Have to second Wes' recommendation of "The World of Venice"--one of the most perfect travel books I've ever read. If you're going to Rome, try Robert Hutchinson's "When in Rome," a fascinating look at the Vatican's inner workings (extremely funny, too). (Thanks to Ed for recommending that one.) <BR> <BR>I also loved Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's Italian Days. <BR> <BR>In the guidebook department, I am absolutely addicted to Time Out's city series. They have Rome and Venice city guides; I think they may have Florence as well but haven't looked. They also have an Amalfi Coast guide. I've never seen so much hip, smart, literate, complete travel information packed into such slim volumes. It's amazing, and they're really fun reads as well.

Loved "Summer's Lease." When we stayed near Poggibonsi (sp?) at a villa with a pool I kept halfway expecting to wake up with no water in the pool.

Not quite like those mentioned and more in the fiction category, are the following two little known novels. <BR> <BR>The Silent Duchess by Mariani (I'm not sure of the author's spelling.) This is written in metaphor and has a sense of the Italian / Sicilian language that is <BR>so much the mood of Italy- it would really get you started toward an Italian adventure. It's a pretty good psychological suspense too. <BR> <BR>In the Garden of Papa Santuzzi by Adrizzoni (Not sure of his spelling either, as it's been a while since I read this one.) This one is lighter and full of the Italian and eventually Italian/ American experience. It's very entertaining also.

<BR> <BR>Christ Stopped at Eboli <BR>by Carlo Levi <BR>(southern Italy: Basilicata) <BR> <BR>On Persephone's Island <BR>by Mary Taylor Simeti <BR>(Sicily) <BR> <BR>Fontamara <BR>by Ignazio Silone <BR>(novel - southern Italy) <BR> <BR>Pomp and Sustenance <BR>by Mary Taylor Simeti <BR>(Sicily, cookbook plus history....) <BR> <BR>Sixteen Pleasures <BR>by Robert H[something] <BR>(not really such a good novel, but very interesting "inside" detail re: art restoration after the 1966 Florence flood) <BR> <BR>Vasari's Lives <BR>(art- Tuscany) <BR> <BR>Notebooks of Da Vinci <BR>(the words as well as the drawings - interesting insights into his thinking) <BR>

I just finished "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King(Walker & Co., New York, 2000). Very interesting non-fiction account of the building of the dome in Florence. Lots of great historical background and livestyle info. About 200 pages; quick read, especially if you skip some of the really technical engineering details. I got my copy at Borders Books. <BR> <BR>Glad to hear everyone liked When In Rome. I just checked it out from the library, along with I, Claudius and The Agony and The Ecstacy (Readers Digest Condensed, version!)

We enjoyed Tim Parks' Italian Neighbors and his follow up which I think was called An Italian Education -- about raising their kids, sending them to schools, etc. There was a VERY long thread last year which sent me to the library to read a series of detective novels. Some were better than others...

Martha, you mentioned the Oxford Guide to Christian Symbolism. I can't find it under that name -- is that maybe a subtitle or something? <BR> <BR>It sounds like just the sort of thing I'd like to read. <BR> <BR>

I must second the recommendation for 'The Agony and the Ecstacy'. It looks very intimidating (the edition I read was over 700 pages), but it's well worth it! The last time I went to Italy (for my first visit) I could not appreciate my mother's enthusiasm for Renaissance art. Of course, some of it I really liked, but I hadn't studied it as she had (I was much more drawn to the work in Paris' Orsay because that was the period I studied in college). But now I absolutely cannot wait to return to Italy in a few months and see Michelangelo's work with new eyes! Knowing the background of his wonderful works will make musueum-going so much more meaningful.

Nikki: <BR> <BR>Just finished Italian Fever - Valerie Martin - a light mystery. <BR> <BR>Fouclot's Pendulum (wrong spelling)- set all over but Umberto Eco is Italian and The Name of the Rose (I think the movie was filmed in Spain but the book was set in Northern Italy). <BR> <BR>Erica Jong - Shylock's Daughter based on the Merchant of Venice <BR> <BR>Summer Lease - hilarious (was made into a PBS mini-series with Guilgood as the father <BR> <BR>I Claudius 1&2 - Graves - very readable book about the excesses and intrigues of the Roman Emperors from Augustus to Nero (the PBS mini series is as good as the book and in most video stores) <BR> <BR>Anne Rice (of the Vampire fame): Cry to Heaven - about the "castrati" in Venice <BR> <BR>If you like history - A Renaissance Tapestry - Kate Simon or anything about the Borges or Medicis <BR>Movies: Enchanted April, Il Postino, The Garden of Fitzi-Conti (spelling?) anything by Fellini, Roman Holiday <BR> <BR>Regards

Must second Anne Rice's "Silence of the Lambs." Enthrallling. A must if you're going to Venice.

You might try The City of Florence, by R.W.B. Lewis,the prize-winning biographer of Edith Wharton. <BR> <BR>I, too, recommend Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King. <BR> <BR>Also, The Last Italian by William Murray.

I found a half-price copy of Henry James' Italy. It's a beautiful blend of drawings and James' reflections on his travels in Italy. <BR> <BR>Also for movies, I would recommend Bertolucci's "Beseiged" which takes place in Rome. More a character study than scenery but beautifully photographed.

Where to start? And apologies for repeating (and I am probably responsible for a previous poster's disappointment in the mysteries recommended many months ago), also apologies for not switching over to Amazon for exact references, but I will do my best. <BR> <BR>As others have mentioned, almost any book on Italy by Christopher Hitchens; ditto on Robert Graves and Barzini; two thumbs up on Summer Lease and Italian Days. <BR> <BR>Here are some I don't think have been mentioned but acknowledgement to those who may have. <BR> <BR>As a counterpart to Barzini, try The New Italians by Charles Richards, excellent, and basically an updated, albeit 90s version of The Italians. Also Midnight In Sicily by Peter Robb, tells you more than you ever wanted to know about the Mafia and its influence, but also the beauty and mystery of Sicily. <BR> <BR>Barry Unsworth has written several novels about Italy; I have After Hannibal, which I haven't read, and Stone (something?) which I did. <BR> <BR>For World War II, one of the most compelling books I ever read (and I am not a WWII buff) was Italy 1943-45: the Brutal Years. Unforgettable. <BR> <BR>And for the mysteries: Donna Leon (all set in Venice) and Michael Dibdin (the hero detective is from Venice, but because of either failing to follow procedure or being so brilliant, he is posted to other places such as Rome and Perugia. <BR> <BR>And for videos, try: The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (with Vivien Leigh and a very young, very good-looking Warren Beatty), and Night of the Shooting Stars, again World War II setting. <BR> <BR>

"Cry to Heaven" by Anne Rice gives a wonderful view of Venice and Naples.

Has anyone read Italian Journey, by Goethe? This is the book description from amazon: Containing the letters and diaries that Goethe wrote during his journey to Italy at age thirty-seven, Italian Journey reveals his tremendous range of interests. His writings cover literature, art history and his own struggle to be a painter, various sciences and political events, personal encounters, and the Italian landscape. "In Rome," Goethe wrote, "I first found myself, for the first time I achieved inner harmony...." For Goethe the writer, this temporal and spiritual journey was at the root of his development from Sturm und Drang to classicism, a decisive point in his life and the history of German literature.

Never read it, but just bought it a few weeks ago because I read excerpts quoted in another book about Sicily and it sounded interesting.

Yes, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Goethe's "Italian Journey". His classical education is obvious from the many references to mythology that people nowadays just don't learn, so accompany it with a copy of Robert Graves' "Greek Myths" (so that you can find out who the Laestrygonians were, etc.). <BR> <BR>Other books on Italy I've read in the last few years were "The Sicilian Vespers" by Stephen Runciman, "History of Venice" by J.J. Norwich, "Italy" by Matt Frei (a good current commentary) and "Midnight in Sicily" by Peter Robb, a fascinating insight into modern (and ancient) Sicily.

Celia--You couldn't find it because I wasn't even close on the title, which is <BR>Signs & Symbols in Christian Art by George Wells Ferguson. <BR>

I'm suprised no one has mentioned this, but I would highly recommend 'Death in Venice' by Thomas Mann. It's a fairly short book, but is so finely tuned that each sentence has it's own significant meaning. The symbolism is wonderful, but be sure to get a copy with some sort of decoder in the back to ensure that you don't miss anything when reading it.

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