From Publishers Weekly
The staff at the New York Times, together with the Italian Government Tourist Board, have compiled more than 40 lucid travel articles in this lavish paean to Italy. These selections, plucked from two decades of exceptional travel writing, express the country's unique diversity. Shirley Hazzard rhapsodizes about Posillipo, a historically rich headland of Naples where writers and artists have long sought "pleasure and inspiration"; Alastair McEwen describes Milan, Italy's Big Apple, in all its "industrial, entrepreneurial and international" glory; and James Sturz tours a small portion of Alto Adige, an area in northern Italy that is studded with castles. The volume's postcard-perfect color photos, which number close to 500, nicely complement the text, capturing everything from the snow-covered peaks of Monte Cervino and the luscious, undulating hills of Tuscany to the frescoed buildings of Trento and the vineyards of Chianti. As Eco writes in his introduction, "a journey to Italy... should always be seen as a journey of discovery that will reveal not one, but many Italies." This hefty, handsome coffee-table book more than bears this out.

Book Description
Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and this beautiful, useful volume is an ideal reminder for those who have been there and fallen in love with the country, as well as a book to stir the expectations of those who plan to travel there. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, this collection captures the local color of every remarkable corner of this richly diverse land-the clamor and vitality of Naples, the idyllic enchantment of Lago Maggiore, the intriguing cultural contradictions of Genova, the breathtaking (if terrifying) cliffside trails in Cinqueterre.

Contributors include Oliver Bernier, Rachel Billington, Frank Bruni, Shirley Hazzard, Paul Hofmann, Alison Lurie, Malachi Martin, Alastair McEwen, Michael Mewshaw, Jan Morris, Francine Prose, Barry Unsworth, Muriel Spark, and William Weaver. Essays full of history, philosophical ruminations, humorous anecdotes, cultural musings, and useful travel information-in short the best of The New York Times talent-will make you want to drop everything and fly to this land that continues to inspire writers, artists, and casual visitors alike. AUTHOR BIO: Umberto Eco is the author of four novels as well as numerous works of criticism, philosophy, and literary theory. His fifth novel, The Mysterious Flame, will be published in June. He is professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and this beautiful, useful volume is an ideal reminder for those who have been there and fallen in love with the country, as well as a book to stir the expectations of those who plan to travel there. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, this collection captures the local color of every remarkable corner of this richly diverse land-the clamor and vitality of Naples, the idyllic enchantment of Lago Maggiore, the intriguing cultural contradictions of Genova, the breathtaking (if terrifying) cliffside trails in Cinqueterre.

Contributors include Oliver Bernier, Rachel Billington, Frank Bruni, Shirley Hazzard, Paul Hofmann, Alison Lurie, Malachi Martin, Alastair McEwen, Michael Mewshaw, Jan Morris, Francine Prose, Barry Unsworth, Muriel Spark, and William Weaver. Essays full of history, philosophical ruminations, humorous anecdotes, cultural musings, and useful travel information-in short the best of The New York Times talent-will make you want to drop everything and fly to this land that continues to inspire writers, artists, and casual visitors alike.