Italy Books

This book should be a required read for anyone studying to teach early childhood education, but anyone interested Reggio Emilia or young children will find this an excellent resource. Through the lens of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, the book looks at "the image of the child", "the role of the teacher", environment, documentation, relationships, curriculum, aesthetics, and finally "the Hundred Languages of Children". It is a highly enjoyable read, rich with real life examples of Reggio in practice, as well as the reality of the challenges faced by teachers. Wonderful!!

I just recently graduated with my masters degree in education and just got a job as a kindergarten teacher for this school year. During my graduate studies I became intrigued with the ideas from the Reggio Emilia schools: Documentation, Projects, the studio, collaboration, spaces, etc. I really wanted to be able to bring these ideas to my own classroom. I have read a lot of literature out there about Reggio Emilia and the various ideas associated with them- But a lot of those books are very academic and wordy and force you to ponder deep issues, which is great, but I'm not a grad student anymore. I need something a little bit more easy to read, with less theory and such and more how-to's. So I found Authentic Childhood and love it! It lays out the basic ideas of Reggio Emilia in a really accessible way. It has been a nice addition to my professional library. I mean, there is still theory in this book- but its Micheal Crichton-level reading, not James Joyce.
I also recommend: In the Spirit of the Studio (Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia) and Making Learning Visible. These are valuable tools for any educator!

I am a big fan of airplane especially this one. Although British aircraft of world war II is the most favourite in design but that also the same with this serie of Axis aircrafts.
Good references for my cartoon comic art and yet it's affordable.

This author's list of credits is quite impressive. He is an internationally recognised air historian, has over 20 books published and contributes to "Jane's All the World's Aircraft." In this book he has concentrated on all those aircraft employed by the Axis Powers of WW2 and, in short, he has made an excellent job of it too.

Laid out in strict alphabetical order by make, each aircraft commences with a text headed "History and Notes" in which all the relevant history is covered and the numerous variations of different aircraft explained. To this is added plans and the occasional photograph. Most interestingly, instead of treating the reader to an artist's impression of a single profile example, we get several different profiles of each aircraft showing their numerous variations and livery. In the case of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, for example, there are 10 such profiles.

In my own work I frequently find myself researching whatever aircraft was involved with the sinking of a particular ship and this book gives me all the historical and technical details I could ever want.

An excellent choice for those with a deeper interest in the subject.

NM.

This is the single most useful guidebook to Florence that I have found. Compact and light, it is easy to carry in a purse or backpack. Its detailed floorplans and histories or major attractions make it easy to be your own tour guide and a snap to locate all the major points of interest. The pull-out map is a godsend when lost in the narrow streets of Florence. The book is loaded with pictures and practical information, and the alphabetical listing of city attractions and their locations and hours make it easy to map out an efficient itinerary. I heartily recommend this book to the first-time visitor to Florence!

i have just returned from my first trip to florence and i used the baedeker guide every day of my vacation. divided into useful sections, the book provides historical and cultural information, as well as full-color pictures, about the city itself and the sights in the city. the first section, the historical account of the city and its people, allows any traveler (no matter his or her previous knowledge of florentine history) to understand why florence arose as it did. the section that alphabetically (and therefore ultimately usefully) lists the significant buildings and locations provides the relevant information (hours open, bus routes, location) for visiting. also, the guide, in the last section of the book, offers practical advice on visiting florence. the comprehensive index at the end is the last evidence of its appeal as a guide. the most wonderful aspect of the baedeker's guide, though, is the concise descriptions of what comprises each of the major sights; not only does the first time visitor learn about what each building or piazza contains, but he or she can do so without a specific guide for each gallery or palazzo. overall, the guide book (and the spectacular full-sized free street map) made my trip to florence easy and more fun than i could have imagined.

Barmi is a fictitious city set on the Mediterranean coast between Spain and Italy's Tiber River. In this book, the history of the city from the establishment of the first agricultural settlement to the late twentieth century is traced. Fourteen eras are described:

*) Farmers and herders - 4th century B. C.
*) A legionary camp - 2nd century B. C.
*) A large Roman city - 2nd century A. D.
*) The age of the barbarians - 6th century
*) Feudalism's bell towers and embattlements - late 11th century
*) The culmination of the medieval city - mid 13th century
*) Commercial expansion - mid-15th century
*) The flowering of the renaissance - early 16th century
*) A fortified city - mid-17th century
*) Factories and the enlightenment - mid-18th century
*) Old streets, new factories - mid-19th century
*) Expansion and urban growth - early twentieth century
*) A major commercial and industrial center - mid-20th century
*) Between past and future - late 20th century

For each time period, there is a diagram of the city with major structures highlighted and explained. There is also a caption that describes major events as well as facts regarding the changed social and political structure of the city. This is an excellent book for the study of how major cities have evolved over time in that region of the world.

Barmi is an imaginary city, but it is typical of many smaller cities in the northern Mediterranean. This book recreates the history of the city from its earliest settlement through today, in stages that clearly illustrate how the past of a city remains imprinted in its later forms. The book was evidently intended to help European high schoolers understand their own cities; but the drawings are so lavish and intricate that they have instant appeal to any reader. It's easy to become lost in the back alleys of Barmi at some point in its history, or to follow a detail (a Roman amphitheater gradually converted into an oval Baroque piazza) through its architectural development over a long period of time. This and the other volumes in the series are one of the best introductions I know to the study of urban geography, especially in cities with a history stretching over millennia. Highly recommended!

The edition I orginally had of this book was published by Ayer, and the print was missaligned on so many pages that I was confused many times during the progress of the story. Thankfully, Valancourt has printed this lovely edition of a Radcliffean and Lewis inspired book, with all the typical twists and turns of Gothic narrative. Some of the passages are truly haunting, especially the scenes in the chamber when the young Barozzi finds a "corse" weltering in blood, and the sorceress insisting that the Baron Barozzi give in to her master, Lucifer!

I am with the publisher of this book, Valancourt Books. Since Amazon has never posted the book's description, here it is, from the book's back cover:

"The unfortunate Rosalina St. Almo is torn from her father's arms by vicious banditti, who slaughter her father before her eyes. Fortunately she is rescued from the villains by young Rosalva di Barozzi, who takes her to his father's palace in Venice. But more terror awaits her there when a hideous sorceress at a masked ball prophesies her doom!

Is the mysterious sorceress trying to help Rosalina escape her enemies' clutches, or is she scheming to sacrifice her in a demonic ritual? Can Rosalina evade the assassins sent to destroy her and solve the mystery of the sorceress in time?

This edition reprints the complete text of the 1815 edition and includes a new introduction for modern readers."

I'd been to the area several times, but with the Cadogan in tow, I discovered the Bay of Naples' hidden treasures. Wish I'd had it along on all my journeys.

This has got to be the best travel writing team alive. They are highly cultured without the slightest pretention, able to find that wonderful quirky detail or perspective, and include such basics as where the good cheap eats are. We have used this book on several trips to the South of Italia and are always delighted to read what they have to say on this or that art work or hidden piazza. The intelligence in these books is subtle and unusually wide-ranging - you can tell that this couple loves to learn as well as travel. They are truly superlative writers.

Warmly recommended.

It came brand new, in perfect condition and it was a nice discount!

To whom visit Italy, Venice is different of other important art centers , like Rome or Firenze . The Oriental influence in the
architecture remains as first impression.Screnning windows in the lunette above Porta Sant'Alippio , ,the grills on Saint Mark, the facades of the Doge's Palace.But,also, in the painting , and general decorative arts the islamic and oriental influence is visible. Venise was the gateway of the Orient.As
written in the Introduction of this excellent book , it was not necessary to travel to the bazaars of Damascus to acquire merchandise,because it could be found in Venice . The book is a complete study of this commerce ,between 14th and 17 th centuries ,and its influence in the life of Venice - including
the new class of designers , imitating silks , ceramics , glasses , and other kind of products.This book describes a very
interesting connection , not quite found in other works - the
influence of Islamic civilization in the Italian Renaisance.

I have enjoyed this little precious book now for years. Kudos to Evie Righter and Georgia Downward it is a joy to cook and eat the recipes in this cookbook.

One of the best Italian cookbooks we've found. The recipes are very "downhome" in nature and authentic representations of the cooking we encountered during our trip through Italy. Highly recommend this one. In fact, my wife just ordered another copy to keep in the galley on board our boat.

Jack Greene and Alessandro Massignani's The Black Prince And The Sea Devils is the story of Prince Valerio Borghese and his infamous World War II Italian naval commando unit will intrigue any with a special interest in World War II history beyond the generalist topics and scope. Green has authored four previous military titles and Massignani brings with him a special focus on Italian naval history: the two draw upon official archival sources and veteran accounts on both sides to separate fact from fantasy.

Every major military in the world has it's special elite units. The British have their SAS. The Americans the SEALS, Rangers, and Special Forces. Strangely enough, this trend began with the Italian Navy. Their Decima MAS unit pioneered the concept of small, specially trained units that did damage to their enemies far beyond their size. Movie buffs will recognize their exploits as shown in the 1958 movie 'The Silent Enemy' where frogmen attack the HMS Valiant and the HMS Queen Elizabeth using specially modified torpedoes that they ride into the harbour.

It is nice to see that the Italian military is portrayed here as something other than the bumbling fools so often shown in American films and books. This book treats the unit as they would any other unit, telling how it got started, their training, their failures and their successes. This book is also the basis for a new movie called 'The Sea Devils' although I understand that the project is now on hold.

Before reading this book, I had the impression (without even realizing it) that all saints were people who lived secluded lives hundreds of years ago and spent 90% of their time in prayer. This book illustrates the life a "normal" woman who lived a devout life in the modern world. She was an intelligent woman who was a highly educated doctor, and also a wife and a mother. Her life shows how devotion to God does not have to mean the exclusion of all else.

Read it near tissues though. If you have children, you will almost certainly cry when you read how she refused to sacrifice the life of her child to save her own.

All across global society, there are many controversial issues that predominate the social and political spectrum, none more polemical than the matter of abortion. Those who are Pro-Life versus those who are Pro-Choice lock heads to the point where divisiveness is a constant. Herein is where the uniqueness of Dr. Molla lies. Blessed Gianna, now Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, is a unique yet admirable figure among the vast array of Catholic Saints, having been canonized in 2004 by Pope John Paul II. She was a medical doctor who specialized in pediatrics, but she saw her vocation as a doctor as the Divine gift that it was: "In one way or another, everyone in the world works in the service of humanity. The physician works directly with the human person. The object of our science and work is the human person who is before us, who tells us about him or herself, who asks for help, and who expects from us the fullness of his or her existence. Physicians have opportunities that a priest does not have, for our mission does not end when medicine is no longer of help. There still remains the soul that must be brought to God. Jesus says, 'Whoever visits the sick is helping me.' This is a priestly mission! Just as the priest can touch Jesus, so we doctors touch Jesus in the bodies of our patients: in the poor, the young, the old, children.... May Jesus reveal himself through us; may he find many physicians who willingly offer themselves to him."--page 46. Through her work with Catholic Action, as well as her rich, rewarding faith, Dr. Molla was a woman endowed with much, but there was something else that she had a yearning for--a family. Originally dissuaded from becoming a religious missionary, as her brothers and sister had become-for her calling laid elsewhere-she needed clarity in order to see her vocation clearly in respects to love. Hence, while at Lourdes, she prayed to the Blessed Virgin for insight, and it came when her relationship with Pietro Molla (later her husband) deepened into a true Catholic-Christian marriage. And with the manifestation of that love, came a succession of children. In her time as a doctor, Dr. Molla was frequently asked to perform abortions, and her response would be a consistently resounding, "It is a sin against God. Life is sacred."--page 58. It was a religious and professional truth bravely lived out as a member of the Association of Catholic Physicians and then in the International Medical Association of Our Lady of Lourds. As her work schedule grew so too did her family, and upon her fourth pregnancy-her third one being difficult-she promised that her family work would come first, that she would leave her medical career behind, for however long necessary. But it was her fourth pregnancy whereby she would ununexpectedly become a martyr. Having developed a fibroma on the lateral right wall of her uterus and later septic peritonitis, she had one of three choices: an abortion, a complete hysterectomy or save the baby's life. The first two choices would have assured her her life. The abortion choice would also have guaranteed future pregnancies. However, Gianna Molla, as a doctor, chose the very last option, her will uncompromising to save her baby, knowing full well, however, that it would ultimately cost her her life. But as true as that was and as genuine as her painful suffering was, her faith was unyielding: "Oh, if Jesus were not here to console us at times like this....!"--page 110. Gianna Beretta Molla died quietly in her home on April 28, 1962, slowly living out her Passion, responding fully to her vocation with quiet, saintly courage.