italian lakes. Meanwhile, the most friendly, best-value hotels and guesthouses and charming restaurants specializing in regional produce have been selected by expert authors.Full-color throughout, with a pull-out map of the entire country for easy navigation between tours, and even zip code information for use with a GPS device, discover the unexpected on your driving vacation with DK Eyewitness Back Roads Northern and Central Italy.

    As creator of the first systematic poetics of noise and inventor of what has been considered the first mechanical sound synthesizer, Russolo looms large in the development of twentieth-century music. In the first English language study of Russolo, Luciano Chessa emphasizes the futurist’s interest in the occult, showing it to be a leitmotif for his life and a foundation for his art of noises. Chessa shows that Russolo’s aesthetics of noise, and the machines he called the intonarumori, were intended to boost practitioners into higher states of spiritual consciousness. His analysis reveals a multifaceted man in whom the drive to keep up with the latest scientific trends coexisted with an embrace of the irrational, and a critique of materialism and positivism.

    458 Pages.