Italy Books

This book is a wonderful read for those who wish to know more about Padre Pio and his interior sufferings. The letters he wrote to his spiritual director reflect his desire to be one with God and to suffer for those less fortunate. A great model for all people, especially Franciscans.

The only reason I could not give this book 5 stars, is that the English translation could be improved, and the commentary is rather poor. However, this is not the focus of the book. The real gem here is the intimate writings of a Saint to his spiritual directors. Most people are interested in the miracles that he worked, but this book reveals his heart; full if profound love for "my beautiful Jesus". A perfect compliment to Bernard C. Ruffin's biography; "Padre Pio: A True Story".

Pasted below is a short exert of Padre Pio detailing the essence of suffering;

"When Jesus wants me to understand that He loves me, He allows me to savor the wounds, the thorns, the agonies of His passion...When He wants to delight me, He fills my heart with that spirit which is all fire; He speaks to me of His delights. But when He wants to be delighted, He speaks to me of His sorrows, He invites me -- with a voice full of both supplication and authority -- to affix my body [to the cross] in order to alleviate His suffering. Who can resist Him? I realize how much my miseries have caused Him to suffer, how much I have offended Him. I desire no other than Jesus alone, I want nothing more than His pains (because this is what Jesus wishes). Let me say--since no one can hear me--I am disposed to remain forever deprived of the sweetness Jesus allows me to feel. I am ready to suffer Jesus hiding His beautiful eyes from me, so long as He does not hide His love from me, because then I would die. But I do not feel I can be deprived of suffering--for this I lack strength.

Perhaps I have not yet expressed myself clearly with regards to the secret of this suffering. Jesus, the Man of Sorrow, wants all Christians to imitate Him; He has offered this chalice to me yet again, and I have accepted it. That is why He does not spare me. My humble sufferings are worth nothing, but Jesus delights in them because He loved [suffering] on earth. Therefore, on certain days when He suffered greatly on earth, He allows me to feel my sufferings even more. Now shouldn't this alone be enough to humiliate me, to make me seek to be hidden from the eyes of men, since I was made worthy of suffering with Jesus and as Jesus? Ah, my father! I feel too keenly my ingratitude toward God's majesty." - Secrets of a Soul, pg. 44

You can't deeply know Padre Pio until you read his letters. They are filled with beauty, love, discreet discussion of his dark nights and physical agonies, and of all our struggles. Padre Pio's words are a thousand stars, not just 5. A cornucopia of spiritual gems for the soul.

This book is a wonderful read if you too struggle with leading a good Christian Life. This book gives you such a look into Padre Pio's deepest feelings, it opens a window for us to see that no one is alone in their struggles and many of the things Padre Pio spoke of in his letters, I have felt at one time. So this book is a wonderful read and just read a letter a day to see that there is hope in your life and that you can lead a very holy life as long as you keep Jesus close in your heart! It truely is a great book to read!

This book is the right size for taking it with you, and all the information you'll need for a successful visit. Lots of great photographs.

Having traveled to Sicily, and researching more than 7 different travel guides, DK is far and away the best one. My second choice would be the National Geographic guide of Sicily, which I own, but it is clearly second to DK. The color and detailed diagrams of buildings are simply beautiful. There is so much info packed into each page, yet the information is well presented.

We've used these Eyewitness Travel books before and love them. They are great if you prefer a lot of pictures and illustrations instead of pages and pages of raw text.

I have several Eyewitness Travel Guides. This guide has useful Tourist sections, wonderful photos and divides the island into sections for easy reference.

This book is well written and really tells the story of berlusconis rise, but it is biased against Berlusconi.

Ginsborg is truly a master of italian history, society, and politics. I am not at all surprised with the overwhelming expertise displayed is this book, seeing as all Ginsborg's works display the extent of his knowledge and literary skill. A great "riassunto" of Berlusconi from youth to today, and fairly non-partisan.

Italian politics since 1945 has often seemed too unstable and esoteric for most Americans. Paul Ginsborg's short polemic about Silvio Berlusconi shows why people should pay attention. The Berlusconi phenomenon is an amazing, and quite appalling, one. From 1992 to 1994, it was revealed that the conservative Christian Democratic party, which had held uninterrupted power since the war, was deeply, deeply corrupt. So corrupt in fact, that the revelation caused its disintergration. But instead of the Right losing the next elections, a wealthy businessman came along and simply bought a new political party. Silvio Berlusconi's "Forza Italia" was not a party devoted to political debate and discussion. It was staffed by his cronies and devoted to his political cult. With it he won the elections of 1994, even though he was himself deeply compromised by the old regime. Serious allegations of corruption soon led to his loss of power and his electoral defeated in 1996. But he returned to power in 2001. Now in point of fact, the charges against him are more than just "allegations", as that infamous left-wing rag, The Economist, has pointed out. Berlusconi has perjured himself about his membership in a conspiratorial, anti-democratic, quasi-fascist masonic lodge. (He benefited from an amnesty). In the seventies his keeper of one his (one-horse) stables was a notorious mafioso. His personal lawyer, Cesare Preveti, has been convicted of 11 year and 5 year sentences for corrupting judges, though he remains free on appeal. Berlusconi delays his trials to run up against the limitations laws. He amends the limitations laws to render himself immune. He changes the rules of evidence so that trials will be further delayed. And when all that fails, he passes laws giving himself immunity, while seeking to undermine the independence of the magistrates.

This is bad. And it gets worse. For as Ginsborg notes Berlusconi is still backed by more than 40% of Italians. His defeat in 2006 is by no means a sure thing. Indeed he plans to become a powerful President of the Republic. This despite his judical troubles, an anaemic economy, and support for a massively unpopular war. This despite his failure to simplify administrative procedures, or start promised infrastructure projects, though he has reduced the penalties for accounting fraud. Ginsborg himself is one of the leading historians of modern Italy, and he points out Berlusconi's origins in the Milan building trade. He points out how Berlusconi benefited from the intervention of the infamously corrupt Bettino Craxi, who in 1984 ignored the courts and constitutional mandates for a proper broadcasting law to pass a decree without which Berlusconi could not maintain his broadcasting monopoly. (He also points out how Craxi was the godfather of Berlusconi's child out of wedlock, and how Berlusconi comically elides his adultery in discussing the end of his first marriage.) Although Ginsborg tries to be fair, there is not much to be said about about Berlusconi's media: the absence of proper news coverage and documentaries, rampant bias in Berlusconi's favor, more advertisements than the rest of Europe combined, two-hour documentaries about stigmatic priests, a sexism that sometimes seems to have come out of Lolita.

Berlusconi is not a fascist, but he is a threat to democracy. To be exact, he wishes to make democracy safe for the Right and for wealthy people like himself. One should be wary of a man who claims "Better fascism than the bureaucratic tyranny of the judiciary." The party euphemizes the fascist past, with public places and spaces named after "acceptable" fascists and with Berlusconi claiming that Mussolini didn't murder anyone. Whether it is the Bank of Italy, the civil service, public broadcasting, magistrates or the public health system, all have their independence and integrity threatened by Berlusconi. Meanwhile he deals with Murdoch and his own media empire as if conflict of interest laws don't exist, which in Italy they don't. His model polity is a world in which mass apathy is punctuated by his biased media and his political image, where people consent, but do not choose. Ginsborg points out how this project is encouraged by the weaknesses of a centre-left which, purged of its Marxist past, cannot seek to mobilize support, which seeks to compromise and which cannot inspire with its technocratic biases, and which, for one reason or another, cannot attack Berlusconi's venality. Ginsborg's book is not perfect (a law undermining magisterial independence is not made clear, while Ginsborg overestimates the influence of the late Canadian media lord Izzy Aspser). But in an era with declining voter turnout and declining independent media, where media monopoly advances with partisan and unscrupulous conservative politics, and where the left, the centre, and the right-centre are too nervous and exhausted to resist, there are good reasons to fear that Berlusconi's Italy could soon be our world.

The author of this book knows how to dramatizize politics. "...something important is happening in Italy, potentially quite sinister, and the seeming normality of life serves to mask it very well." If only it were just a fiction. "Silvio Berlsconi" is a great book on the current state of democracy in Italy, the kind of "modern democracy" heralded by Berlusconi's media empire. If the dictators of the early 20th century have been characterizes as "charismatic leaders" pied pipering away their cults of personality, then today's dictator can be thought of as the sort of highly tailored, well edited "iconic leader," the guy who just LOOKS RIGHT for the job. (Paul Ginsbourg includes a hilarious anecdote in the post-script about Berlusconi who, at a recent press conference, showed up with a face lift he had gotten over Christmas and then proceeds to make the most unfortunate analogy: "The communists...tried to have a face lift in order to hide their real identity, but theirs failed.")
As relentlessly critical as Ginsbourg is to Berlusconi, it is hard to ignore the facts of his presidency, both rise to and the policies to follow. It is also hard to ignore the remarkable similarity between the current state of Italian politics and those of the U.S. As Ginsbourg writes, "All this will have a familiar ring in Anglo-Saxon ears."
Democracy is becoming increasingly about television and leadership about being televised. What happens to "freedom" in a community connected only by cable? Ginsbourg makes a couple claims of his own, but the exciting aspect of the book is the fact that it raises such questions at all.

It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you glad you weren't born 600 years ago. I brought this book as a research aid for a novel I'm writing, and I find that it is often the first book I reach for.

A lot of this book is made up of court documents which ranging from lighthearted and silly to vulgar and macabre. Other books ("Shopping in Renaissance Italy", "Renaissance Letters", Lucca Landucci's "A Florentine Diary") are also priceless, but this one wins hands down in terms of story-telling and entertainment.

This book gives a view of 14th and 15th century Florence through the eyes of its people. I only wish that there were more documentary studies of this type.

I was transfixed by this collection of stories. They cover every aspect of life in Renaissance Florence. Each of the 132 stories is a personal tale of what happened to an individual. The stories are drawn from letters, court records and diares found in "Archivio di Stato". The stories range in length from a paragraph to several pages. Some of the chapter titles give an idea of the range of these stories: "Economic fortune and social mobility", "Marriage", "Death", "Family Enmities", "The Guilds", "Patterns of violence", "The Vendetta"`"Crimes of Gravity", "Succor for the indigent", "diminished Responsibility: Insanity", "Gambling", "Prostitution", "voices of the Poor", and many many more.

A must read for anyone who has a desire for connection with the sensibilities of people from a distant time.

This is an indispensable book about the city that gave us the Renaissance. Its wealth of contemporary documents--carefully selected by Dr. Brucker from diaries, letters, legal documents, and archives--brings history vividly to life. It offers striking insight into the lives of humble but upwardly-mobile merchants, pious or hypocritical prelates, destitute laborers, Tartar slaves, abandoned women, thieves, prostitutes, heretics, and witches--in their own words.

Where else can you find actual eyewitness accounts of the rescue of a heretic from the Inquisition, by an angry mob ("Let's stone those buggering friars!"), or the actual words spoken by a heretic on his way to the stake? (The only such burning in the fifty years covered by this survey ... The Renaissance was the Rebirth of Reason, and Florentines were generally tolerant of free-thinkers.)

Students of the Renaissance owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr Brucker, for this and his other books.

_Sometimes the Soul_ contains two novellas set in Sicily. One, "A Knot of Tears", is a story about storytelling; the other, "Rusina, Not Quite in Love", is a Beauty and the Beast tale.

In "A Knot of Tears", the lovely Costanza, recovering from a vaguely hinted betrayal, has shut herself away from the world for a while, and is just beignning to feel stifled by her self-imposed isolation. As two wealthy suitors plot and scheme as to how they can get her to come out of her house, Costanza finds something much deeper with a young sailor who tells her a serial fairy tale about a strong heroine, which turns out to parallel Costanza's own life in interesting ways. A well-written novella about the power of a good story and about coming out of depression.

In "Rusina, Not Quite in Love", Rusina becomes companion to an eccentric elderly couple, and befriends their ugly and reclusive nephew, Sebastian. From her new family, Rusina learns about the beauty to be found in nature and art, and yet has trouble coming to terms with Sebastian's inner beauty and outer ugliness, even as the two become friends. The situation comes to a head when Rusina attends a costume ball and meets the most handsome man she has ever seen, and must decide what is really important.

Timpanelli's prose is lovely and well-written. Sometimes I felt like I was being lectured, as if a Major Life Lesson was being imparted to me in a less-than-subtle manner, (especially in "Rusina") but overall both novellas were interesting, romantic, and worth reading.

In Palermo, Italy at the turn of the century, Baronessa Costanza Patane has imprisoned herself inside the Green Palace in order to avoid contact with the world except for her perplexed housekeeper, who wonders if her employer is a lunatic. However, everything changes for the two women when a sailor with a parrot on his shoulder walks past the house. The parrot flies through a window and the sailor follows (through a door). The two visitors begin to tell stories to Costanza in an effort to break her "Knot of Tears" even as a shady gentleman makes efforts to trap the Baronessa in his clutches.

Rusina is ill-treated in her home by her father and her sisters. However, the worst thing they do to her is trade her to an unknown individual in exchange for writing off a large debt. At the beautiful estate of her father's former creditor, Rusina meets the ugliest man in the world, wealthy Sebastiano. Will "Rusina, Not Quite In Love" see the inner beauty of her beastly host?

These two novellas are extremely well-written adult versions of classic fairy tales. All the characters are intriguing and the plots are filled with depth, rarely seen in a transformation of a child's tale into an adult story. SOMETIMES THE SOUL consists of two great novellas. Anyone who enjoys a soulful adult rendering of childhood favorites will want to read Gioia Timpanelli's latest masterpiece.

Harriet Klausner 8/11/98

Sometimes the Soul is one of the most literary, mythological, and magical books I have ever read.

The two old Scilian tales are given a contemporary and yet, timeless treatment, spun expertly into a web of colorful characters surrounded by surprise, love, nature, and eternal truths. Written by a 'supreme' storyteller, author Gioia Timpanelli gives us a fresh look at some very worthy, old stories.

Sometimes the Soul is a triumph of the oral story tradition set onto the written page by Timpanelli's artful prose.

These are not just fairytales but reminders to us all of the value of a 'worthy' tale. There are lessons to be learned on these pages, and reminders of what we have lost in our too-fast contemporary lives...myth and soul.

I was enchanted by both stories as a result of Timpanelli's unique and powerful feminine voice carrying the reader into unfamiliar worlds, just as in the second novella, "Rusina, Not Quite in Love" sweeps young Rusina far from the comfort of her family to meet her special destiny.

At first, Rusina agrees to leave, simply so that she can fulfill her father's debts. As Rusina says with the wisdom of anyone accepting their fate..."do not judge my father too quickly...for what child does not inherit parents debts? Debts from character and disposition. Debts from unlived life, sickness, unremembered dreams, poor work, hungry stomachs, stingy imaginations, or little love. It is a rare and blessed child who comes into this world without debt. Besides, when duty and love are two sides of the same coin, then payment is not a burden." And so, off Rusina goes to live with the Beast, and in doing so, discovers who she really is, and what really matters in life and in love. Ah, there's the beauty of this new twist to the Beauty and the Beast tale.

This week, I shared Rusina's story with a group of Kosovo refugees now living in Vienna, only two short subways stops from my flat. English is their second language, so they welcomed reading the story, and it brought up their own recent, sudden, and violent move away from their own homes and all that is familiar to them. It was a gentle way to allow them to open up, share their personal stories with me and the others in the group; beginning the process of sorting out just what this change means to them, and the challenges and even, opportunities that such a change offers..if looked upon correctly.

18-year-old Manika from Pristina added at the end of Rusina's story, "Like Rusina, I've got to keep looking for the good in all of this, and not be bitter, not be filled with hate...hating is easy...it's forgiving that's hard...and loving...even people who kill my people."

This then is a worthy story just as A Knot of Tears is as well. This little volume is packed with the simple truth of life...all in 185 pages!

Sometimes the Soul is a masterful piece of literature written by one who is well-acquainted with life's mystery and magic. It is deep and moving.

I also write and produce the book reviews for Blue Danube Radio, an English radio station in Vienna. You can be sure this book will find its way onto my summer recommended reading list! It's a great find.

Good luck Ms. Timpanelli on a brilliant new career as a writer based on the most ancient of all art --the art of oral storytelling--which you are obviously, a master. Thank you for telling a wider audience your stories, and thank Norton Publishing for having the wisdom to recognize your talent.

Beverly A. Davis writer Salmgasse 1/7 A-1030 Vienna, Austria

It has been a long time since a story was able to reach inside and grab my heart, but Sometimes the Soul by Gioia Timpanelli did just that. I found myself in both novellas, in Costanza and Rusina... When is the last time you neglected to love someone deeper because you were focused on thier outer self? Have you ever felt isolated from the outside world and had one person change it all for you? Do you enjoy viewing "the unseen world", alive in "the world's details"? If you do, this book is for you. It's a special relationship, sentence by sentence, between you and the finely woven tale... ENJOY!

The recipes in this book would lead to successful soups for beginning soup cooks. For the more experienced maker of soups its wonderfully inspirational!
Don't make the mistake I did of reading it on an empty stomach!
I definitely recommend it>

I've lived in Italy for 8 years, these recipes are exactly how my Italians friends and family make thier soups...

This book is that rare treat--a cookbook that is historically and culturally informative, stimulating to the taste buds and to the eyes, beautiful to behold, and filled with clear, accessible, and engaging instructions on how to make some of the most sumptuous, delectable, and easy recipes ever to have found their way into print. There is something here for everyone, from the novice to the experienced chef (really!), with recipes for a wide variety of tastes, budgets, and needs, from simple clear soups to hearty meals-in-themselves taken from the gamut of the Italian social and geographical landscape. The author goes to great lengths to ingegrate historical and cultural information of Italy into her instructions on how to prepare these dishes, and also lets her reader know where variations and experimentation are called for, thereby making this one of the most flexible and adaptable cookbooks around. But the book's greatest strengths are its astonishing gustatory rewards embedded in virtually every one of its 130 recipes, for despite the clarity and precision with which the reader is introduced to the various dishes, no one could anticipate from reading alone just how marvelous these soups will taste. They are extraordinary and are sure to make every occasion in which they are used a culinary event. If you are looking for a cookbook that will remain open and in use, rather than on the shelf, this is the one!

This book is that rare treat--a cookbook that is historically and culturally informative, stimulating to the taste buds and to the eyes, beautiful to behold, and filled with clear, accessible, and engaging instructions on how to make some of the most sumptuous, delectable, and easy recipes ever to have found their way into print. There is something here for everyone, from the novice to the experienced chef (really!), with recipes for a wide variety of tastes, budgets, and needs, from simple clear soups to hearty meals-in-themselves taken from the gamut of the Italian social and geographical landscape. The author goes to great lengths to ingegrate historical and cultural information of Italy into her instructions on how to prepare these dishes, and also lets her reader know where variations and experimentation are called for, thereby making this one of the most flexible and adaptable cookbooks around. But the book's greatest strengths are its astonishing gustatory rewards embedded in virtually every one of its 130 recipes, for despite the clarity and precision with which the reader is introduced to the various dishes, no one could anticipate from reading alone just how marvelous these soups will taste. They are extraordinary and are sure to make every occasion in which they are used a culinary event. If you are looking for a cookbook that will remain open and in use, rather than on the shelf, this is the one!

This book has the power of transporting the reader into the life of the main character and making him/her sympathize with Maria. However individual her particular condition may be (fortunately, not many women are forced into convents nowadays), her story goes beyond the specific events to symbolize the idea of being forced into the wrong vocation, being denied freedom of choice and the extreme consequences of psychological violence.

An immediate classic since its first publication, it strikes a chord with people worldwide since almost everyone has sooner or later lived through a predicament that felt similar in principle to Maria's. Highly recommended. I've already read it twice.

I discovered the book "Sparrow" a couple of years ago when watching the film. I was taken aback by the storline, that i could not resist but find the actual book which i knew would be more equisite than the film. It depicts the psychological suffering of young lady(Maria), who spends a magnificent summer away from the convent only to fall in love with her neighbour'son. She is forced to return to the convent and bare the sorrow of being without the one she loves. Verga carefully depicts the character's emotion of rejection and denial.

It is a book that does not fail to emotionally move one, when reading. A definite 5 star novel.

Giovanni Verga wrote several novels that were, at their essence, Sicilian family sagas. Sparrow is not one the them. Instead, this exquisite miniature is an intimate psychological portrait of one young girl, a girl destined to become a nun against her wishes, a portrait of her one and only summer of happiness and the ultimate tragedy that underscores her life.

The plot of this lovely novella could have so easily degenrated into pure, unvarnished sentimentality in the hands of an author less talented than Verga. Verga's descriptions of the people, of the Sicilian countryside, of convent life, as well as his use of third person narration, are so convincing, so full of sharp edges, that we can't help but believe they are real.

Boosting the book's credibility, however, is the undeniable fact that Catholic Europe often sent its unwanted sons and daughters to both monasteries and convents. This was simply cruel social reality; whether or not the child in question actually had a religious vocation was deemed superfluous. Sicily was the last to abandon this inhumane practice and, as a result, it's convents became little more than rceptacles of human refuse: filthy, overcrowded buildings that housed unwilling, but desperate, residents.

It would seem that Verga's story has some basis in fact. Some of his aunts were nuns and his mother, Donna Caterina, a member of the minor nobility, had been convent educated. She, herself, told Verga the story of a young girl who lived in a convent in the "madowman's cell," a place from which were heard shrieks, moans and ungodly bursts of inhuman laughter.

Set in 1854, Sparrow depicts a Sicily ravaged by the cholera epidemic. The emotions depicted in the book are both organized and feverish and it is to Verga's credit that he keeps them from spilling over into melodrama.

The story, itself, is told in a series of letters. These letters begin rationally enough but they soon begin to be filled with madness...the madness of an absolute love that could never be.

Simple and poetic, Sparrow tells a horrifying tale that so easily could have slipped into the cliche, yet happily doesn't. A wonderful study of a life gone so terrible wrong.

This is a must read - brilliantly written. Although the story line - love between unequals, forced separation etc. - may sound trite, Sparrow is anything but trite. The writing is tightly crafted in a style that is very contemporary - I was surprised that the author was not a contemporary of Tabucchi, et. al. Do give this book a try.

This book is indeed a godsend for parents. Although it's geared to Western Europe, over half the book focuses on universal tips that would also be helpful in Turkey or Transylvania, such as how to get kids to try different foods or appreciate museums. I loved this book, and found the author's advice invaluable when I took my two daughters to Europe.

We live in London, and travel every chance we have. This book provides great ideas for structuring trips and helping children enjoy the sights and experiences. It's a good companion for families planning European vacations. I am very glad to have this information and always review it before we travel.

The payoff for reading Cynthia Harriman's "Take Your Kids to Europe" carefully is tremendous. We have a five-week trip to Europe coming up and our copy if already getting dog-eared from overreading. This guidebook is different and better. Most "what to do with the kids overseas" books are filled with things you already instinctively knew - i.e. your kid will like Legoland and here is how to get there and the hours it's open. Harriman's guide acknowledges there is more to a successful family trip than just picking the right things to see, and she uses the reactions of her own actual kids to back up her suggestions. For example, she is a master of managing family dynamics on a trip. Here are a few of her suggestions:

1) Everybody wants to do something different, and nobody likes to compromise. It's just about impossible to agree, so Harriman suggests a "leader of the day" system - each member of the family gets a day or part of a day to pick what the "team" will do, where it will eat. Everybody gets to do some of their favorites eventually. This takes some self-discipline on the part of the parents - if the kids want to spend the morning by the pool, you'll have to agree - but you'll get to see that church you want to see in the afternoon.

2) You are looking for family togetherness but in fact that much togetherness can be stressful. For example, your teenager is all about independence. Go ahead and let said teenager hang out alone in the hotel room for an afternoon if that's what she needs. You and your spouse will argue about giving directions; Harriman encourages you to loosen up and learn about each other.

3) Harriman has a lot of good suggestions about how to make a lengthy trip affordable, and gives good suggestions for budgeting in advance.

In additional to general advice, Harriman shows excellent good sense in sections on what attractions to see - she's frank about things the kids were underwhelmed by (most chateaus just aren't as interesting as you'd think to a 9-year-old), and points out things that are actually more fun than they would sound on paper. So rather than 50 kid-oriented attractions in a country (like other books), all presented with equal breathless interest, she might have 20 - 15 her kids really liked (and why), and 5 they didn't like.

Harriman does not recommend many specific hotels and restaurants (there are other sources for those), so you may find you supplement this book with others. But you can't do without this one - I really love it.

This book has great ideas on dealing with budgets, luggage, etc. I especially like that they were keen on the idea of an 'extended' stay in Europe e.g., several weeks, and provided some sound examples of how it really doesn't cost much more to do that if you're willing to be flexible with accomodations & meals.

I lived in Europe for several pre-teen and teenage years, and we travelled widely. At the time I was always amazed at the number of people who take these "8 countries in 2 weeks" style tour packages -- the pace is so hectic there's no time to enjoy or experience the places, and they are wholly unsuitable for children.

The book is also good at pointing out attractions that would appeal to kids, which is helpful since most guidebooks focus on the 'serious' sites that kids would find less appealing.

Pictures are just beautiful, quality is great and for erotic books this is one of the best I've seen.

Worth every penny....

I would highly recommend this book to add to any collection. There is no text, just photographs all in color. Beautiful subjects, beautiful settings, beautiful poses. The male body is seen in various stages of sexual arousal, many in full arousal. This is truly a book of erotica. Again, well worth the purchase.

Of all the romantic, erotic nude picture books I've seen this is by far the most beautiful. I may be biased since I'm half-Italian myself and have dated 2 men from Italy, but these men are extremely handsome, passionate and erotic and this book clearly shows that in the breathtaking color pictures - many of couples posing together. The models on the cover, Victor Racek and Ettori Tosi, convey passion and true masculine beauty. A first-class book - it's worth the price to add to your collection!

Italian men have a tendency of being just plain sexy. This book proves the concept in an elegant and eloquent way. The pictures of these men clearly bespeak the beauty of the nude male form, and the sensuality associated thereto. The models, locales, and themes of the pictures permit the viewer a buffet of magnificent
men. Buy this book and enjoy its erotic beauty.

This cookbook is one of the best I have ever used. I am not the greatest cook and every recipe I have made from this book comes out perfect, it is very easy to understand. This book has nice pictures and a great deal of information about all of the ingredients. I use this book at least once a week and recommend it highly to anyone who wants to try Mediterranean cooking.

Great recipes, great food, simple instructions, be creative !
Life is many things - make great food and culinary adventure one of them !
If you like the foods of the Mediterranean, you gotta get this book.

These two authors write stunning books of delightful, easy-to-follow recipes, with lush, evocative photographs, and great attention to detail on the culinary fundamentals of each recipe. The only problem is that they keep recycling and republishing the same recipes/photos over and over again. I got burned three times. I bought the book "A Taste Of The Mediterranean", which I liked so much that, impetuously, I went online and bought three more titles by the same two authors, Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow. I got "The Mediterranean Cookbook" (the one with the close-up photo of some ripe tomatoes on the cover). It turns out that this is the exact book as "A Taste Of The Mediterranean", but with illustrations in place of the photographs. The third book I received was "Mediterranean Country Kitchen", which while it is a lovely book, is nothing more than a condensed version of the same recipes/photos from "A Taste Of The Mediterranean". Lastly I bought the newer hardback book "Mediterranean : A Taste Of The Sun". This is an outstanding, lengthy book (500+ pages), but about half of it is "A Taste Of The Mediterranean" recycled in its entirety. I would certainly recommend the new one "Mediterranean : A Taste Of The Sun" as the finest and most complete of Clark and Farrow's sumptuous books on subject. But I'm feeling angry and a bit duped at buying the same book over and over again. Buy the new one, skip the earlier, cleverly-disguised retreads.

Often cookbooks with pretty pictures are low on substance. This book is not one of them. Yes, there are pretty pictures, more than that. Some of them are gorgeous, but it's the recipes that make one pause and then want to rush to the kitchen after a trip to the super market and stop eating junk when they could eat food like this. A stunning collection.