Synopses & Reviews
A vacation you will never forget
A spectacular new color guide that highlights the exceptional experiences of one of Italy's most evocative regions.
Stay at the monastery seen in The English Patient
Let this book inspire and guide you as you plan your Tuscan getaway. Each of the two dozen sites and experiences it highlights is a perfect gem -- as you'll see for yourself in more than 150 luscious photographs.
Harvest grapes for wine and press your own olive oil
Mix and match featured travel ideas like these to create a one-of-a-kind itinerary that showcases all the many facets of this storied corner of Italy.
Hike in the marble mountains that inspired Michelangelo
Or study cooking with Lorenza de' Medici, get the best possible view of Siena's legendary Palio, cheer the drivers in a spectacular classic-car race. From celebrated San Gimignano to Tuscany's unsung cowboy country, the essence of Tuscany flourishes inside this book.
Plan your escape today
Use the planning section at the end of the book to find out about costs, lodging options, and more; detailed maps show you what's where. Keep this book by your bedside to sweeten your dreams, or pop it into your tote bag when you hit the road. And get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
About the Author
Photographer Antonio Sferlazzo, a native and spiritual son of the Maremma, who is largely responsible for the choice of locations in this book, lives in the countryside outside Florence, tending his garden. Innovative and painterly in its portrayals of landscapes, his work has appeared both in Italy and the United States in exhibitions and in major magazines, including l'Espresso, Gourmet, European Travel and Life, and GQ. In 1993 Aperture included his images in its prestigious monograph on Italian photographers, which accompanied a traveling show that debuted at the Guggenheim Foundation in Venice and was exhibited in New York at the Murray and Isabella Rayburn Foundation.
Author Candice Gianetti, a longtime freelance writer and editor, fell in love with Italy unexpectedly during a brief visit cobbled onto the end of a long Greek idyll. Back then, when she hit Florence, she was immediately afflicted by a malady of romantic 19th century travelers known as Stendhal Syndrome, after the French novelist who was so affected by the glories of the city that he walked "in constant fear of falling to the ground." Even after months of work on this book, she still feels the same way.