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.Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa
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by: Matthew Fort

May 03, 2005
Matthew Fort's epic scooter ride up the thigh-boot of Italy is a truly delicious read. Every aspect of the fascinating and varied Italian life he encountered is amusingly reflected upon in his lightly erudite prose. I thought his acknowledgement of feeling homesick (unlike Thesiger et al) was particularly endearing and the description of his amateurish Vespa riding in Naples most entertaining.Mr Fort was the restaurant critic for The Guardian, a foodie professional, but the gusto with which he describes the various meals he was presented with en route shows a boyish enthusiast peeping through the culinary afficionado. The recipes, which are added to each chapter-ending, are splendidly simple but totally mouthwatering.What Mr Fort has managed ... Read More:
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.Florence and the Medici: The Pattern of Control
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by: J.R. Hale

September 20, 2001
Matthew Fort's epic scooter ride up the thigh-boot of Italy is a truly delicious read. Every aspect of the fascinating and varied Italian life he encountered is amusingly reflected upon in his lightly erudite prose. I thought his acknowledgement of feeling homesick (unlike Thesiger et al) was particularly endearing and the description of his amateurish Vespa riding in Naples most entertaining.Mr Fort was the restaurant critic for The Guardian, a foodie professional, but the gusto with which he describes the various meals he was presented with en route shows a boyish enthusiast peeping through the culinary afficionado. The recipes, which are added to each chapter-ending, are splendidly simple but totally mouthwatering.What Mr Fort has managed ... Read More:
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.Superstudio: A Life without Objects: A Life Without Objects
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by: Peter Lang, William Menking

2003-04
Matthew Fort's epic scooter ride up the thigh-boot of Italy is a truly delicious read. Every aspect of the fascinating and varied Italian life he encountered is amusingly reflected upon in his lightly erudite prose. I thought his acknowledgement of feeling homesick (unlike Thesiger et al) was particularly endearing and the description of his amateurish Vespa riding in Naples most entertaining.Mr Fort was the restaurant critic for The Guardian, a foodie professional, but the gusto with which he describes the various meals he was presented with en route shows a boyish enthusiast peeping through the culinary afficionado. The recipes, which are added to each chapter-ending, are splendidly simple but totally mouthwatering.What Mr Fort has managed ... Read More:
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.Arte Povera (Themes & Movements)
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from: Phaidon Press Ltd

September 30, 2005
This is a well constructed guide to Arte Povera;the Italian art movement of the sixties and seventies. It is a movement which has had a huge effect on art of the last few decades of the twentieth century, yet it's importance is often overlooked or underestiamted. The illustrations are compelling,particularly in view of the ephemeral nature of the work, much of which no longer exists. The extensive publications of statements by the artist's, as well as writings by critics of the period, fleshes out the superb imagery. This book is an important academic tome, but works equally well as a sumptuous coffee table book.If there is a better book on the subject currently on the market I haven't found it.
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.Leaves from Our Tuscan Kitchen
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by: Janet Ross, Michael Waterfield

September 30, 2006
We all know the situation. You shopping bag contains some odd vegetablesand you are supposed to serve a delicious meal within the hour, but howcan the vegetables and a few assorted items from the larder be turned intothe lucculus dish you had in mind? Don't despair! Just grab this littlebook and look under the name of your vegetables and you will find all theinspiration and directions you need. This book is a must for any personwho enjoys serving well-prepared food. The lay-out is very practical withthe recipes organised by the vegetable to be prepared, and for each thereare many dishes, so you are sure to find at least one which suits youtaste and fancy. The recopies are precise and easy to follow, (although Ipersonally prefer to shorten the cooking ... Read More:
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.The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy
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by: Peter Burke

April 26, 1999
I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors ... Read More:
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.The Rough Guide to Florence and Siena Map
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by: Rough Guides

February 06, 2003
I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors ... Read More:
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.The Renaissance Artist at Work: From Pisano to Titian (Icon Editions)
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by: Bruce Cole

August 31, 1990
I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors ... Read More:
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.The Colombian Mule (New Blood)
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by: Massimo Carlotto

July 01, 2004
This, I believe, is the 4th of Carlotto's Alligator series, and the first to be translated into English. I think the publishers are testing the water - if Carlotto becomes as popular in English-speaking countries as he has in Italy and Latin America, then the rest will appear in English too. He also has three stand-alone books (The Fugitive, The Goodbye Kiss and Death's Dark Abyss)

These are relatively short novels - forget the 500 page police procedurals, full of twists and turns, this is pure noir. Nothing is wasted as the Alligator and his two sidekicks investigate the case of an art smuggler who has been stitched up to take the fall for a cocaine-smuggling racket.

Carlotto's prose is sharp and his plot is tightly controlled. It ... Read More:
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.The Divine Comedy: Purgatorio. Parallel Text v.2: Purgatorio. Parallel Text Vol 2 (Galaxy Books)
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by: Dante Alighieri

September 03, 1981
From the trilogy 'The Divine Commedy', this is undoubtedly my personal favourite. After the drama and power of the Inferno, and before the ethereal, dogmatic Paradiso comes this wonderful transition. Dante celebrates the human spirit, with its faults but mostly its hope, and human fraternity.

The subject is treated with gentleness and tenderness, despite the fact that the souls there are being punished. I found in it the most moving moment of the whole Comedy, when Virgil leaves Dante. It is then, in the last few canti, that Dante meets Beatrice and must turn his focus to more heavenly matters.

John D. Sinclair recognises this human poignancy throughout and since Sinclair treats the whole Comedy as personal to Dante, and his life, in his ... Read More:
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