Italian Heritage Guide: Books, eBooks, Journals

Blood of My Blood eaves together the history, sociology and psychology of first, second, and third-generation Italian Americans. Its data is presented with scholarly precision; yet the author's personalized style, which he peppers with autobiographical tidbits, makes it immensely readable. Unlike most books written by academics, this one compels the reader to feel as well as to know.

Through most of their history, Italians have identified more with their own locales than with what is now known as Italy. This comprehensive reference allows readers to view the land as its denizens have for centuries--regionally. Domenico superbly surveys the regional and provincial characteristics and culture of the 20 regions, including economy, cuisine, history, recent politics, and arts. This is the only single general reference volume in English on Italy's regions and will be highly in demand by teachers, students of Italian language and culture, and travelers. Italy's enormous contributions to western civilization continue to make it a cultural and economic powerhouse and a top tourist destination. The Regions of Italy succinctly conveys the formidable richness of the whole through its parts, with a user-friendly format that makes it easy to glean the important information on the area of interest. A chronology, glossary, and wide selection of photos accompany the text.

Pisanello (1394-1455) was the most famous artist of his time, celebrated as both painter and medallist. His work is both exquisitely beautiful and rare - only four undisputed panel paintings by him survive, and little has been published about him in English. This book provides a unique insight into his life and work.

The authors invite the reader to experience a rich artistic legacy in painting, sculpture and architecture. Through an engaging narrative complemented by a rich cascade of illustrations, they connect us with the remarkable artists whose innovations and visions shaped the Renaissance.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD! From the author of Dear Edward comes a "powerfully affecting" (People) family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? "Another tender tearjerker . . . Napolitano chronicles life's highs and lows with aching precision."--The Washington Post ONE OF THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR  A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, New York Post, She Reads, Bookreporter William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him--so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it's as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family's dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William's past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia's carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters' unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most? An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott's timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

This tale of a family in Little Italy is "a minor miracle . . . documenting the madness and the grace of God in everyday life" (Newsweek).   On a 1950s September night so hot that the devout Catholics of Little Italy wonder if New York City has slipped into hell, the butcher Joseph Santangelo invites his friends to play pinochle. At the end of a long, sweaty, boozy evening, his friend Lino Falconetti, addled by wine and heat, bets the hand of his daughter, Catherine--and Santangelo wins.   Santangelo's modern new wife clashes immediately with his superstitious, fiercely protective mother. But years later, it is Catherine who is horrified when the daughter they raise turns out to have more in common with the old world than the new.   From a New York Times-bestselling author, this story of two generations of an Italian-American family is imaginative, evocative, funny, and warm--and was made into an acclaimed film directed by Nancy Savoca, starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor.

In her debut cookbook, Susan Gravely celebrates 40 years as Founder and Creative Director of VIETRI, a lifestyle brand offering handcrafted Italian tabletop and home and garden accessories. With a foreword by Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, Italy on a Plate is an exploration into what makes Italy so magical: its staggering beauty, unparalleled style, artistic legacy, and incredible food. The close friends Gravely has made during her years of Italian travels have graciously shared their homes and their favorite family recipes, and this book gives a culinary tour of Italy's flavors with recipes you will enjoy with loved ones for years to come.

Welcome to LA? Nineties' Hollywood gets an Italian makeover in this poignant and ruefully funny coming-of-age novel featuring a teenage girl who's on shaky ground--in more ways than one. Mere weeks after the 1992 riots that laid waste to Los Angeles, Eugenia, a typical Italian teenager, is rudely yanked from her privileged Roman milieu by her hippie-ish filmmaker parents and transplanted to the strange suburban world of the San Fernando Valley. With only the Virgin Mary to call on for guidance as her parents struggle to make it big, Hollywood fashion, she must navigate her huge new public high school, complete with Crips and Bloods and Persian gang members, and a car-based environment of 99-cent stores and obscure fast-food franchises and all-night raves. She forges friendships with Henry, who runs his mother's movie memorabilia store, and the bewitching Deva, who introduces her to the alternate cultural universe that is Topanga Canyon. And then the 1994 earthquake rocks the foundations not only of Eugenia's home but of the future she'd been imagining for herself.

"Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story is fun and funny, wonderfully exuberant, and incredibly wise. These endearing characters--their voices and stories-- will be with me for a long time to come. I didn't want to say good-bye." -Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author of Hieroglyphics An utterly delightful and surprising family drama--think Moonstruck and My Big Fat Greek Wedding set in New Jersey--about a boisterous, complicated Italian family determined to help their widowed mother find a new boyfriend.  Lively widow Varina Paladino has lived in the same house in Wyldale, New Jersey, her entire life. The town might be slightly stuck in the 1960s, when small businesses thrived and most residents were Italian, but its population is getting younger and the Paladinos are embracing the change. What Varina's not embracing, much to her ninety-two-year-old mother's dismay, is dating. Running Paladino's Italian Specialties grocery, caring for her mother, and keeping her large, loud Jersey Italian family from killing one another takes up all of Varina's energy anyway. Sylvia Spini worries about her daughter Varina being left all alone when she dies. Sylvia knows what it is to be old and alone, so when her granddaughter, Donatella, comes to her with an ill-conceived plan to find Varina a man, Sylvia dives in. The three men of the family--Dante, Tommy, and Paulie--are each secretly plotting their own big life changes, which will throw everyone for a loop. Three generations of Paladinos butt heads and break one another's hearts as they wrestle with their own Jersey Italian love stories in this hilarious and life-affirming ode to love and family.

Completely updated with even more delightful ways to learn and enjoy the most expressive and romantic of languages, the third edition of the successful The Complete Idiot s Guide to Learning Italianis the first choice for a whole new generation of enthusiastic students of Italian. New content includes- Two new quick references on verbs and grammar Two new appendices- Italian synonyms and popular idiomatic phrases Updated business and money sections.

These 154 remarkable photographs reveal the beauty of 29 masterworks by Palladio and 37 British and American structures that embody the Palladian heritage. Captions, text by architectural history Henry Hope Reed.