Italy Books

I was not aware of this book until several years after it came out and only discovered it because I was looking for books about the 10th Mountain Division as my uncle was in the 10th and was killed in action in Northern Italy in February 1945. I was more than pleasantly surprised by it. Not only did I find it by far the best account I have yet found on the 10th Mountain Division, but it is also the single best account of what war is really like that I have ever read. It is an absolutely first rate book. I am sorry that it appears to be out of print and that used copies of it are in limited supply and surprisingly expensive. I HIGHLY recommend this fine book.

I have read "See Naples and Die" with admitted prejudice. That prejudice is rooted in the fact my father, like Bob Ellis, served in the 10th Mountain Division. Like Ellis he too was a machine gun operator and served in the same campaign in Italy. Although my father, like Ellis, was never given to braggadocio "war stories" what he did share with me and what I learned therefrom has allowed me to read and comprehend Ellis' memoirs keenly.

The manner, in which Ellis has written and shared his experiences, is a lasting tribute in itself. The fact that he has taken the additional step of sharing his diary and personal letters is priceless and without selfishness.

Having the opportunity to compare what Ellis has written against the reminisces of what my father told me is no less than incredible to me. The parallels are uncanny and events, as related by both parties, validators of each. This includes but is not limited to training at Camps Hale and Swift, transport onboard the USS West Point (SS America), and the brutal combat in Italy. The author and my narrator never met and were widely dispersed in the 10th having served in different regiments. Incredibly their stories are the same.

"See Naples and Die" now has its permanent place in my personal library alongside the only other book I own relating to the 10th - the Army's official publication circa 1946 entitled "History of the 87th Mountain Infantry (10th Mtn. Div.) Italy 1945."

This book is a World War II memoir of a young man who served in the US Army's famed 10th Mountain Division--from rugged training in the Colorado Rockies to the bloody combat in the rugged Italian mountains. The story, told primarily through the eyes of Ellis, the young soldier--as recaptured in the many letters he sent home during his service--is fleshed out with details from other sopurces, as well as wry observations by the author.

The book provides an excellent picture of the nature of combat, particularly in mountainous terrain. The reader will come away with a much better understanding of World War II after finishing this book.

I particularly enjoyed this book because it comes from the perspective of an enlisted man. The author describes his experiences, when at age 18 he volunteered for the U.S. Army's famed 10th Mountain Division. The 10th included some of America's greatest skiers and mountaineers and has been called the most elite and publicized American Army unit of World War II. Source material for the book comes from hundreds of the author's candid and sometimes bitter letters written home from his training camp in the Rockies as well as his letters and battle diary entries from the front lines in Italy. The author details the exceptional service of the unit, but also explores the brutal reality of infantry combat much like that portrayed in the Private Ryan film. Despite the often grim circumstances, the author displays a wry sense of humor. This is a well written and entertaining personal memoir.

As one who served both as an enlisted man and an officer in the US Army in Korea and is a student of 20th century history, I consider "See Naples and Die: . . ." to be on of the most authentic memoirs of a combat veteran's experience in World War II. It is well told with sharp observations that put veterans back in touch with their own half-forgotten experiences.

It is a great read for World War II history buffs and any others who are interested in the life and times of the "greatest generation" during that difficult period in our nation's history.

"The Skin" is a complex and fascinating book.

Ostensibly it is about the American army arriving in Italy during WWII and coming into contact (often for the first time) with Europe's spiritual and moral corruption and degradation. The idea was copied a (little) bit by Joseph Heller in Catch-22. If you've read Catch-22, you have SOME an idea about what to expect.

But "The Skin" is a deeper book than Catch-22, and Malaparte was much more interested in the differences between the decadence of the old world and the brash, conquering innocence of the New World, where things such as defeat are considered physically and morally impossible. Defeat is actually seen as morally reprehensible and somehow or other, the fault of the defeated.

Unlike Heller, Malaparte never portrays the military or the politicians as out and out bufoons: he realizes that people are invariably more complex than that.

It is a rare combination of intellectual writing, combined with moments of vibrantly dark humour. An example: when an American liason officer speaks about Italian women selling their bodies, Malaparte replies that all that they are actually selling is their hunger. And that it'd be a marvellous thing if every American soldier could take home a piece of hunger to show his wife what amazing things you can buy for money.

The title, by the way, refers to Malaparte's comment that once flags have been proven worthless and shamed, the only flag people are willing to fight for is that of their own skin. The indomitable spirit of mankind is shown to be a greedy, grasping thing that will stop at nothing in order to continue existing. And the spectacle is anything but edifying.

This is not an easy book, and it is not a book for everybody. In fact, if you believe in the manifest destiny of your country or are used to dividing people between winners and losers, save your time and do not buy this book because you would not understand it.

Malaparte's book is a series of autobiographic episodes set in WW2 Italy. It shows the despair and degradation of a place where everything, everything is for sale and the only thing that matters is your skin, saving your skin and living another day. In many respects, however, Italy becomes a metaphor for the whole of Europe (watch the movie "Berlin - year 0") in those times, and perhaps mankind. In fact, Malaparte's language is often poetic and his book transcends his times to become a universal portrait of suffering man. It is the suffering, defeated man that Malaparte takes pity of, while describing man in his hour of triumph as "unbearable".

Among all the rhetoric on the Liberation and the magnificent new future that awaited Europe after the war, here is a writer who preferred to set his eyes on a painful present. Malaparte gives us a description of a terrible time which has the same timeless value as Thucidides' account of the plague in Athens.

A particularly enjoyable part of the book is the description of the contact between the Old and the New World. Malaparte, an officer of the Italian Corps that fought alongside the Allies in the Italian campaign from 1943 onwards, was very good friend with some American officers and knew General Clark. He has left us a wonderful description of the mixed feelings of the US troops in experiencing, often for the first time, the reality of Europe, of their obscure fascination and, at the same time, contempt for "corrupt" Europe, of their genuine innocence mixed with a presumption of moral superiority. In an unforgettable dialogue, an American woman serving in the auxiliary forces contemptiously asks Malaparte how can women in Naples prostitute themselves for a packet of cigarettes, clearly they must be putting their habit ahead of their honor. Malaparte drily answers that "With a packet of cigarettes, they can buy 3 kgs of bread"...

This is an intense and vivid account of Malaparte's experiences in his native Italy during the American occupation. Set largely in Naples, it picks up where his masterpiece Kaputt left off, and nearly attains the haunting, hallucinogenic power and bitter humor of his earlier work.

'The Skin' is tainted, however, by a deep misanthropy that permeates the work, and which was perhaps latent in Kaputt but seemed more justified when directed against the Nazis and other Fascists he encountered than against his countrymen. This misanthropy is voiced explicitly on a few occasions, but most venomously expressed in his racist, homophobic, and red-baiting descriptions of black American soldiers and upper class gays, respectively. So the hopeful, humanist note on which he ended Kaputt decays sourly as he recounts his experience in the ruins of Naples following the Allied landing.

Translator David Moore doesn't attain the fluid clarity of Foligno's English rendering of Kaputt, and he irritatingly refuses to translate the French and German conversations that appear throughout the book. His rendering of Florentine street idiom in Cockney accents is a poor choice.

Overall, not the equal of Kaputt, but still a memorable book.

Malaparte's "The Skin" is more than a sardonic look at the American occupation of Italy in WWII. It's a hilarious, and very sad, look at the human condition -- how low humanity can fall and how fatalistic and depraved we can become in the face of devastation. Malaparte speaks openly about the "trade" in African-American soldiers in occupied Italy, when desperate Italian families sent their daughters looking specifically for Black America soldiers to bring home -- because they were more generous and kind, more loyal and more loving -- and because they always brought loads of G.I. food to their adoptive families. You wouldn't get away with that kind of truth now, not in America. Malaprate also gives us some of the most catastropic scenes every written about the aftermath of WWII in Italy, scenes which will embed in your memory forever and recur as nightmares. He is sardonic, yes. But that is a good thing, for war is a bloody joke on those who somehow survive. Malaparte speaks of the exhausted Italian soldiers who, during the American occupation, were told they had to "live up to the shame of Italy" and were dressed in green-dyed uniforms taken from dead British soldiers, many with bullet holes and blood stains. This is a story of an insider's story of catastrophe, loss of beliefs, ruin, bombed out homes in which one still had to live, a country's most beautiful women flung at the victors to provide food for the defeated . . . . Don't miss this book. Take it from me. The only book in American literature anything like it is "The Hogs of Cold Harbor" about the true victors in our so-called "Civil War". You're missing a fundamental exercise in horrifying, bloody, hilarious literature if you don't try Malaparte's "The Skin". He's up there with Louis Ferdinand Celine, looking down on us from their crosses.

This is one of the better written books I've ever read. In fact, I've read it three times and each time I was suprised by its superb irony, excellent dialogues and lyric style. Reading it, I used to think I was reading again Dante's Comedia, but written in 1943 and sewed to our material earth and humanity, instead to Heaven or Hell.

Now that the world is at war again, may be we should read again this book...

This book is not just another italian cookbook. It shares detailed stories of the author's homeland. I have visted Sardegna twice and fell in the love with the island, the people and of course the food. Now I am able to cook the dishes at home. Not only are the recipes delicious but fairly simple to make. The natural food and simplicity of life are described in this book. No wonder Sardegna has the world's longest living people. After reading his stories and sampling the recipes, you will want to visit Sardegna. I've purchased three books to give as gifts and everyone has enjoyed them.

I was intrigued by the flavors of the recipes; not just another italian cook book. The many cultural influences on the island culture are apparent in this book's recipes. Exquisite and delicious. I also recommend Finger Licking Different if you love something tasty, quick to prepare and unique.

My most anticipated book purchase has exceeded all of my expectations!

If you think this is just another Italian cookbook, think again. As the author explains in the book, after centuries of raids from foreign cultures like Phoenicia, Arabia, and Spain (just to name a very small few), Sardinia finally became a part of Italy in the 1850s. This excerpt says it best; "Some of the pasta shapes, meats and cheeses (like lamb and pecorino) and of course olive oil will be familiar. But lingering Roman, Arabian, Moorish, Catalan, and other Mediterranean influences (like myrtle and saffron) make our cuisine a hybrid".

Efisio guides you through each of these exquisitely authentic recipes, shared from his own family's kitchen and effortlessly weaves in his deep devotion to Sardinian culture and history so that every page just drips with his love of country (and food). His use of indigenous ingredients such as Botarga (dried grey mullet), Miele Amaro (bitter honey) and Malloreddus (one of their pastas), paired of course with either a good Cannonau (red wine) or Vermintino (white wine) offer an exciting array of surprisingly uncomplicated recipes which makes this a treasure trove of refreshing new ideas for everyday cooking.

In true Sardinian style, you are his guest in his "home" as he takes you on tour through his beloved country. And, being the generous host, you almost don't realize that you too are falling in love with his country and its culture. Yet it seems that is the hope, for at the end Efisio has provided not only a "pantry" for places to purchase authentic Sardinian ingredients (a must have to do any of these recipes justice), he also provides a short list of hotels and restaurants to get your actual travels to Sardinia a leg up in the right direction.

This book is such a breathtaking tribute to Sardinia and its culture, it is a must read even for those with no interest in cooking, it's that good!

Recently surfing the web, I discovered this Sardinian cookbook and ordered it not knowing what to expect. I instantly fell in love with the stories and the receipes. As I am a Sardinian living in New York originally from a region close to Effisio Farris, I found so many similarities in our dishes and life stories. I purchased five more books and gave them to my brothers and sisters as Christmas presents, which they also loved. This book should definetely be read by every Sardinian living in America and for all those curious about true Sardinian cuisine.

Everybody that comes to my house gets Sardinian food these days. The recipes are deceptively easy and fill my house with lusty, irristable aromas. The lamb stew, gorgonzola-asparagus pasta (which the author cooks on Martha Stewart show) and the pork tenderloin are staple dishes in my kitchen now. Plus the beautifully written book and pitcures transport me back to Sardinia and all my wonderful trips to that magical island. This is a special book that will be a part of my kitchen for a long time!

This book teaches cooks how to create delicious, seasonal foods out of simple ingredients. He also includes stories linked to the traditions of Tuscany. It is an unusual cookbook in that Pino Luongo doesn't include amounts of ingredients but that seems to aid in the educational process. It's okay to make food based on taste rather than exact amounts. I definitely recommend this cookbook.

Pino is so refreshing, so much fun. His recipes have no quantities. Forget that, he says, be creative, abandon your inhibitions, trust yourself. A good Italian lesson in or out fo the kitchen! Although I'm an average cook, I find his recipes straight forward with ingredients organized in three columns--pantry, cold storage & fresh from the market. He chats away with you on little tips like how to make your bean salad ever stronger tasting, on episodes from his childhood, on the Tuscan way of life in the old days. With the polenta recipe you read about the "heartbreaking imagination" of the poor people who made endless varieties of polenta dishes for all three meals. He makes you laugh throughout the book with tales like his first kiss with his face among the stinging nettles--just before the grilled vegetable recipe. A full of life book! You'll have a good time cooking and soaking up the Tuscan culture around food and love. What else is there?

Margaret Cowan, author of Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy.

I bought 'Tuscan in the Kitchen' years ago and find myself turning to it continually. I have tried 99% of the recipies and find each one bursting with flavors not found in any local retaurant. Measurments for the ingredients are not given, leaving the recipe in the hands of the cook. This requires a bit of wisdom in cooking and inspires all sorts of improvisation. Not for the beginner! But worth the fun.

I went away for a year and left my books with my sister. This book was in her kitchen and it took me another year to get it back from her. The recipes are the finest and it was only when I lent it out and was told that there were no measurements that I became aware of it. Mr. Luongo instills in us the instinct to cook these dishes ... through his words, stories and pictures. The meals that I've made from this book are my kitchen regulars ... I can't wait for a nice cold day to make the "Stracotto" again. It is a leftover that I dream of all day long!!

I have enjoyed using this cookbook for almost ten years. Not only is the book visually beautiful, with wonderful anecodtes, the recipes are amazing. The stains on the pages attest to that. More than a few of the recipes have become my "comfort food" favorites, yet they still draw compliments when prepared for guests. Pino Luongo has taught me a philosophy in cooking that has spilled over into all of my food preparation--and I thank him for it. This book is a joy to read and especially to use.

"The most dramatic entrance to Venice is by boat. You can enjoy the same breathtaking view enjoyed by visitors for centuries by taking the Alilaguna waterbus from the Marco Polo International Airport to the San Marco landing in Venice..." pg. 114

For the independent traveler, two CDs present tours to twelve locations in Venice. For the armchair traveler, this book/CD set allows for an enjoyable visual and auditory journey through famous locations of interest.

Pictures of winter floods may dissuade you from visiting at certain times when there are floods. Pictures of people walking across ramps to visit St. Mark's seems somewhat daunting. Gondolas moored along canals on foggy afternoons draw you back into dreaming about visiting Venice. Museums hold a large collection of Venetian boats, including elaborate gondolas from the city's regattas.

"When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become-incredibly but quite simply-my address." ~Marcel Proust

Famous quotes, special instructions for when to turn the CD on and off, tips on where to enjoy famous views, all make this guide very worthwhile. There is a historical timeline and lots of historical tidbits for anyone interested in the city from a historical perspective.

~The Rebecca Review

The entire book has good amount of useful practical information but the unique aspect is the 12 audio tours. We extracted the audio tours off of the CD's and loaded them on our iPod nanos. It works like a charm. Occasionally we wished that the script was a bit less general but it is an excellent precursor of what is probably the wave of the future. Why follow guides who are trying to impart the information in three languages (perhaps with a heavy accent) and practically running the too-large tour group past the attractions when you can use this methodology?

It was magical. My husband and I travelled to Venice last month, and the audio guide Venice in Context was fabulous. Instead of weaiting for a tour, and trying to hear and follow the guide, we went at our own pace. It was easy to follow and use. A great and eceonomical way to tour a city, I recommend it!

Seemingly designed for the curious and cautious American traveler, this illustrated/ textual/CD combination will guide you through, beyond, and back into one of the fabled cities of known history. Wayne takes care to neither preach nor cajole, yet sheds much light on a treasured living artifact. Perfect for singles or couples.

Venice In Context provides travelers with twelve narrated walking tours of Venice. This CD has information about what travelers can see and how to get around Venice on their own. tour brings to life the city's romance and explores its rich history and artistic heritage with stories and anecdotes about the lives of historical figures, artists, and musicians that will greatly enrich the travel experience. The series is narrated by Joel Godard, a veteran New York actor who appears as the announcer on NBC's popular Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

It ranks side by side with the other book The art of Florence. Ihave these books and I have lot's of books about Venice. But on the subject of art and architecture. This is the most comprehensive to date.
It's more like a general book. It lacks though some focus on La Serenissima's various museums and other works of Art . But of any books out there to date this is certainly the most exhaustive of all. Bravi!

I borrowed these books from a friend. I could not believe my eyes. They are most fantastic! I have ordered a set for myself. I recommend them highly!

The book consists of two books in a slipcase, and given its unusually large format and high quality paper, it weighs a ton. The weight is however well substantiated by the contents! The progression is chronological, right from the beginnings of Venice in Volume I, to modern items at the end of Volume II. The architecture side of things is covered by hundreds of top quality photographs of buildings inside and outside, as well as drawings, old photographs, and building plans. As for the art, there are countless clear representations of the masterpieces of the city. Having been in the city a few times, this book adds so much value, firstly by showing me reminders of the places and objects I have seen, and secondly by exposing the interiors of buildings usually closed to the casual visitor.

The reason why I rated this four stars instead of five, is because the book does not give as much coverage to Venice's art museums as I feel it should. Sure, the contents of the art museums were in large part not manufactured by Venetian artists, but all this art now forms part of Venice on account of having been in its museums for decades. Understandably, however, that would probably require another two volumes! Another area that was perhaps not covered sufficiently is that of glass. After all, Venetian glass is world famous, and it deserved more than a short chapter.

Overall however, this is the sort of book one would expect to find in the reference section of a top class library, and yet the price makes it affordable for your own home. It is also very much a scholarly work, filled with details in the text section. It is thus perfect for both those who want to look at the stunning pictures, and those who want to really get into the story behind it all. You will not be disappointed, and I recommend this work without reservation.

I concur with others who reviewed this book and give it top billing! The photos are exquisitely clear and are a good representation of what the city offers. The text is quite complete, although I, too, would have liked to have seen more on Venetian glass. Another fabulous collection for those who love the jewel of a city or for any lover of fine art and architecture.

a very wonderful book for people who love art and architecture especially for a wonderful and enchanting city such as venice. Through this book one is able to be transported in time and view its art and architecture one that cannot do in even the most dedicated of travelers to this fascinating city.

To write about a subject as controversial as the Holocaust in Italy without becoming a "partisan" is a rare achievement, but Stille has succeeded in this absorbing book. Ignoring the unsettle-able issue of what Pope Pius XII did or didn't do to help Italian Jews, he instead concentrates on the experiences and fates of five very different Jewish families in various parts of Italy during the 20 years of Fascism, including the last, terrible period of the German occupation.

Stille chose his title with care; instances of benevolence and betrayal are woven throughout the stories. There are Christians who risk their lives to save Jewish friends and neighbors; priests and nuns, bishops and cardinals who offer support and sanctuary; stories of Jewish ingenuity and bravery. There are also stories of betrayals on both sides: Christians who betrayed Jews out of greed or anti-Semitism, or in pathetic efforts to save their own or their families' lives. Stille doesn't hesitate to expose Jews who betrayed their own people--a touchy subject many writers would avoid. The result is a book that reveals the complexity of an issue too often over-simplified into Jewish heroes and Italian villains, or heroic Italians and helpless Jews.

What makes Stille's book so memorable, however, isn't the author's unusual objectivity; it's the fascinating stories his subjects tell. Stille interviewed many of them, as well as using diaries, letters, published writings and personal papers provided by the families of those no longer living. The book is divided into five sections, one for each family.

This is a moving, at times horrifying, but enlightening and engrossing book, full of vivid details of Italian life during a tragic but deeply significant period of Italy's history.

Several readers have suggested that the prose in this book reminds them of Primo Levi, the great humanist scientist who has written poignantly of his own war time experiences. Like his other works, Stille makes the non-fiction read like a novel. He knows just what to stress and what to downplay - in other words, he emphasizes the most important aspects of the "story".

What is so compelling is his "umbrella" approach wherein all components and shades of Italian fascism and Judaism are reviewed. There was a huge difference between the fascism of Italy and Germany despite their apparent political solidarity. The outstanding difference was that German fascism, unlike that of Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia was based on not only adoration of the race but specificially subjugation of the Jews. It is difficult to understand some of the decisions made but most of us have never had to face the start life and death choices these families encountered.

Stille is also an eminently fair man, one who does not condemn fascism while excusing or praising dictatorships of the Left. He views all forms of state collectivism as inherently evil and this message only increases the force of the narrative. This is yet another work that should be required reading for high school students.

One of the best books in its category of historicaldocumentation. The author has deeply research the topic, has beenfaithfull to historical facts with an unbiased approach.

Here's an historical curiosity; apparently Jewish Fascism was a common phenomenon in Italy. Before Nazi influence caused racial laws to be passed in 1938, 1/3 of the ~50,000 Jewish folk in Italy were members of the fascist party. Jewish families often had as much as a 2000 year history in Italy (there was mention of the Jews wanting permission to cry over the tomb of Julius Caesar after his death), and the Italian Jewish experience (at least in the North, in the areas of progressive city-states, rather than Papal states) was one more or less of recent integration with the rest of the Italian people. So they tended to have political views pretty closely following the rest of the populace; or even perhaps more conservative views, such as latin-americans in the U.S. The book follows the lives of five jewish families under fascism. Some were fascist, some antifascist. Some in shades of grey. The stories were quite powerful when they strayed from the nonstandard; most of the Italian Jewish experience of WW-2 was much different from that of other European jews.

Americans have a fairly unsophisticated view of WW-2; we mostly think of German and Japanese enemies, and Russian and English allies, and the terrible things which happened to the Jews in Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. There were entire theaters of war which never enter into our consciousness. Most of what happened in Italy and the Balkans is poorly understood. The stories in this book fill in some of the blank spots in this American's understanding of that period.

The book is five books in one.The stories of five Jewish Italian families during the WWII years.A common fate,common people and so different personalities and destinies.
The author achieved to describe a psychological portrait of each character and their vicissitudes.I loved the book.

A lot of things began in Renaissance Florence: the way businesses keep their books, the way sovereign states relate to each other, the way people use art to tell stories and create beauty. These things and many more elements of modern society have their origins in this smallish Tuscan city. These impulses were born in the middle of the last millenium - during the century or so when Florence blossomed as the intellectual and artistic supernova of the Italian Renaissance. Today, Florence remains densely packed with the memories of that time. Eve Borsook's "THE COMPANION GUIDE TO FLORENCE" is the key to the city. In addition to all the names, dates, places of history, Borsook skillfully weaves in meaning and context so that you may know who painted what fresco in which church - but why it remains meaningful 500 years down the road. You can go to Florence to shop for many beautiful Italian creations. But with this book, you can gain a clear appreciation about why the names,images and achievements from this amazing city's glorious past still resonate in our lives today.

I lived in Florence as a full time tourist for a year in the early eighties. I could divide my year into before and after finding this book; it's that good. The maps reveal every nook and cranny, helping you to see the hidden wonders right before your eyes in this city that is so immensely rich in wonders. The recommended walking tours make your time more meaningful, as the buildings and artwork become not only isolated splendors, but also pieces of the history of this remarkable city. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest edition so that I can plan a return visit for next year. Buy yours early and plan your time, and you will have a visit beyond what even the best tour guide could ever offer. Buon viaggio!

Borsook offers a comprehensive overview of the history and culture of the cradle of the Renaissance, and a guide to the many nooks and crannys of old Florence. This book details all the important venues open to the public, plus many that are not. It gives invaluable insight into the context of the city, and site maps to all the important works of art and science.

I read this book before a recent trip to Florence, using it to plan the visit. I left it home, thinking it too heavy to tote along. I won't make that mistake when we return. Forget the guidebooks; Borsook is all you need to enjoy Florence.

A lot of things began in Florence. The way businesses keep their books, the way sovereign states relate to each other, the way people use art to tell stories and create beauty. These things and many more elements of modern society have their origins in this smallish Tuscan city. These impulses were born in the middle of the last millenium - during a century or so when Florence blossomed as an intellectual and artistic supernova of the Italian Renaissance. Today, Florence remains densely packed with the memories of that time. Eve Borsook's "THE COMPANION GUIDE TO FLORENCE" is the key to the city. In addition to all the names, dates, places of history, Borsook skillfully weaves in meaning and context so that you may not only know who painted what fresco in which church - but why it remains meaningful 500 years down the road. You can go to Florence to shop for many beautiful Italian creations. But with this book, you can gain a clear appreciation about why the names and images from this amazing city's glorious past still resonate in our lives today.

A lot of things began in Renaissance Florence: the way businesses keep their books, the way sovereign states relate to each other, the way people use art to tell stories and create beauty. These things and many more elements of modern society have their origins in this smallish Tuscan city. These impulses were born in the middle of the last millenium - during the century or so when Florence blossomed as the intellectual and artistic supernova of the Italian Renaissance. Today, Florence remains densely packed with the memories of that time. Eve Borsook's "THE COMPANION GUIDE TO FLORENCE" is the key to the city. In addition to all the names, dates, places of history, Borsook skillfully weaves in meaning and context so that you may know who painted what fresco in which church - but why it remains meaningful 500 years down the road. You can go to Florence to shop for many beautiful Italian creations. But with this book, you can gain a clear appreciation about why the names,images and achievements from this amazing city's glorious past still resonate in our lives today.

Venus Gilroy is a broke divorced American woman who works in a Adult Video store. Several times over the years she had come acrossed Marcello Brunelli a rich, Italian, but she never knew he was a Prince.

They never thought that they would see eachother again, but on her honeymoon (long story featured in My Three Husbands)they meet again. Several weeks later Marcello flys from Japan to go on a date with Venus in Portland, Oregon. During the time Marcello offers Venus to be his slacker coach and fly to Rome. He wants her to teach him how to be a slacker and hell teach her how to fall in love with him.

Venus flys to Rome, but Marcello is busy with strikes so she spends time with Johnny who shows her the sites around Rome. After a while Venus gets attracted to Johnny, whom she thinks is just a driver but who is infact Marcello's son Giavanni. However after Marcello suffers a mysterious ailment Venus falls in love with him and they end up married. Soon Venus s pregnant by Marcello and they go visit his mother on Capris. Unfortunatly during the trip to the Blue Grotto he has a heart attack and dies. Venus had alread incurred the rath of Marcello's daughte Giavanna, but his death made it worse.

Everything works out at the end when Venus and Johnny realize that they had fallen in love with eachother over gelattos over a decade earlier when Venus went on a trip to Capris with her fathers.

I picked this book up before a vacation. I was unable to put the book down once I started. It was a great story about a strong woman, very funny, although I did cry a bit towards the end because it was so touching.

I read this book, thinking that it would be an addition to my List Mania list: Belly Bump Books: Chick Lit You'll Love. I was a bit surprised to find that pregnancy doesn't hit the pages until the book is almost over (I'm not giving anything away - just look at the title!). Despite that, I found this to be a fun, light book- perfect for the beach or on vacation. Even though I didn't want to, I really came to love Venus and I adore her Faux Pa, Whitman. Filled with intrigue suspense, and yes, true love, this is a great read.

Funny, sweet, tart, poignant and very insightful. The dads are too much - I especially liked Whitman - no one could ever hope for a better "faux pa." Actually, I should say I loved Whitman, because love is what this book is all about.

What's Italian for "Bravo!"?

This book is what is known as a romp, a perfect summertime read, a delight, a laugh and a tear, and it's also something more. Without any positioning or preaching, it's a simple declarative statement about tolerance, acceptance, engagement and love. The exasperating Venus Gilroy is an unlikely heroine, yet one falls in love with her. Her entourage, a mom and two dads, are indelible characters. The Italian characters are...Italian. Molto bene! I could hardly put this book down.

I looked forward to getting this book because I wanted to know more about Leonardo--the man. I had read the book, The Da Vinci Code, and that piqued my interest about him. But Dan Brown's book didn't explore the depth of Leonardo's contributions beyond his art. Da Vinci for Dummies was perfect for me because it explored a wide range of his interests such as dissecting human bodies and designing his flying machines. As is typical of the dummies series, the table of contents is very helpful if you want to jump around between chapters to focus on specific aspects of his life. There is also great effort to describe the times during which he lived and what/who were his influences. At first glance, you may consider these dummies books frivolous. But I found this book to be a useful, comprehensive, and fascinating biography of an amazing man.

I've always wondered who Leonardo Da Vinci really was. Sure, I slept though most of my Renaissance and Art History classes - but when the subject would turn to Da Vinci, I would always perk up. Did he really invent all of those wacky things? Was he the founder of modern medicine and anatomy? Was he a heretic? Was he the really the consummate Renaissance man? Now, after recently reading the Da Vinci Code - many of those old curiosities have resurfaced.

Da Vinci for Dummies tackles the complex subject of Da Vinci in the time-honored fashion I've come to expect from the Dummies series. If only this book had been around when I was studying Da Vinci in high school! It is written with a deep sense of respect, if not admiration, for its subject. As with other books in this series, Da Vinci for Dummies is both very fun and extremely easy to read, and it is organized in a format that makes finding answers to specific questions a breeze without having to search through the entire book. But, don't be deceived by its outward appearance and ease of use. I found this book to be as scholarly researched as it is easy to read. So, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is studying Da Vinci or preparing a report on the subject. (Shhhh - don't tell your teachers I said this!) However - I would also recommend it to anyone who has the slightest interest in this curious and profoundly important individual. If you've read the Da Vinci code, as I have, and wanted to know more - consider this book a quick and easy, yet surprisingly scholarly refresher, in the subject!

For those of you who don't know Leonardo's fascinating story, this book is for you! It reads like a novel, weaving the intricacies of Leonardo's life together in a well-written, suspenseful and integrated novel. A definite read for art aficionados, scientists and humanists alike.

It's rare that a writer/editor has the depth of knowledge and confidence in her research to venture to have a little bit of fun with a historical/scientific figure of Leonardo's significance. Fortunately for readers, Jessica Teisch completely pulls it off. She writes this extremely easy to read and entertaining volume as if Leonardo was the next door neighbor she grew up with - In fact, at times, I was so entertained that it escaped my realization that I was actually picking up dozens of facts (i.e.; Leonardo was a lefty, a conplete non-conformist and that he actually didnt enjoy performing his exquisite anatomic dissections). All in all, this is a beautifully researched book that doesnt just educate you about Leonardo, but actually takes you all the way back to the Greeks and gives you a lovely tour up through the Rennaisance to boot. Where was this book when I was trying to impress historians and artists alike? Never mind - it's here now.

This is a fascinating work for those of you who want an overview of Leondardo, but don't have a desire to read an esoteric biography. My favorite part involved a discussion of Leondardo's flying machines. Who knew? I had no idea that he invented the precursor to the helicopter. A must for those who are fascinated by Leondardo!