Il Bel Centro
Il Bel Centro

Author: Michelle Damiani

Publisher: Rialto Press

Published: 2020-08-09

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 8835880866

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A witty and warm-hearted memoir of abandoning fast-paced American days in favor of discovering the Italian secrets of food, community, and life. Moving across the globe meant Michelle Damiani soon found herself untangling Italian customs, delighting in glorious regional cuisine (recipes included), and creating lasting friendships. From grandmothers eager to teach the ancient art of pasta making, to bakers tossing bread into fiery ovens with a song, to butchers extolling the benefits of pork fat, Il Bel Centro is rich with captivating characters and cultural insights. Throw in clinking glasses of Umbrian red with the local communists and a village all-nighter decorating the cobblestone streets with flower petals; as well as embarrassing language minefields and a serious summons to the mayor’s office, and you have all the ingredients for a spellbinding travel tale. Exquisitely observed, Il Bel Centro is an intimate celebration of small town Italy, as well as a thoughtful look at raising a family in a new culture and a fascinating story of finding a home. Ultimately though, this is a story about how travel can change you when you’re ready to let it. With laugh-out-loud situations and wanderlust-inspiring storytelling, Il Bel Centro is a joyous and life-affirming read that will have readers rushing to renew their passports. “This is one of the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.” “I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this book.” “This book made me want to pack my bags.” “I loved, loved this book. Fabulously written, engaging, and entertaining.” “A magical read.”

Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Italy
Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Italy

Author: Dorling Kindersley

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-05-01

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 0756693225

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Family Guide Italy offers you the best things to see and do on a family vacation in Italy--from visiting magnificent sights such as the Colosseum in Rome and Basilica di San Marco in Venice to exploring the treasures housed in the Uffizi in Florence and the Duomo in Milan--and brings those places alive for children with fun facts, quizzes, and cartoons. The major sights are treated as "hub" destinations and are followed by places of interest near the "hub," ideal for planning your day ahead. These spreads offer a pragmatic as well as enjoyable itinerary, giving children a real insight into the destination, but balanced with opportunities to let off steam at a nearby park or playground. All the practical information you need appears alongside the sight, including transportation information, budget tips, age range suitability, and where to eat. Each spread is bursting with insider knowledge and loaded with ideas for activities that will engage children, from pony-trekking in Gran Sasso National Park in Abruzzo to spending the night next to the shark tank at Genova's Aquarium in Liguria. Meanwhile, the most family-friendly, best-value accommodation options have been chosen with family budgets and needs in mind. Full-color throughout, with detailed maps of the main sightseeing areas for easy navigation and all the practical information you need for a fun, stress-free family vacation.

Luxury Arts of the Renaissance
Luxury Arts of the Renaissance

Author: Marina Belozerskaya

Publisher: Getty Publications

Published: 2005-10-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 0892367857

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Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

The Rough Guide to the Italian Lakes
The Rough Guide to the Italian Lakes

Author: Lucy Ratcliffe

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-09-06

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13: 1409359336

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The Rough Guide to the Italian Lakes is the most authoritative guide to this exquisitely beautiful region. Clear maps and detailed coverage of every site and attraction, from dramatic Lake Garda and dreamy Lake Como to scenic journeys and unforgettable hideaways on charming Lake Maggiore and lesser-known lakes such as Orta, Iseo and Lugano. Discover the majestic beauty of Verona, with its unforgettable open-air opera productions, as well as the best shopping in Milan and the finest art in Bergamo and Mantua (Mantova). Knowledgeable accounts of all the major tourist sites and the hidden gems that characterise the Italian Lakes bring the area's Baroque gardens and Renaissance palaces to life. Rely on countless recommendations of the best restaurants, bars, cafés, shops and hotels in the Italian Lakes for every budget and to suit every taste. Follow epic walks and cycle ways, explore lakeside villas, visit medieval villages - all with expert background on everything from local wines to a handy Italian-language menu reader. Relax, draw breath and lose yourself in the beauty of the Italian Lakes, with sharp, intelligent writing from knowledgeable and experienced authors, whether you're planning a day trip or a leisurely holiday. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to the Italian Lakes.

Architecture
Architecture

Author: Francis D. K. Ching

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-07-16

Total Pages: 1784

ISBN-13: 1118004825

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A superb visual reference to the principles of architecture Now including interactive CD-ROM! For more than thirty years, the beautifully illustrated Architecture: Form, Space, and Order has been the classic introduction to the basic vocabulary of architectural design. The updated Third Edition features expanded sections on circulation, light, views, and site context, along with new considerations of environmental factors, building codes, and contemporary examples of form, space, and order. This classic visual reference helps both students and practicing architects understand the basic vocabulary of architectural design by examining how form and space are ordered in the built environment.? Using his trademark meticulous drawing, Professor Ching shows the relationship between fundamental elements of architecture through the ages and across cultural boundaries. By looking at these seminal ideas, Architecture: Form, Space, and Order encourages the reader to look critically at the built environment and promotes a more evocative understanding of architecture. In addition to updates to content and many of the illustrations, this new edition includes a companion CD-ROM that brings the book's architectural concepts to life through three-dimensional models and animations created by Professor Ching.