A Thousand Days in Venice : An Unexpected Romance
by Marlena De Blasi
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (07 June, 2002)
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Reviews (42)

A feel good read
I don't make it a habit to read romance novels.I was happy to find a beautiful story.Marlena's writing made me feel as if I was there.I would say being nearly 40 helps to understand and connect with her thoughts, opinions and feelings.Definately a feel good read.Loved it!!

I really can't understand people who don't love this book!
This is the best memoir I've read in years, and I'm a pretty harsh critic. I loved De Blasi's style, as well as her willingness to uncover many of her emotional vulnerabilities during the course of the book.

I'm not going to say it's perfect. There were sentences I had to read twice every now and then--clunky sentences--and sometimes there was a bit of repetition. Still, just like Venice itself with all her imperfections, the sum total of all the book's parts make it a beautiful read. (Make that a serenissima read!)

It's somehow terribly encouraging to know there are still women like Marlena De Blasi out there. She had the courage to envision a new life for herself and then go for it. I found this highly inspirational. That this romance is set in Venice only makes it all the more appealing.

Additionally, I found it compelling that she doesn't paint her relationship with her new Italian husband to be 100% rosy.

I would recommend this whole-heartedly to any Italo-philes and people who themselves may be experiencing a "mid-life change of plans."

Excuse me while I go buy all her other books.

Enchanting YetRealistic
Though the basis seemed initially farfetched, I fell in love with this book. If she wouldn't have expressed her frustration about the reality of submersing herself in a foreign land and getting to really know the person she found herself having unexplainable feelings for, the book really would have seemed too much like a fairytale. She adds just enough of reality to this to keep it passionate and believable. The way Marlene communicates gives hope to the cynical and makes a true romantic justified in his/her beliefs. ... Read more

Isbn: 1565123212
Sales Rank: 222676
Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Cooking    4. De Blasi, Marlena    5. Description and travel    6. Europe - Italy    7. General    8. Homes and haunts    9. Social life and customs    10. Travel    11. Travelers    12. Venice (Italy)   

The Stone Boudoir: Travels Through the Hidden Villages of Sicily
by Theresa Maggio
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (05 March, 2002)
list price: $25.00
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Reviews (18)

Boring and dull.Dull and boring.
I found this book to be flat, dull and boring and the authour to be rather self-congratulatory.The author travels from one small Sicilian town to another trying to ... do what?I dunno.I read every word, and she didn't have much to say about Sicily or her people except that she likes them.She really likes them!

As the series of vignettes progressed, it became difficult to follow any kind of time line. What happened when and with whom?Dunno.I am still unclear on how this book of little stories was organized, if indeed it was.

Finally, I don't know that I gleaned anything from the book except that the author really likes Sicily and she's really glad that she got to live there and she's really lucky that anyone would publish her book.

maybe (too) romantic but very good read
I am rather familiar with sicily,,,,therefore, although this book may (sometimes)verge on romantic times gone past, this is a VERY GOOD AND EASY READ. At least, i can relate easily to the passion with which the author narrates her genuine experiences in this land,,, It is also true that nowadays, within a few areas, some greed and bad decisions (called progress) have affected some areas adversely, but admitteldly, alot of effort is being made to reverse this.
A melting pot of culture, history, emotions, tradition, beautiful landscapes,,,this is Sicily. BUT this mixture MAY be a little bit of a challenge for some!

My name is Sicily and I'm NOT impressed
Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that this book was about the Hidden Villages of the Island of Sicily and not about me, Sicily Shannon. I was really hoping to learn more about my own hidden villages. ... Read more

Isbn: 0738203424
Sales Rank: 289160
Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Europe - Italy    4. General    5. Italy    6. Sicily    7. Sicily (Italy)    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Villages    11. Essays    12. Memoir   

Notes from an Italian Garden
by Joan Marble
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (10 April, 2001)
list price: $25.00
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Reviews (3)

Delightful
A truly delightful book about Italians, human behavior, history, travel, and gardening.The author paints a picture with her words, captures your imagination, and makes you chuckle at the unique Italian way of living.From buying land and building a house to sinister business deals, to marriage contracting, gardening fetes and disasters, this book will charm and delight you on many different levels.I enjoyed this bookso much more than "Under the Tuscan Sun."This is truly a gem of a book.

Enchanting!
I love to travel but I have never added to the sales of those memoirs of hapless outsiders who renovate a barn or farmhouse in Provence, Tuscany or Umbria. No matter how well-written, most are self-conscious narratives recycling the same ingredients: coping, making friends--and enemies--and eating well. Joan Marble's book is refreshingly different. She and her husband built rather than renovated, and in Etruria, off the touristic track; they nurtured unforgiving soil producing delights for the table. But it is the delight of armchair gardening that makes this book such a good read. There is humor and pathos in how this couple celebrate life. Highly recommended.

A Work of Great Beauty
Joan Marble has created a work of great beauty in "Notes from an Italian Garden."She has a profound knowledge of gardening and the countryside of central Italy, of Italian history and the Italians of today, and all this is reflected in her book.From my own years in Italy I can testify to the book's accuracy; far beyond that, it reflects a rare sort of felicity and civility.I want to believe that in future centuries people will come back to this book to read how two Americans led such pleasant and productive lives in the Italy of our time. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060185740
Sales Rank: 336560
Subjects:  1. Canale    2. Canale (Italy)    3. Essays    4. Europe - General    5. Europe - Italy    6. Gardening    7. Gardening / Horticulture    8. Gardens    9. Italy    10. Marble, Joan    11. Travel   

An Italian Affair
by LAURA FRASER
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (29 May, 2001)
list price: $22.00
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Reviews (79)

Humor & Grace & the Spirit of Place by Uriel Dana
As someone who shares Frasers hometown of San Francisco as well as a love affair with Italy, I read this book with the eye of experience.

Each chapter flows with an integrity of emotions and spirit of place that connects to our hearts in a way that only an old, true friend can.

Fraser's insights are layered in gentle humor and observation yet stunningly profound in their grace. I did not want the book to end.

Worth reading if you're planning an Italian sojourn
Part travel-log, part story of a woman and her relationships - one in particular - over a period of several years.Apparently at least based on fact, if not pure non-fiction.An unusual mix and style, but it works reasonably well.I read it because we were about to head off to Italy, so I was interested in the traveller's tales and experiences in Italy.Also includes holidays and short breaks in other parts of the world.As travel tales sometimes go, this is light and easy to read - but I doubt I would have chosen to read it if I hadn't been planning an Italian break.

Enticing Book
This book is so enticing because it is nonfiction. She writes from the heart and is so honest in her thoughts. Great book and inspiring story! ... Read more

Isbn: 0375420657
Sales Rank: 437005
Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Case studies    6. Divorced women    7. Europe - Italy    8. Fraser, Laura    9. Human Sexuality    10. Love & Romance    11. Man-woman relationship    12. Man-woman relationships    13. Personal Memoirs    14. United States    15. Women    16. Italy    17. Journeys    18. Travel / Europe / Italy   

A Small Place in Italy
by Eric Newby
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 1998)
list price: $12.95
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Reviews (8)

Meets a market need perfectly.
The urge to escape the comforts, routine and refinements of our living conditions to somewhere more challenging, primitive and raw is something that many of us feel - especially those who read books.The books we read can sometimes stimulate the urge, sometimes satisfy it.All I ask of such books is that the author can write well and that he is not boastful.

Eric Newby, especially in "A Small Place in Italy", meets these requirements admirably.Indeed, he ranks for me as a travel writer of near genius.He was almost 50 years old when he and his Italian born wife Wanda took up permanent residence in a ruined farmhouse in northern Italy.His account of the trials and tribulations that followed, the neighbors and the locality, is told in this wonderfully witty, readable and valuable book.Part of the value rests in the sociological and historical dimensions it gives.Even while he lived there, the customs, the occupations and the life styles were fast disappearing.

If you enjoy this genre, you'll want to give "A Small Place in Italy" a prominent place on your bookshelf.

I think I've read the entire genre of these types of books..
I've read:"Under the Tuscan Sun", "Extra Virgin ...", "An Italian Affair", "In Maremma: Life and a House in Southern Tuscany", "Italian Neighbors" and I'm on my way to the library to pickup and start reading "Pasquales' Note: Idle Days in an Italian Town".I started reading these types of books when I got lonely for Italy after visiting in November of 2001. I just finished "A Small Place in Italy".Each of these books have something special in it that I enjoyed reading about.I really enjoyed reading about the person Attilio. Attilio came with the house when they purchased this house in Italy -- he had his own secret room.I enjoyed reading about how they hired their local tradesmen to renovate and repair this house.I hope I never run out of these types of books to read, I do plan to return to visit Italy, it would be a joy to visit some of these small towns.

I learned, laughed, cried, couldn't put it down
In 1967, British travel editor Eric Newby and his wife, Wanda, bought a primitive farmhouse in the hills between Liguria and Tuscany, the region where they met during World War II, Newby a soldier on the run between POW internments, Wanda a relief worker.They are the first foreigners to come live in their neighborhood, which remained unchanged from the time of the War; in fact, the country people, contadini, probably lived pretty much as they had for a couple of centuries or more.In the 25 years that the Newbys stayed, using the farmhouse as a second home but tending the land seriously, they were accepted and came to know the people and area well.A SMALL PLACE IN ITALY is a profile of their neighbors, their work, customs and the surrounding area. He offers up historical notes and chronicles the arrival of the late 20th century and loss of old ways.

This book has everything going for it.Newby is honest, a truthful writer.He never sells out his subject for entertainment or sentimentality.He does not go the route of portraying the noble savage, he does not paint the peasantry as buffoons or children, he does not go over the top to prove that he is one of them.It is obvious that he and Wanda were quickly accepted into the community because they were hard workers who respected the land and were happy to share.There is a fine wit and spirit at hand.Newby has to be the most resilient person on earth (see A SHORT WALK IN THE HINDU KUSH for more evidence).

Other virtues of this book:the pages whip by because Newby is brilliant at ordering his information.He also translates the Italian phrases and words that pop up routinely, so that those of us unschooled in Italian, particularly northern Italian expressions, are not at a loss. ... Read more

Isbn: 0864426054
Sales Rank: 485713
Subjects:  1. Country life    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Europe - Italy    4. Italy    5. Social life and customs    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Tuscany    9. Tuscany (Italy)   

Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera Where Every Month Is Enchanted
by Annie Hawes, Miriam Margolyes
Average Customer Review:
Audio Cassette (01 January, 2001)
list price: $25.00
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Editorial Review

Fed up with cold, foggy London and the high cost of real estate, Annie Hawes is persuaded by her sister Lucy to travel to Italy and graft roses for the winter. The sisters arrive in rural Liguria with some formal Italian, no knowledge of rose grafting, and visions of Mediterranean men and sun. What they find is a town full of hard-working, wary olive growers smack in the middle of an olive oil depression who think these two young Englishwomen are nuts. Extra Virgin tells the story of the sisters' acclimation--theirs to Liguria and Liguria to them--and how they fell in love with a crumbling farmhouse in the hills.

Annie quickly finds that though they are only two miles from the Italian Riviera, it might as well be a hundred. Liguria is an old town full of time-honored peculiarities, especially in regard to espresso consumption (never, ever, after lunch; it will close your stomach) and swimming before summertime officially starts. "Seawater at the wrong time of year is even worse for your health than coffee at the wrong time of day, and the beach is only deserted because, as far as the citizens are concerned, if you put so much as a toe into the water before June you are certain to die within the week from exposure or pneumonia or both," says Hawes. Eventually, the sisters are accepted by the townsfolk, though they find the idea of the women buying the farmhouse and running it themselves (there are 50 olive trees on the land) fantastical.

Extra Virgin draws you in to the heart of Liguria and its inhabitants. Hawes has a knack for drawing characters and especially for describing the luscious meals that they are served--and eventually learn to cook. "Lucy and I are kindly allowed to make the tomato-and-basil salad," Hawes says, "and do our best not to be offended by being complemented on how like a proper tomato-and-basil salad it is." Pour yourself an espresso (as long as it's before lunch) or a grappa (aids the digestion), and then sit down to enjoy Extra Virgin. --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

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Reviews (41)

Much more than a travel memoir
I stumbled across Extra Virgin 3 years ago.I have now bought at least 9 copies and given away 8 as well as recommending it to all and sundry.And sent away to the UK for the sequel.

Ms. Hawes pulls up the timeless Italy that has - and probably will - outlast all change and fads and fashion.My parents spent their early married years stationed on the other coast of Italy, yet when my mother read Extra Virgin, she said she laughed to the point of tears, because it brought back so many memories - right down to Ms. Hawes' dissertation on the various methods of tying a hankie into a headcovering.

But, most importantly, she also avoids the standard "aren't the peasants so quaint" mode - the book is much more about discovering how much smarter those peasant ways are than breakneck modern city life, tasteless tomatoes and rushed meals.

Anyone who can read this and NOT have at least one fantasy about living in an old stone house 2 kilometers along the mule track just past the third hairpin bend - well, they have no adventure, no romance, no idealism in their soul.

Devastating
This book-on-tape was so good until the final chapter, where it became so horrible that I could not even finish it.I can't believe the publisher allowed such a cheap-shot ending.Why would the author finish such a lovely read with a fast tragic ending.A terrible disappointment.

Marvelous book, great read.
A real gem, interestingly written. I cannot wait to read the sequel, "Ripe For The Picking," unfortunately not on amazon in the US but from amazon.uk!

I'll be ordering three or four additional copies of "Extra Virgin" to fill stockings this Christmas. Terrific little book, very highly recommended. You will want to up and move to the village she describes no more than 100 pages into the book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0694524077
Subjects:  1. Audio - Travel    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Europe - Italy    7. Riviera (Italy)    8. Social life and customs    9. Travel    10. United States - General   

La Dolce Vita: Living in Italy
by Mark Luscombe-Whyte, Catherine Fairweather
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (24 September, 2001)
list price: $50.00 -- our price: $31.50
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Reviews (2)

Touring Italy
Instead of reserving this book to a coffee table, read it, enjoy it and see what Italy has to offer.Now that your interest has been sparked, travel to the places in Italy that are featured in this book.

O To Live In Italy!
Catherine Fairweather has honed her skills as a writer from her days as a contributing editor to House and Garden and here joins forces with photographer Mark Luscombe-Whyte to present a volume of life in Italy that not only makes for a beautiful and informative book, it makes the reader long for the pleasures of living in what surely is the world's most romantic country.

Separated into chapters - Grand Style: classic villas and country estates; Bohemian Chic: rural and island retreats (Tuscany, Lazio, Puglia); Urban Elegance: city apartments and townhouses (Milan, Rome, Venice) - Fairweather enters private homes of the rich and famous and describes how the regions and the atmosphere dictate the home's ambience.The photographs are gorgeous: full views of each home entered as well as separate views of rooms and bibelots, both inside the home and from the garden make us feel as though we have at least spent a full day in each location.

For a coffee table tour of the places rarely seen in Italy, this book is as fine as they come.Other volumes may offer more sophisticated history and cultural input, but Fairweather and Luscombe-Whyte take the personal approach - and that works very well! Grady Harp, November 2004 ... Read more

Isbn: 0821227513
Sales Rank: 43270
Subjects:  1. Decorating - General    2. Design & Construction    3. Design - Decorative    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Domestic architecture    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Interior Design - Style Books    9. Interior decoration    10. Interior design    11. Italy    12. House & Home / Decorating   

Brunelleschi's Dome : How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
by RossKing
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (30 October, 2001)
list price: $14.00 -- our price: $10.50
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Editorial Review

Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful Brunelleschi's Dome.

Both dome and architect offer King plenty of rich material. The story of the dome goes back to 1296, when work began on the cathedral, but it was only in 1420, when Brunelleschi won a competition over his bitter rival Lorenzo Ghiberti to design the daunting cupola, that work began in earnest. King weaves an engrossing tale from the political intrigue, personal jealousies, dramatic setbacks, and sheer inventive brilliance that led to the paranoid Filippo, "who was so proud of his inventions and so fearful of plagiarism," finally seeing his dome completed only months before his death. King argues that it was Brunelleschi's improvised brilliance in solving the problem of suspending the enormous cupola in bricks and mortar (painstakingly detailed with precise illustrations) that led him to "succeed in performing an engineering feat whose structural daring was without parallel." He tells a compelling, informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar, and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Read it Before You Visit
I picked up this book after returning home from a visit to Florence.After reading it I could have kicked myself for not buying it before I left.The way in which King gives an overview of Renaissance Florence and the players that took part in the building of the Dome makes the building, and more importantly, the time come alive.I wish I had known this story as I stood between the Duomo and the Baptistery marveling alternatively at the dome and Giberti's bronze doors.I would have never guessed that their feud fueled both of these creative men.

From a readability standpoint the book gets an A+.It is not heavy or boring as so many other "scholarly" tomes about this time period tend to be.It reads like a novel but it delivers enough of a factoid punch to satisfy the taste of any reader.

I highly recommend this work to anyone.

Wonderful insight into an unmatched feat
What could be interesting about building a masonry dome? A lot! Mr. King has obviously studied the actual dome and the lives of those who were responsible for designing and building it. His knowledge shines through in clear, easy to understand descriptions of the challenges and ingenious solutions to them that were devised by Mr. Burnelleschi.

You don't need to be a fan of architecture or Italian history to find this story interesting. It takes you thorough the political, technical, and human issues that in the end resulted in a magnificent masonry dome that is still unmatched in size after over 500 years, and that is still standing today in Florence. Highly recommended.

Flawless and fascinating
I vividly remember my first view of the great dome crowning Florence's Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, and the experience of clambering up between its inner and outer walls to look out over Florence, wondering with each step how this feat had been accomplished more than 500 years ago.

Ross King has more than explained this great artistic and architectural accomplishment. In _Brunelleschi's Dome_, he lovingly tells the whole story of Florence's great Duomo, not just how it was conceived, designed and built, but the scrappy, dramatic life of the genius who built it, and the bubbling artistic, interpersonal and political ferment that surrounded him in Renaissance Florence.

Brunelleschi emerges as a driven, arrogant, stubborn, and brilliant architect and engineer. Building the enormous dome--the largest ever constructed before the modern use of lightweight materials--without a separate support structure was truly a work of genius. King writes of Brunelleschi, "In his unquestionable brilliance the writers of the Renaissance found their proof that modern man was as great as--and could in fact surpass--the ancients from whom they took their inspiration."

It's a fascinating and inspiring story, lucidly told.

Robert Adler, author of _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_ (Wiley, 2002), and _Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome_ (Wiley, 2004). ... Read more

Isbn: 0142000159
Subjects:  1. 1377-1446    2. Architecture    3. Brunelleschi, Filippo,    4. Buildings    5. Design and construction    6. Domes    7. Europe - Italy    8. Florence    9. Florence (Italy)    10. History - Specific Styles    11. Individual Architect    12. Italy    13. Religious Buildings    14. Renaissance    15. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedr    16. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral : Florence, Italy)    17. Brunelleschi, Filippo    18. History / General   

Private Tuscany
by ELIZABETH HELMAN, SIMON MCBRIDE
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (12 June, 1999)
list price: $50.00 -- our price: $33.00
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Editorial Review

Tuscany's hill towns and countryside have enthralled inhabitants and visitors for centuries--the golden light in the afternoons, the grape arbors, and the rolling hillsides dotted with rustic farmhouses and villas. Private Tuscany invites us into these dwellings, giving us a glimpse of how life is lived in this warm, inviting place.

The homes featured in this gorgeous volume are as enchanting as the Tuscan towns and hillsides they're built on. Many embody a style we've come to associate with Tuscany: dark-timbered kitchens with dried herbs and garlic ropes hung from the rafters, original terra-cotta tile floors, large-windowed living rooms, and artfully frescoed walls. There are centuries-old furnishings crafted by skilled Italian artisans and elegantly manicured gardens containing hidden grottos and classical statuary. But the homes also reflect the special touches of the people who occupy them. For instance, a theater lover displays his exquisite collection of miniature theaters in the salon; the daughter of a villa owner paints traditional murals on the walls and mosaic patterns on the floors.

Simon McBride's photographs skillfully capture the magic of these Tuscan homes and feature a variety of residences, from simple farmhouses to grand villas and palaces. The book's four chapters divide the homes into types: rustic, classic, grand, and modern. An index at the back serves as an introduction to Tuscany's pleasures, providing contact information for sampling the region's wine and produce, fine dining, hotels and houses, gardens, and crafts.

Several of the homeowners featured in Private Tuscany have gone to painstaking lengths to restore these buildings after decades, or even centuries, of neglect. The results, from the simplest farmhouse kitchen to an elaborately frescoed dining room, are breathtaking. --Kris Law ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful, inspiring,full of memories of Italy
This book was so lovely. It contains exquisitephotos and many, many ideas applicable for my own home. Great decorating ideas. I've shared this book with other people who have been equally inspired by the warm,gracious, elegant living portrayed throughout. Highly recommend this bookfor yourself or gift. A lovelyway to remember past visits to Italy orinspire apersonal visit in the not too distant future.

A visual feast!
A beautiful book -- I enjoyed it much more than Tuscany Interiors which I also own.The houses range from simple to elaborate and -- of course! -- the landscapes and gardens are gorgeous. This is a great book from which to"lift" Italian decorating ideas. ... Read more

Isbn: 0847821781
Subjects:  1. Architectural & Industrial    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Celebrities    5. Domestic    6. Dwellings    7. Interior Design - General    8. Interior decoration    9. Italy    10. Landscape    11. Landscape Architecture And Design    12. Photography    13. Residential Interior Design    14. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Europe    15. Tuscany    16. Architecture / Interior Design   

Italian Style
by Jane Gordon-Clark, Simon Upton
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 May, 1999)
list price: $29.95
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Reviews (1)

Creative yet classical approach
The subject itself is so exciting that you must be really bad writers and photographers to miss the point. "Italian style" authors are both very creative persons. Read "a new look at country style" fromphotograph Simon Upton. You might be shocked by the green carpet on thefloor of a very simple white classical house. These guys play with colors,concepts, modes. They drive us to new approaches. Buy this book or asksomebody to offer it to you. ... Read more

Isbn: 1580621031
Sales Rank: 44272
Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Interior Design - Style Books    7. Interior decoration    8. Italy    9. Residential Interior Design   

LA Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture)
by Benedetta Origo, Laurie Olin, John Dixon Hunt, Morna Livingston
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 2001)
list price: $58.95 -- our price: $37.14
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Reviews (2)

La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany
This is an excellent book. It bodes one well to have read Iris Origo's autobiography to help understand much of the background of La Foce, although Benedetta Origo does an excellent job of providing background, too. The combination of the estate's background, color photographs and sketches by the authors makes this book an excellent buy, especially if one is interested in Italian gardens and their development. Maps, too, have been included to give one a sense of location. Beautifully done.

A Garden In All Its Glory
La Foce is an attractive Tuscan villa which is presented here in text and pictures. The text offers a picture of one family's history, including interesting archival photographs and drawings. What makes this book truly spectacular, however, are Morna Livingston's photographs, presented in a beautiful layout and printed on a silky white paper which heightens the luminesence of the incredible Tuscan colors. In more than one hundred photographs Livingiston captures the villa's gardens in every light and season.There are stunning images of the broader landscape and fascinating details of both the architecture and the plants. For those who have wondered just what the attraction of Tuscany is, you will find the answer here. For those who already know, this will serve as a reminder. ... Read more

Isbn: 0812235932
Sales Rank: 101938
Subjects:  1. Chiusi    2. Garden Design    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Gardens    7. Italy    8. Landscape    9. Villa La Foce (Chiusi, Italy)   

Desiring Italy : Women Writers Celebrate the Passions of a Country and Culture
by SUSAN CAHILL
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 April, 1997)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

When literary art meets the warmth, beauty, and culture of Italy, the results are stupifyingly wonderful. Susan Cahill has gathered jewels of writing, penned by 31 women of letters, inspired by Italy. There's Muriel Spark on Venice, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Mary McCarthy on Florence, Florence Nightingale and George Eliot on Rome, Edith Wharton on Milan, and Mary Taylor Simeti on Sicily. All together Cahill's arranged a beautiful antipasti plate of the impact--on the mind, the spirit, and above all the senses--of Italy. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

As aesthetic and eccletic as the Italians themselves!
This book is a treasure chest, a real find!Susan Cahill gives us here a fabulously artistic collection of woman's writings, all of which are centered around Italy and Italian experiences.The result is a resplendent patchwork of thoughts, ideas, articles, recipes, facts, stories... great writings, which explore various aspects of that paradise on earth and its inhabitants that we all know as Italy and the Italians.This book makes a great travel companion, whether you are traveling or not, or a great souvenir, in case you read it only once you are back. I highly recommend it not only for its literary side but because it very astutely portrays the multi-faceted, highly aesthetic "dolce vita" from numerous angles...

the Cook and the gardener
This a great book. I read it in a short time. It was like being there. I loved every moment of the book. Of course, I like to cook and I garden The recipes are worth a try. I felt like I was there, part of the book. A great read!

A Disappointing Read
I ordered Desiring Italy to read while my husband and I travelled in Italy this year. I had hoped that it would be as interesting as The Italians by Luigi Barzini or Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.Unfortunately, Iwas disappointed by the book; it did not meet my expectations or hold myinterest so I abandoned it in our hotel room. ... Read more

Isbn: 0449910806
Subjects:  1. Description And Travel    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Europe - Italy    4. Italy    5. Travel    6. Travel - General    7. Visitors, Foreign    8. Women In Literature    9. Women travelers    10. Travel / Essays & Travelogues   

A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character, and...Goals!
by Tim Parks
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (10 June, 2002)
list price: $26.95 -- our price: $17.79
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Reviews (12)

An Interesting Season
This is a very interesting book for a variety of reasons. The author, Tim Parks, is British, but has lived many years in Verona. He has developed a keen understanding of the passion of Italian calcio (football), along with the more negative facets: bitter provincial rivalries, racism, and the hard-core fan element of the "ultras."

This well-documented and detailed book takes on a different perspective. Parks is an acclaimed published author. He easily could have written a "safe" documentary about life with a professional team. But he chose a different route: he sat with the ultras during home games, and traveled with them on long bus/train rides for away matches. With the exception of one away game when he was the official guest of the team, and another match when he reported the events from the press box. In essence, he was accepted by the most fanatical element of Hellas Verona supporters. Although this provided him with a rare insight, he may have lost his objectivity with such personal involvement.

Hellas Verona has a reputation for having some of the most racist supporters in Italy. Parks spares no details about this volatile subject, but he also explains the bitter historical club rivalries throughout the Serie A. His game summaries are intriguing, and full of local color to keep the reader interested. He is able to describe game action in an appealing fashion, along with the fan reactions that he personally witnessed. Are these descriptions as good as a professional reporter who covers football consistently? No, but he is an excellent writer, and most of all, a fan of the sport. I didn't expect to read game summaries that would parallel the Times of London, BBC, or La Gazzetta dello Sport.

He interviews the fans, as well as the actual team players and coaches. He finds himself being drawn into the lives of the ultras, along with their chants during the actual games. He also has a good understanding of the Italian psyche, whether it be on the field, or away from it. Other reviewers have referenced the book, "The Miracle at Castel di Sangro," by Joe McGinniss. While neither author is an expert on the Serie A, or Italian soccer for that matter, I felt that Parks had a better understanding of the sport. The other author did not grow up in a soccer culture, and his book, while entertaining, is unfortunately reminiscent of the Ugly American attitude. "I've never seen a soccer game before, but I'm going to tell you how to coach the team." Parks doesn't exhibit this approach in this work. While his book may have flaws, he is indeed a soccer enthusiast.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Life on the "curva sud" with a real fan
An English academic, living and teaching in Northern Italy for the past twenty years, Tim Parks offers a colorful, rich, detailed account of a year(2000-01) following his historic local football club, Hellas Verona. This is a week-by-week, blow-by-blow account, up close and very personal. He starts as an interested observer and becomes a believer.

Better that this is written by a man of letters than by a journalist or a sportswriter, Parks at times becomes perhaps literate in studying the passion behind the football fans who seem to live and die by the fortunes of their favorites. Best of all, Parks chose a season that provided a riveting conclusion to a season of ups and downs. Sadly, a quick look at Italy's Serie A standings in early 2003 finds Hellas mired in mid-level Serie B.

Hellas fans are, at times, boisterous, irreverent, profane, vulgar, and, among the hard core, loyal to a fist fight and to a fault. Seeing them week by week, after a crazed introduction on the first, mind numbing rod trip to the south, Parks offers the insight of an Englishman not unfamiliar with football hooligans but also willing to try to understand the mind and life of the devoted Hellas fan.

Enjoy the passion.

You'll be gripped from start to finish
Without doubt this is the best football book that I've ever read. Right from the start Tim Parks actually draws the reader into the unfolding drama and story, rather than it just being a case of you reading a book and just taking information in. You'll find yourself eagerly flicking pages to find out what happened next, sometimes I read this book deep (and I mean, deep!) into the early morning rather than put the book down.

Basically this book is all about Hellas Verona football club in Italy, and their battle to stay in the top division in Italy, Serie A. They are one of the most, if not the most, unfashionable clubs in Italy to support, due to the media's overblown coverage of the club's racism problems.

In this book you'll find out about many interesting fans and the sometimes hilarious, sometimes appalling, things they got upto throughout a tense season. It's a totally factual account and that makes this all the more intriguing. If you thought you knew everything about Italian football then take a read of this, you'll be surprised at what really goes on. You thought rivalry was bad in English football!

Not only did Verona have to battle the media and their reputation, but added to that was the fact that they did not have the resources of huge clubs like Inter Milan and Juventus.

Tim Parks wrote this book extremely well, never baffling the reader or losing the plot. It's very enjoyable and added to that you'll learn snippets of the Italian language and all about the Italian way of life.

A superb read. ... Read more

Isbn: 1559706287
Sales Rank: 274215
Subjects:  1. Europe - Italy    2. Hellas Verona (Soccer club)    3. Italy    4. Parks, Tim    5. Soccer    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Current Events / General   

The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany (Most Beautiful Villages)
by James Bentley, W W Norton & Co Thames & Hudson, Hugh Palmer
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 September, 1997)
list price: $40.00 -- our price: $25.20
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Editorial Review

With the recent popularity of such notable books as Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and Elizabeth Romer's The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley, a legion of new Italia fans are finding out what many already know: the charm of Tuscany cannot be denied. In The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany, author James Bentley and photographer Hugh Palmer offer a decidedly unique view of this remarkable region. Focusing on thirty-six villages and towns from all over Tuscany--chosen for "both their intrinsic beauty and for the part they have played in Tuscan history and culture"--the gorgeous full-color photographs, accompanied by superb accounts of each village, truly "bring the region to life, evoking the richness of architecture and landscape, and bringing out the charm of the Tuscan people." The final chapter is devoted to useful travel information, including passages on hotels and restaurants, market days and festivals, as well as a select bibliography and detailed map of the region. As beautiful as it is informative and entertaining, The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany is "the perfect visual tribute to the timeless beauty of these small towns and villages." ... Read more

Reviews (9)

You Need This Book
This is a portable travel guide.The photos are beautiful and it makes you want to remain in Italy or return there.

Good picture-book for trip planning
If you're planning a trip through Tuscany this is a great picture book to use in determining which of the smaller towns you want to visit. The book covers 36 smaller places and skips over large towns like Sienna and Orvieto. Each town also gets 3-5 paragraphs of very introductory text. The pictures are not postcard quality, but very modern with an "editorial travel" style giving you a good idea of what it will actually look like with you get there.

breathtaking
I ordered this book last week and received it this weekend.I opened the cover and never put it down.I am not Italian nor have I been to Italy but it is my dream.I am constantly telling my husband this would be the trip of a lifetime, but until that time comes, this is the book I will cherish....the one I will flip through and dream with.The architecture is what inspires me to go, to take my own pictures.The photographs in this book are.....well, breathtaking.....absolutely breathtaking.If you share this dream, you must buy this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 050001664X
Subjects:  1. Collections Of Photographs    2. Europe - Italy    3. General    4. Italy    5. Italy - History    6. Photography    7. Pictorial works    8. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Europe    9. Travel    10. Tuscany    11. Tuscany (Italy)    12. Villages   

The Hills of Tuscany
by FERENC MATE
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (12 October, 1999)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

A sensuous valentine to author Ferenc Máté's adopted homeland, The Hills of Tuscany brims with lush descriptions of golden dales, scrumptious meals, rich wines, and friendly natives. After years of nomadic roaming from Central America to Canada, Máté (a writer) and his wife, Candace (a painter), visit Tuscany and impulsively decide that this is where they will settle down. A year later they return and begin the hunt for their dream house. As the likeable Mátés (they're funny and suitably grateful for the chance to live in one of the world's garden spots) troll the countryside with a series of colorful Tuscan middlemen, it's impossible not to become emotionally involved in their quest. And when they finally discover the perfect abode--La Marinaia, a tastefully renovated stone farmhouse set amid scenery that Ferenc describes as "like being in the middle of a painting"--you're thrilled right along with them. Subsequent chapters follow the Mátés' growing friendship with their neighbors, who not only help rototill the garden but also reveal where to find porcini mushrooms and truffles in the nearby woods. All in all, reading The Hills of Tuscany is the next best thing to quitting your job, climbing on a plane, and finding your own Tuscan dream house. --Rebecca Gleason ... Read more

Reviews (40)

I could see myself in Tuscany
I've read both Frances Mays two books and I found my soul taking flight to Tuscany to find that bit of peace and happiness that only my mind has put into form.

Someday I'm going to take this mind trip and make it into my own special reality.

Absolutely Fantastic!
A wonderful tale of Mate and his wife deciding to settle down in Tuscany.The ups and downs of the language barrier, the dream houses which have been torn down to a knee high wall for a new barn, smokey 'real estate' brokers, and the older bachelor's 'funghi' flirtation with his wife.After finding the ultimate house, there was the addition of the well flavored family next door that kept things interesting.There was always something quirky going on, which I could picture it happening to me.Great read!

Like Wine, Improves with Age
Okay, I'm on a roll here.Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, On Rue Tatin by Susan Loomis, At Home in France by Ann Berry, and now The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate, and I recommend all.This one's a bit weird though in that it goes on for just over 100 pages leaving me cold and feeling like it's missing something (lacks heart somehow), and like possibly the author just wrote it for the cash.The recounted dialogue also seems stilted.It's meant to be witty but somehow doesn't ring true.Then Ferenc and Candace find their dream house (yes, it takes over 100 pages to get there!) and somehow the tone begins to change.As the chapters pass from this point and the Mates interact with their Italian neighbors it becomes much warmer, more full of heart, and actually a good read I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.It's now left me with the impression that the author wrote it over the years and his skills as a writre improved with time, yet he didn't go back and clean up the earlier chapters which are strangely dry and lackluster.The chapter about the neighbors killing a pig was also interesting to read just how prosciutto was made, etc.Great meals, wine-making, domestic settling in, the clever and timeless ways peasants do things (all lost to us Americans and we're so much the poorer for it), etc., it's all here, just like all the books in this genre, but thankfully it lacks the tone of feeling superior to the locals that some have.Get through those first 100 or so pages and stick with it.It's a pleasant read after that.Now I'm off to read Mate's new book (2000) called A Reasonable Life: Toward a Simpler, Secure, More Humane Existence, as that's EXACTLY the place I'm at in my life at 42 after leaving the New York City rat race for a simpler existence (the rats were winning) after seemingly going into an office 10 years ago, sitting down at a computer, and realizing ten years had gone by, lost forever, and I'm no better for it really, and it's not the life I want or the way I want to live, so now I'm back home in California, putting in my own kitchen garden (potager), etc., and MUCH more fulfilled at the end of each day.The American "efficient" way of doing everything (houses and shopping centers like ugly barracks, food in plastic from a grocery that lacks flavor and aroma, etc.) is robbing us all blind of a rich life, and I for one want off the treadmill to success and to go back to the older and richer ways, hence my interest in these types of books now, and my appreciation for what Mr. Mate has written here. ... Read more

Isbn: 0385334419
Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe - Italy    6. General    7. Homes and haunts    8. Italy    9. Matâe, Ferenc,    10. Social life and customs    11. Travelers    12. Tuscany    13. Tuscany (Italy)    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Under the Tuscan Sun
by Frances Mayes
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 1997)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $10.20
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Editorial Review

In this memoir of her buying, renovating, and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy, and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the color, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden, and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced, and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll. ... Read more

Reviews (379)

A Classic Memoir an d a Luxurious Read
Transport yourself to Tuscany and the renovation of an antique farmhouse in this luxurious memoir.The writing is lyrical, the descriptions lush and the depictions of Italian vistas, people and cuisine a delight.The inclusion of regional recipes themed to the seasons is a happy bonus.The accolades for this book are well-deserved.Especially recommended for a lift in late fall and winter, when you're dreaming of warmth.

Don't change the subject.
When I bought this book I was hoping to read about several topics related to Tuscany, a famous region from Antiquity through the Middle-ages to the present day but there are only a few mentions as far as history is concerned.

Nevertheless the book is interesting because it tells about the troublesome renovation of a house bought by F.Mayer an her husband. This gives the opportunity to describe the locals and their habits, not only the workers on their house but also the people in the nearby town. Tastily culinary recipies are given on several occasions.

But at the end of the book dissapointment begins. She starts telling about her hometown in the US and about someone who keeps a kangaroo in his backyard and other pointless facts. Maybe F.Mayer had an agreement with her publisher to deliver a certain amount of pages - I don't know - but I wonder why so many writers can't stick to their subject at the end of their book and become longwinded.

Poetic tribute to Tuscany
Mayes writes a lovely if not poetic tribute to Tuscany in this, her first published memoir of living in the region.In contrast to Peter Mayle and his work "A Year in Provence," there is less writing on the idiosyncracies of living in the area and more emphasis on pure description of the locale.As an added bonus, she includes some of her favorite seasonal recipes.For those who have seen the movie, there is quite a bit of difference from the book, although, overall, the spirit of the book seems to be preserved. ... Read more

Isbn: 0767900383
Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Cookery, Italian    3. Customs & Traditions    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Europe - Italy    7. Italian cooking    8. Mayes, Frances    9. Social Science    10. Social life and customs    11. Travel - General    12. Tuscany (Italy)    13. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    14. Reading Group Guide   

Venice: Lion City
by Garry Wills
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (28 September, 2001)
list price: $35.00
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Editorial Review

The tiny island city-state of Venice was, for a time, one of thegreatest maritime powers the world has ever known, its influence extending far beyond the Mediterranean. Garry Wills, well known for his studies of American political history, travels far afield to explore Renaissance Venice at the height of its power.

Venice, Wills writes, was "not an ideal state." Its champions would claim otherwise; they held a view of Venetian "exceptionalism," an idea that the city-state, like its classical Athenian model, was somehow destined for great things. It achieved many of them, gathering phenomenal wealth through the monopolies of its many guilds, floating great navies that controlled the seas, and building a splendid, renowned city. Wills profiles the leaders, great families, corporations, and institutions (including what he calls a "gerontocracy" of elder statesmen) that allowed such growth, as well as women, ordinary workers, and other actors who do not often figure in histories of the period. He examines the religious beliefs and worldly wisdom that motivated and justified the Venetian impulse to achieve wealth and power, and he takes his readers on a learned tour of Venice's architectural and artistic glories--many of which survive today.

No, it was not ideal, Wills concludes, "just better than most of those around it--better able to sustain, over a long period, whatever ideals it had." His account of those ideals and the city they made will appeal to a wide audience of readers. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Venice: Lion City
This book provides some interesting artistic and historic insights to lovers of Venice, but it is a difficult "read" and is often strained in its interpretations and conclusions.It also presumes a fairly advanced knowledge of Venetian art and history.In addition, there are various out-and-out errors:For example, on pg. 19, the Italian word "fondaco" is wrong-- it should be "fondamento"; on pg. 21, the saint identified as Stephen is actually Sebastian; on pg. 264, St. Sebastian's date, stated unequivocally to be 4th century A.D., could just as well have been 3rd century, since sources differ on the point.I would have expected a higher degree of accuracy from this author.

Turgid, but- -
I'm afraid "elventh" has it correct.This book is a great study of a specific slice of art history.I read everything Wills writes and pass along his writings to everyone I know, but not this one.For those with the patience and background, (I lack the background, but after reading it I lack less) however, it is fully worth the time.

An intelligent book in an unsatisfactory edition
Gary Wills's VENICE: LION CITY is a very intelligent study in cultural criticism by a popular and eminent American historian: as the book's dustcover makes clear, Simon and Schuster wants to market this as Wills' entry into Simon Schama territory. Basically, he's trying to interpret the most famous works of Venetian Renaissance art and architecture through the pervasive imperial ideology of what was an odd throwback to a Hellenistic city-state. The book works best for someone with a strong familiarity with the art of Venice already, and Wills answers some very intriguing questions along the way both on a factual level (why is the winged lion used to represent St. Mark, the city's patron? Why were Christians in earlier times so obsessed with saints' relics?) and on the interpretive level as well (why are Bellini's Madonnas so inward-looking?). But Simon and Schuster have not served this book well on many levels. It deserves a much fancier format than it is allowed, with much larger reproductions and more full-colored plates: some works Wills discusses (like Titan's "Assumption") are not reproduced at all, and a massive work like Tintoretto's "Crucifixion"--so important to Wills' argument--deserves a two-page (or fold-out) reproduction than the mere one page it receives. Also, someone needed to edit the book much more vigorously. I counted several times when Wills basically repeats an entire paragraph of interpretation from earlier in the work. This is a good book, but not for the casual reader, and it deserves in the future a much more sophisticated revision and re-issue. ... Read more

Isbn: 0684871904
Subjects:  1. 15th-16th Century Art    2. Christianity - History - General    3. Church history    4. Europe - Italy    5. European    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History Of Individual Cities    9. History: World    10. Venice (Italy)    11. World - General    12. History / Italy   

The Stones of Florence
by Mary McCarthy
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (25 September, 1963)
list price: $13.00
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Editorial Review

It becomes evident from the first page of The Stones ofFlorence that Mary McCarthy loves her subject. Yet hers is thesteady love of a long acquaintance, an affection that has deepened frommere infatuation to a steady, clear-eyed regard. In this witty tributeto Florence, Mary McCarthy explores the city's past and present, in theprocess offering up a tour that covers everything from a description ofoil painting to the remarkable history behind Florence's many towers.The Stones of Florence is ideal for reading on the plane ride toItaly, but it's also perfect for armchair travelers, art lovers, andstudents of the Renaissance. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Welcome Antidote to Saccharine Travel Books
Prior to reading this book, my favorite book on Florence was "The City of Florence: Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings" by R.W.B. Lewis which, like much of what one reads about the city, is generally positive.

In searching out books on the subject, I had repeatedly come across references to "The Stones of Florence," which I avoided because I viewed Mary McCarthy (1912 - 1989) as a sort of upscale Danielle Steel, a popular novelist incapable of perceptive insights. That assessment was wrong.

Instead, from the first page, the reader is confronted with perceptive and knowledgeable opinions that challenge his or her own perceptions (e.g., the Florentines are a cantankerous, miserly bunch). You may not agree with her, but there is no doubt that she is highly intelligent and has seriously thought out her positions. In the end, the reader comes away with strong admiration for her intelligence, candor, and succinct writing style. For example:

"Up until this time (the age of Michelangelo), sculpture and architecture had been relied on by the Florentines to affirm the strength of the Republic. That is why the Uffizi, beautiful as many of its paintings are, is only a picture gallery, while the Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo are Florence." (p. 108).

"The kind of vulgarity in decoration that is today thought of as middle-class seems to stem straight from Tuscany in the time of the Medici grand dukes (citing Cosimo I)... The interiors of the grand-ducal palaces and villas are sumptuously, stuffily ugly in a way that is hard to connect with a period that was contemporary, after all, with classic Palladio in the Veneto." (p. 201)

"Lorenzo the Magnificent was `incredibly devoted to the indulgence of an amorous passion', as Roscoe, his eighteenth-century biographer, puts it; his sexuality was uncontrollable, a perpetual bullish rut." (p. 176)

This is not a book for readers considering a first trip to Florence or for those whose sole exposure has been a whirlwind tour of the Uffizi, Duomo and David. It presupposes an in-depth knowledge of the city itself, its history and literature. Those who have that knowledge will find it thought-provoking and rewarding.

SHAMELESSLY UGLY!!
Forget about this edition of the book--which I would love to find another original 1963 edition of to replace the one I gave away. The cheeseballs at Harvest who choose to reprint this title by shooting pocket edition-sized pages of toothy paper and then enlarging it to trade paperback size should be horsewhipped. Fat broken type throughout. Nearly unreadable. Coyote, buck ugly printing. I understand the margins in publishing, but a good selling backlist title like this should elicit some respect from the publisher, even if they have none for their readers. Somebody should be canned for this want of taste and judgement. We're talking about Florence here. The point of the book is aesthetics. Get the book from the library and wait for a new edition from another publisher. Are all Harvest books this poor? Venice Observed is also a travesty.

Jade colored glasses
After reading The Stones of Florence, I speculated that although author Mary McCarthy has a good feel for words and a certain passion for Florence, she must have been in a bad mood when she started writing.

Now, I'm not someone who looks for travel literature that overly romanticizes the places it covers. But painting an accurate picture of a place is one thing, and grumbling under ones breath is something else.

Yet with The Stones of Florence one can almost imagine Ms. McCarthy's scowl as she rails against other writers who write about Florence, about the tourists who visit the city, the traffic on its streets, and the smog that surrounds it. Although modern environmental laws have improved the air quality in Florence in the years since this book was written in 1964, the city has become an ever more popular subject for writers, the traffic has worsened, and the crowds of tourists have grown larger and less cosmopolitan ... I shudder to imagine what Ms. McCarthy would write today.

In my eyes, most of the book's value comes from the fact that it is considered one of the parents of modern travel writing, a blend of history, literature, autobiography, and intelligence gathering. For students of the genre, this would probably make an interesting read. But for anyone thinking of reading this ahead of a long-awaited trip to the storied Tuscan capital, I dare say that seeing the city first from Ms. McCarthy's often jaded point of view could color the experience in an undesirable way. ... Read more

Isbn: 015685080X
Subjects:  1. Art, Italian    2. Art, Renaissance    3. Europe - Italy    4. Florence    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Italy