The Villa in Italy

Author: Elizabeth Edmondson
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007223773
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 12

Book Description
This is a marvellously atmospheric tale of strangers summoned to a grand but neglected villa on the Italian coast. Each of them has been named in a will, but nobody knows their benefactress... Four very different people are named in a will: Delia, an opera singer robbed of her voice by illness; George, an idealistic scientist who cannot face what his skills have created; Marjorie, desperately poor and unable to dislodge her writer's block; and Lucius, ostensibly in control but whose personal life is in chaos. All are summoned to the Villa Dante, home of the late Beatrice Malaspina. But who was she? While they wait to find out, the villa begins to work its seductive magic. With its faded frescoes, overgrown garden and magnificent mediaeval tower, it is unlike anywhere they have been before. Slowly, four characters who have gone to great lengths to hide their troubles find that change - and even hope - is possible after all. But, the mysterious Beatrice has a devastating secret to reveal that will affect them all! A beautiful evocation of Italy in the aftermath of World War Two, the personal consequences of living through such a time, and a celebration of humankind's ability to heal and learn to love again, this most absorbing novel will win Elizabeth Edmondson a host of new fans.

Not in a Tuscan Villa

Author: John Petralia
Publisher: Chartiers Creek Press
ISBN: 9780615762531
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipate -- about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.

Roman Villas in Central Italy

Author: Annalisa Marzano
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047421221
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 842

Book Description
This volume, which was awarded Honorable Mention and a Silver Medal from the Premio Romanistico Internationazionale Gérard Boulvert, investigates the socio-economic role of elite villas in Roman Central Italy drawing on both documentary sources and material evidence. Through the composite picture emerging from the juxtaposition of literary texts and archaeological evidence, the book traces elite ideological attitudes and economic behavior, caught between what was morally acceptable and the desire to invest capital intelligently. The analysis of the biases affecting the application of modern historiographical models to the interpretation of the archaeology frames the discussion on the identification of slave quarters in villas and the putative second century crisis of the Italian economy. The book brings an innovative perspective to the debate on the villa-system and the decline of villas in the imperial period.

Up at the Villa

Author: W. Somerset Maugham
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 92

Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Up at the Villa" by W. Somerset Maugham. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Italian Villa: An Emotional and Absolutely Gripping WW2 Historical Romance

Author: Daniela Sacerdoti
Publisher: Bookouture
ISBN: 9781838880101
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Book Description
Italy, 1938 - Elisa clings to Leo in the shadow of the Montevino mountains, the call to war ringing in her ears. They hatch a plan to wed in secret before Leo flees to the woods to join the resistance, and vow to find each other again when the war is over. But history has other plans... Texas, present day - Callie Di Giacomo, a waitress in a small town, is still reeling from the discovery that she is adopted when she arrives in Montevino in search of answers about her real family - the keys to the stunning hillside villa she just inherited clutched tightly in her hand. In her birth mother's wardrobe grief-stricken Callie finds a diary belonging to a woman named Elisa Stella, one of Italy's first ever female students of medicine, wrapped in pale blue ribbon. Page by page, Callie is swept away by Elisa's story, increasingly certain that their lives - and their fates - are somehow connected, and that the truth about her family is hidden somewhere within the crinkled yellow pages. But just when all the pieces look like they are falling into place, a devastating betrayal in the diary unlocks a heart-breaking secret about who Callie's mother really is. Can Callie, like Elisa, find the light in her darkest moment and use it to spark a new future? Inspired by true events, this unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience by the author of million-copy Amazon No 1. bestseller, Watch Over Me, is perfect for anyone who loved The Letter, The Tattooist of Auschwitz or The Dressmaker's Gift. Readers adore The Italian Villa 'Mesmerising! I was totally hooked... absolutely perfect and just flowed endlessly with such ease. I really can't praise this OUTSTANDING book enough!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I fell in love with this book! It was beautiful and captivating from start to finish. I loved Callie right from the beginning, she is such a relatable character. You laughed with her and cried for her throughout... Absolutely loved this entire book!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'From the moment I opened this book I was hooked. This is a beautifully written story with characters that tug at your heartstrings from the second they're introduced. You can't help but fall in love with them and the tiny village in Italy where it takes place... you feel as though you're really there... I devoured this book in no time... you can't wait to turn the page to find out what happens next...which is why I finished this book at 3 in the morning!... I was so enthralled from the very first page!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Italian Villas and Their Gardens

Author: Edith Wharton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description

The Socio-Economics of Roman Storage

Author: Astrid Van Oyen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108851452
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 303

Book Description
In a pre-industrial world, storage could make or break farmers and empires alike. How did it shape the Roman empire? The Socio-Economics of Roman Storage cuts across the scales of farmer and state to trace the practical and moral reverberations of storage from villas in Italy to silos in Gaul, and from houses in Pompeii to warehouses in Ostia. Following on from the material turn, an abstract notion of 'surplus' makes way for an emphasis on storage's material transformations (e.g. wine fermenting; grain degrading; assemblages forming), which actively shuffle social relations and economic possibilities, and are a sensitive indicator of changing mentalities. This archaeological study tackles key topics, including the moral resonance of agricultural storage; storage as both a shared and a contested concern during and after conquest; the geography of knowledge in domestic settings; the supply of the metropolis of Rome; and the question of how empires scale up. It will be of interest to scholars and students of Roman archaeology and history, as well as anthropologists who study the links between the scales of farmer and state.

Palladian Days

Author: Sally Gable
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307489345
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Book Description
A chronicle of an influential villa by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio that brings a sense of discovery to the Italian countryside and its larger national history. • “If a vacation in Italy this summer just isn’t going to make the cut, this book might be the next best thing.” —Chicago Tribune In 1552, in the countryside outside Venice, the great Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio built Villa Cornaro. In 1989, Sally and Carl Gable became its bemused new owners. Called by Town & Country one of the ten most influential buildings in the world, the villa is the centerpiece of the Gables’ enchanting journey into the life of a place that transformed their own. From the villa’s history and its architectural pleasures, to the lives of its former inhabitants, to the charms of the little town that surrounds it, this loving account delivers generosity, humor, and a sense of discovery. “Palladian Days is nothing short of wonderful–part adventure, mystery, history, diary, and even cookbook. The Gables’ lively account captures the excitement of their acquisition and restoration of one of the greatest houses in Italy. Beguiled by Palladio and the town of Piombino Dese, they trace the history of the Villa Cornaro and their absorption of Italian life. Bravo!” —Susan R. Stein, Gilder Curator and Vice President of Museum Programs, Monticello

The Villas Of Lucca

Author: Cristina Acidini Luchinat
Publisher: Images Publishing
ISBN: 9781920744724
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Book Description
Not only a photographic revelation of the residential treasures of Lucca, but an exploration of the artistic and cultural heritage of the region.

Villa Astor

Author: Right Honorable the Lord Astor of Hever
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 2081375923
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This volume showcases the legendary Italian villa that William Waldorf Astor exquisitely curated as a masterpiece of art, architecture, and design. Dominating the Bay of Naples in the charming town of Sorrento, with spectacular views of Mount Vesuvius, Villa Astor is an Italian landmark with a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire. American businessman, collector, and politician William Waldorf Astor—founder of the legendary Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York—fell in love with Italy during his time as American ambassador in Rome. He purchased the villa that now bears his name and turned it into a paradise of art, beauty, architecture, and exquisite gardens. The eccentric, extravagant, and discerning art lover spent a decade restoring and decorating the house and gardens with an outstanding collection of classical artifacts. After Astor’s death in 1919, the villa changed hands. It was recently acquired by new owners, who have restored the villa and gardens to their former splendor with the talented French decorator Jacques Garcia. This volume traces the splendid history of a legendary house, garden, and art collection and the extraordinary life of one of the world’s most enigmatic tycoons.