Synopses & Reviews
For over two thousand years, Italy has been a major source of cultural and artistic inspiration to the rest of the world. This book focuses on the most characteristic examples of the Italian genius, from lavish piazzas and magnificent fountains to Palladian villas and flamboyant Baroque churches.
Within these pages, author Edmund Howard leads readers on a fascinating tour of Italy's most glorious landscapes and architecture. He explores a variety of homes and residences, form a simple farmhouse in Tuscany to majestic town palaces. Also on display here are the lush horticulture and exuberant statuary of Italy's most beautiful gardens. Readers will experience the wealth of striking decoration found in Renaissance facades, wrought-iron gates and balconies, Byzantine mosaics, and sumptuous frescoes.
With three hundred specially commissioned photographs and a series of evocative essays, this book is both a fascinating study of Italy's many treasures as well as an invaluable sourcebook of visual ideas.
About the Author
The Hon.
Edmund Bernard Carlo Howard, CMG, LVO, Commander of the Order of Merit (Italy) has an intimate knowledge of Italy which dates back to his childhood. Growing up, he often stayed with his mother's family in Rome and with English relations in Portofino. After war service as an Intelligence Officer in Italy, Edmund Howard worked at the British Consulate in Turin and later joined the Diplomatic Service at the British Embassy in Rome. He has since maintained a close connection with Italy, principally through his family's involvement with one of the country's great gardens at Ninfa. His previous publications include the award-winning
Genoa: History and Art in an Old Seaport.