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Tuscany SCA in Action
by Simon Laws Haleh Mahbod Raymond Feng Mark CombellackApache Tuscany is a free, open source project that helps users develop Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions. It provides a lightweight infrastructure that implements Service Component Architecture (SCA) and provides seamless integration with other technologies.Tuscany in Action is a comprehensive, hands-on guide for developing enterprise applications using Apache Tuscany's lightweight SCA infrastructure. The book uses practical examples to demonstrate how to develop applications with the open source Tuscany SCA. Readers will learn how to model, compose, and manage applications. Detailed explanations of how to use the various features of Apache Tuscany for protocol handling and developing components are presented. Readers will also learn how to extend Apache Tuscany to support new programming environments and communication protocols. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.
Tuscany in the Age of Empire (I Tatti studies in Italian Renaissance history)
by Brian BregeA new history explores how one of Renaissance Italy’s leading cities maintained its influence in an era of global exploration, trade, and empire. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was not an imperial power, but it did harbor global ambitions. After abortive attempts at overseas colonization and direct commercial expansion, as Brian Brege shows, Tuscany followed a different path, one that allowed it to participate in Europe’s new age of empire without establishing an empire of its own. The first history of its kind, Tuscany in the Age of Empire offers a fresh appraisal of one of the foremost cities of the Italian Renaissance, as it sought knowledge, fortune, and power throughout Asia, the Americas, and beyond. How did Tuscany, which could not compete directly with the growing empires of other European states, establish a global presence? First, Brege shows, Tuscany partnered with larger European powers. The duchy sought to obtain trade rights within their empires and even manage portions of other states’ overseas territories. Second, Tuscans invested in cultural, intellectual, and commercial institutions at home, which attracted the knowledge and wealth generated by Europe’s imperial expansions. Finally, Tuscans built effective coalitions with other regional powers in the Mediterranean and the Islamic world, which secured the duchy’s access to global products and empowered the Tuscan monarchy in foreign affairs. These strategies allowed Tuscany to punch well above its weight in a world where power was equated with the sort of imperial possessions it lacked. By finding areas of common interest with stronger neighbors and forming alliances with other marginal polities, a small state was able to protect its own security while carving out a space as a diplomatic and intellectual hub in a globalizing Europe.
Tuscany In Mind: An Anthology
by Alice Leccese PowersThis collection of essays, memoirs, poems, and fictional stories develops a vivid image of Tuscany, one of the world's most intriguing regions. Explore Tuscan geography, cuisine, culture, architecture, art, and history with this comprehensive anthology.
Tuscany for Beginners
by Imogen Edwards-JonesBelinda Smith moved to Tuscany five years ago after finding her husband in bed with another woman. In the months following, Belinda's destiny became clear to her. She would leave behind the dull dormitory town of Tilling, where nothing ever happened. And seek out new and more exciting pastures in the Italian countryside. She would start life again. On her own. She would run a B&B and keep a diary. She would jot down her thoughts, share her ideas and pass on her delicious recipes to the next generation. Battlelines are drawn when rival Lauren, a feisty American, comes to Tuscany with the same idea. And when Lauren's son falls in love with Belinda's daughter, war is well and truly declared.
Tuscany and Umbria: The Collected Traveler
by Barrie KerperThis unique guide to one of today's hottest tourist destinations combines fascinating articles by a wide variety of writers, woven throughout with the editor's own indispensable advice and opinions--providing in one package an unparalleled experience of an extraordinary place. This edition on Tuscany and Umbria features: Articles, interviews, recipes, and quotes from writers, visitors, residents, and experts on the region, including Frances Mayes, Mario Batali, Erica Jong, Barbara Ohrbach, Faith Willinger, and David Leavitt. In-depth pieces about Florence and the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria that illuminate the simple pleasures of local cuisine, the dazzling art treasures of the Uffizi, the civilized wilderness of Tuscan back roads, the many varieties of olive oil, the endearing quirks of the Italian character, and much more. Enticing recommendations for further reading, including novels, histories, memoirs, coookbooks, and guidebooks. An A-Z Miscellany of concise and entertaining information on everything from biscotti to Super-Tuscan wine, from the history of the Medicis to traveling with children. Spotlights on unusual shops, restaurants, hotels, and experiences not to be missed. More than a hundred black-and-white photographs and illustrations.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Tuscany: A History
by Alistair Moffat&“Some of the most fascinating, intriguing and, yes, brutal episodes of the region&’s past written in the fast-paced, involving style of an adventure novel&” (Italy Magazine, &“Book of the Week&”). With the perfect fusion of history, art, architecture, superb natural beauty, and weather—not to mention magnificent traditions of food and drink—Tuscany has cast its spell over visitors for centuries. What is it that makes this exquisite part of Italy so seductive? To answer this question, Alistair Moffat embarks on a journey into Tuscany&’s past. From the flowering of the Etruscan civilization in the seventh century BC through the rise of the powerful medieval communes of Arezzo, Lucca, Pisa, and Florence and the birth of the Renaissance, he underlines both the area&’s regional uniqueness and the vital role it has played in the history of the whole of Italy. Insightful, readable, and imbued with the author&’s own enthusiasm for Tuscany, this book includes a wealth of information not found in tourist guides. As the Herald raves, &“If you travel to the region, you&’ll want to take with you Moffat&’s Tuscany: A History; and if you read the book, you&’ll want to travel to the region.&” &“Compelling . . . Moffat takes the reader on a delicious trip through the geography, history and culture of the region—an impressive book.&” —The Sunday Telegraph &“Facts and figures are woven into a sun-drenched meditation on the character of the place and its people.&” —The Scotsman
The Tuscan Year: Life And Food In An Italian Valley
by Elizabeth RomerIn 1972 Elizabeth Romer moved to a farmhouse in Tuscany, where she discovered a life moulded by the past and tasted the simple, sublime flavours of traditional Italian cooking for the first time. Here, she introduces the Cerotti family who farm one section of the valley, and vividly describes, month by month, the Tuscan year. From January's prosciutto and salame, to cheese-making in March, to threshing the corn in high summer, to the game and chanterelles of autumn, and the chestnut woods of November and December. In the heart of the Cerotti household wonderful meals are prepared using fresh and simple ingredients, governed by the rhythms of the changing seasons. Elizabeth Romer presents the fare for high days and holidays as well as every day, from fresh garlic and wild herbs to fried flowers and carnival cakes. This magical book reveals the secrets of an ancient way of life and cuisine, with dozens of delicious recipes to bring the flavour of Tuscany to any kitchen.
The Tuscan Year: Life And Food In An Italian Valley
by Elizabeth RomerIn 1972 Elizabeth Romer moved to a farmhouse in Tuscany, where she discovered a life moulded by the past and tasted the simple, sublime flavours of traditional Italian cooking for the first time. Here, she introduces the Cerotti family who farm one section of the valley, and vividly describes, month by month, the Tuscan year. From January's prosciutto and salame, to cheese-making in March, to threshing the corn in high summer, to the game and chanterelles of autumn, and the chestnut woods of November and December. In the heart of the Cerotti household wonderful meals are prepared using fresh and simple ingredients, governed by the rhythms of the changing seasons. Elizabeth Romer presents the fare for high days and holidays as well as every day, from fresh garlic and wild herbs to fried flowers and carnival cakes. This magical book reveals the secrets of an ancient way of life and cuisine, with dozens of delicious recipes to bring the flavour of Tuscany to any kitchen.Read by Maggie Mash(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018
The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley
by Elizabeth RomerThe Tuscan Year recounts the daily life and food preparation of a family living on a farm in Tuscany. Elizabeth Romer chronicles each season's activities month by month: curing prosciutto and making salame in January, planting and cheesemaking in March, harvesting and threshing corn in July, hunting for wild muchrooms in September, and grape crushing in Ocober. Scattered throughout this lovely calendar are recipes—fresh bread and olive oil, grilled mushrooms, broad beans with ham, trout with fresh tomatoes and basil, chicken grilled with fresh sage and garlic, and apples baked with butter, sugar, and lemon peel, among many others. Alive with the rhythms of country tradition, The Tuscan Year is a treasure for the armchair traveler as well as the cook.
The Tuscan Tycoon's Pregnant Housekeeper
by Christina HollisPlain, timid housekeeper Michelle Spicer keeps her head down and gets on with the job. She knows her place. Bored and restless in the south of France, Alessandro Castiglione has found himself a plaything. Stripped of her uniform and naked in his bed, mousy Michelle blossoms before him. But she knows she's only the housekeeper-- not a rich man's wife. Discarded, disgraced and left with nothing but the child she now carries, Michelle is back in rainy England. Until the Tuscan tycoon decides to taste her charms again. . . .
The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes From Our Italian Kitchen
by Frances Mayes Edward Mayes"Tuscan food tastes like itself. Ingredients are left to shine. . . . So, if on your visit, I hand you an apron, your work will be easy. We'll start with primo ingredients, a little flurry of activity, perhaps a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and soon we'll be carrying platters out the door. We'll have as much fun setting the table as we have in the kitchen. Four double doors along the front of the house open to the outside--so handy for serving at a long table under the stars (or for cooling a scorched pan on the stone wall). Italian Philosophy 101: la casa aperta, the open house." --from the Introduction In all of Frances Mayes's bestselling memoirs about Tuscany, food plays a starring role. This cuisine transports, comforts, entices, and speaks to the friendly, genuine, and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life. Both cooking and eating in Tuscany are natural pleasures. In her first-ever cookbook, Frances and her husband, Ed, share recipes that they have enjoyed over the years as honorary Tuscans: dishes prepared in a simple, traditional kitchen using robust, honest ingredients. A toast to the experiences they've had over two decades at Bramasole, their home in Cortona, Italy, this cookbook evokes days spent roaming the countryside for chestnuts, green almonds, blackberries, and porcini; dinner parties stretching into the wee hours, and garden baskets tumbling over with bright red tomatoes. Lose yourself in the transporting photography of the food, the people, and the place, as Frances's lyrical introductions and headnotes put you by her side in the kitchen and raising a glass at the table. From Antipasti (starters) to Dolci (desserts), this cookbook is organized like a traditional Italian dinner. The more than 150 tempting recipes include: · Fried Zucchini Flowers · Red Peppers Melted with Balsamic Vinegar · Potato Ravioli with Zucchini, Speck, and Pecorino · Risotto Primavera · Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Sausage · Cannellini Bean Soup with Pancetta · Little Veal Meatballs with Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes · Chicken Under a Brick · Short Ribs, Tuscan-Style · Domenica's Rosemary Potatoes · Folded Fruit Tart with Mascarpone · Strawberry Semifreddo · Steamed Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Sauce Frances and Ed also share their tips on stocking your pantry, pairing wines with dishes, and choosing the best olive oil. Learn their time-tested methods for hand rolling pasta and techniques for coaxing the best out of seasonal ingredients with little effort. Throw on another handful of pasta, pull up a chair, and languish in the rustic Italian way of life.
Tuscan Summer with the Billionaire (A Billion-Dollar Family #1)
by Susan MeierClose encounter…Beneath the Italian sunAfter her ex left her family virtually bankrupt, Marcia is less than impressed when she meets the new owner of their vineyard, billionaire Trace. For all his business success, he doesn&’t know anything about wine! And she&’s supposed to teach him! Setting out to discover the root of his lack of knowledge, instead Marcia unearths the hidden pain Trace has come to escape. And a longing Marcia shouldn&’t indulge… Should she?An A Billion-Dollar Family novel A Billion-Dollar Family trilogyBook 1 – Tuscan Summer with the BillionaireAnd look out for the next bookComing soon&“The characters were great and well developed and they worked really well together. Feelings and romance dominate the story and it was an addictive read - I thoroughly enjoyed it!&”-Goodreadson Stolen Kiss with Her Billionaire Boss&“I don&’t know how Susan Meier does it, but book after book she brings to life characters you feel not only connected too, but fall in love with. She takes you to a place where you really believe dreams do come true. Step into the pages of Hired by the Unexpected Billionaire…you will not be disappointed.&”-Goodreads
Tuscan Springs (Images of America)
by Bryon BurrussTuscan Springs, originally "Lick Springs," was a collection of mineral waters near Red Bluff, California, which Native Americans considered such sacred ground that even warring tribes would lay down their weapons and bathe there together in peace. It was here that Dr. John A. Veatch became the first person in America to discover "white gold" (borax) in 1856, and he renamed the site after the fumaroles of Italy. While plans to extract the mineral proved impractical, word quickly spread of the healing properties of these alleged miraculous springs, and hundreds soon "were taking the waters." But, it was not until the property fell into the hands of an ambitious local merchant, Edgerton Walbridge--equal parts Teddy Roosevelt, William Randolph Hearst, and P.T. Barnum--that the springs gained worldwide fame, drawing visitors to Tehama County from throughout the country by carriage, railroad, and steamboat.
Tuscan Spaces
by Silvia M. RossAn important locus for English-speaking writers, the region of Tuscany is also well represented in the Italian literary canon. In Tuscan Spaces, Silvia Ross focuses on constructions of Tuscany in twentieth-century Italian literature and juxtaposes them with English prose works by such authors as E.M. Forster and Frances Mayes to expose the complexity of literary representation centred on a single milieu.Ross uses the works of writers such as Federigo Tozzi, Aldo Palazzeschi, Vasco Pratolini, and Elena Gianini Belotti, to seek out alternative visions of Tuscan space and emphasizes that each author fashions the region in a manner which reflects their personal poetics, background, and experiences. Theories of cultural geography, space, travel, and narrative contribute to Ross's consideration of the dualisms commonly employed in writings about Tuscany, such as country/city, nature/culture, female/male, and self/other, all of which are in turn affected by her interrogation of the local/foreign opposition that underlies the study as a whole.
Tuscan Soup
by Lou WakefieldSingle art teacher Marion Hardcastle is rather regretting having agreed to come on holiday with Tom and Janice Cowlishaw. They aren't exactly kindred spirits. And they aren't exactly being made to feel welcome by the supercilious owner of the Palazzo Fratorelli. The Contessa seems to be much more interested in ingratiating herself with her other guests, famous theatre director Terence Armstrong, and film stars, Christopher Bassett and Beatrice Miller-Mander. But, in the warmth of the Italian sunshine, the guests at the Palazzo gradually start to throw off their traditional British reserve - and so begins an extraordinary week of drama, danger, passion, violence, tears, tantrums, sordid secrets - and unexpected romance. Even Marion thaws enough to start enjoying herself. And, who knows, perhaps even fall in love . . .
Tuscan Soup
by Lou WakefieldSingle art teacher Marion Hardcastle is rather regretting having agreed to come on holiday with Tom and Janice Cowlishaw. They aren't exactly kindred spirits. And they aren't exactly being made to feel welcome by the supercilious owner of the Palazzo Fratorelli. The Contessa seems to be much more interested in ingratiating herself with her other guests, famous theatre director Terence Armstrong, and film stars, Christopher Bassett and Beatrice Miller-Mander. But, in the warmth of the Italian sunshine, the guests at the Palazzo gradually start to throw off their traditional British reserve - and so begins an extraordinary week of drama, danger, passion, violence, tears, tantrums, sordid secrets - and unexpected romance. Even Marion thaws enough to start enjoying herself. And, who knows, perhaps even fall in love . . .
Tuscan Rose
by Belinda AlexandraFrom an international bestselling author comes a richly woven tale of passion, longing, witchcraft, and magic set in Italy during World War II.A magical, richly woven World War II- era saga filled with passion, secrets, beauty, and horror from internationally acclaimed bestselling author Belinda Alexandra. FLORENCE, 1914. A mysterious stranger known as The Wolf leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the one clue to the child's identity. . . . FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, young Rosa must leave the nuns, her only family, and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed, and Rosa--blessed with gifts beyond her considerable musical talents--is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions. All the while, the hand of Fascism curls around beautiful Italy, and no citizen is safe. Rosa faces unimaginable hardship: her only weapons her intelligence, intuition, and determination . . . and her extraordinary capacity for love.
Tuscan Rose
by Belinda AlexandraA mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the one clue to the child's identity ... When Rosa turns fifteen, she must leave the nuns who have raised her and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed, and Rosa - blessed with gifts beyond her considerable musical talents -- is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions. Meanwhile, the hand of Fascism curls around beautiful Italy, threatening her citizens. In the face of unimaginable hardship, will Rosa's intelligence, intuition and her extraordinary capacity for love be enough to ensure her survival? A compelling and beautiful tale about sacrifice and reward, of beauty and horror, and of redemption.
Tuscan Rose
by Belinda AlexandraA mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrappings is the one clue to the child's identity . . . When Rosa turns fifteen, she must leave the nuns who have raised her and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed, and Rosa - blessed with gifts beyond her considerable musical talents -- is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions. Meanwhile, the hand of Fascism curls around beautiful Italy, threatening her citizens. In the face of unimaginable hardship, will Rosa's intelligence, intuition and her extraordinary capacity for love be enough to ensure her survival? A compelling and beautiful tale about sacrifice and reward, of beauty and horror, and of redemption.
Tuscan Holiday
by Holly ChamberlinIn this warm, evocative novel set against a breathtaking Italian backdrop, bestselling author Holly Chamberlin explores the complexities of mother-daughter bonds, and the gift of second chances. . .Marina Caldwell is thrilled to receive a two-week trip to Tuscany as a college graduation gift. That is, until she realizes her mother wants to go with her. The gulf between idealistic single parent Elizabeth and cautious, controlled Marina seems too wide to bridge, even with the aid of chilled Prosecco and mouthwatering panforte.But amid the magical sights and scents of Florence, Marina's careful plans for her vacation--and her future--are thrown into chaos, and Elizabeth's long-held assumptions crumble. Soon a world of unexpected possibilities unfolds for both--buoyed by newfound courage, unshakeable love, and the stirring beauty of a Tuscan sky. . .Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin"Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story." -USA Today on Summer Friends"It does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine's seasonal attractions." --Publishers Weekly on The Family Beach House
Tuscan Heat
by Deborah Fletcher MelloIn the name of love A coveted teaching invitation gives Donovan Boudreaux the chance to leave his New Orleans comfort zone and meet his secret email pen pal-world-renowned author Gianna Martelli. But when he arrives at the Martelli wine chateau in Tuscany, he discovers he's been deceived. His misgivings dwindle as Gianna introduces him to the hidden pleasures of Italy-and a passion that takes both Donovan and the reclusive writer by surprise. Gianna loves her simple life on her family's legendary vineyards. Until her matchmaking twin initiates a clandestine correspondence. Determined to make amends, Gianna soon realizes that she and the charming professor share a bond that can't be found in books. A friendship soon flames into an intense affair they know can't last forever. And now a vindictive rival could destroy Donovan's reputation, career and any hope of a future with Gianna...
Tuscan Daughter: A Novel
by Lisa RochonA novel of beauty and inspiration set during the Italian Renaissance about a young and defiant female artist searching for her mother.Florence, 1500—a city that glitters with wealth and artistic genius is also a place of fierce political intrigue, walled off from the unrest in the surrounding Tuscan countryside. In this moment, a peasant girl finds herself alone after her father is killed and her mother disappears. Young Beatrice must dare to enter the city to sell her family’s olive oil in order to survive, but also to search the streets and opium dens for her missing, grieving mother. Walking barefoot from her outlying village, Beatrice is given grudging permission to pass through the city gates to sell olive oil to the artists—Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli—who toil to elevate the status of the Florentine Republic. Lonely yet defiant, the peasant girl draws on the stone walls of Florence in secret as a way to express her pain. While desperately searching the city for her mother, Beatrice befriends the upstart Michelangelo as he struggles to sculpt the David. She also comes to know a cloth merchant’s wife who is having her portrait painted by the aging Leonardo da Vinci, renowned through the land as Master of the Arts. Bonds deepen even while Michelangelo and Leonardo are pitted against each other. Set during five epic years in the early 1500s when Florence was rebranding itself through its creative geniuses, Tuscan Daughter reveals the humanity and struggles of a young woman longing to find the only family she has left and be an artist in her own right, and the way she influences the artistic masters of the time to stake everything on the power of beauty to transform and heal.
Tuscan Countess: The Life and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa
by Michele K. Spike&“[This] marvelous biography peels back layer upon layer of previous myth to render a startling new portrait of the countess. . . . Absorbing.&” —Publishers Weekly Tuscan Countess is a fast-paced and colorful exploration of the life of Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046–1115), a woman who loved a pope and was loved by him, successfully defied the Holy Roman Emperor, and changed the map of Europe. Matilda of Canossa, the &“Great Countess,&” was a remarkable woman. Her personal power was so extraordinary that even centuries after her death she became the first woman to be interred in St. Peter's Basilica. She is best remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor, the climax of which took place at her castle of Canossa. This unique biography is also a journal of the author's travels through contemporary Tuscany as she explores the palaces where Matilda held court, the blood-stained plains on which her soldiers battled, the churches and cathedrals she endowed, and the fortified aeries where she sought refuge. Readers will be swept along on this engrossing journey retracing the steps of a courageous and brilliant woman.
The Tuscan Contessa: A heartbreaking new novel set in wartime Tuscany
by Dinah JefferiesONE WAR. TWO WOMEN. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO SAVE THE ONES THEY LOVE?A sweeping new novel from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's WifeIn 1943, Contessa Sofia de' Corsi's peaceful Tuscan villa among the olive groves is upturned by the sudden arrival of German soldiers. Desperate to fight back, she agrees to shelter a wounded British radio engineer in her home, keeping him hidden from her husband Lorenzo - knowing that she is putting all of their lives at risk.When Maxine, an Italian-American working for the resistance, arrives on Sofia's doorstep, the pair forge an uneasy alliance. Feisty, independent Maxine promised herself never to fall in love. But when she meets a handsome partisan named Marco, she realizes it's a promise she can't keep... Before long, the two women find themselves entangled in a dangerous game with the Nazis. Will they be discovered? And will they both be able to save the ones they love?'Dinah Jefferies has a remarkable gift for conjuring up another time and place with lush descriptions, full of power and intensity' Kate Furnivall'A stunning story of love and loyalty in wartime' Rachel Hore 'Beautiful writing, wonderful characters, gripping story, and such a gorgeously evoked Tuscan setting - how I loved this! Such a perfect, immersive summer read!' Jenny Ashcroft 'A lush, fast-moving, gripping story that will keep you guessing till the last pages. A perfect summer read' Gill Paul 'It's so rich & the historical details so transporting. Reading this novel is like being swept into a wonderful movie' Eve Chase
A Tuscan Childhood
by Kinta Beevor"Wonderful...I fell immediately into her world, and was sorry when I reached the end." --Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan SunThe sparkling memoir of an idyllic, bohemian childhood in an enchanted Tuscan castle between the wars.When Kinta Beeevor was five, her father, the painter Aubrey Waterfield, bought the sixteenth-century Fortezza della Brunella in the Tuscan village of Aulla. There her parents were part of a vibrant artistic community that included Aldous Huxley, Bernard Berenson, and D. H. Lawrence. Meanwhile, Kinta and her brother explored the glorious countryside, participated in the region's many seasonal rites and rituals, and came to know and love the charming, resilient Italian people. With the coming of World War II the family had to leave Aulla; years later, though, Kinta would return to witness the courage and skill of the Tuscan people as they rebuilt their lives. Lyrical and witty, A Tuscan Childhood is alive with the timeless splendour of Italy.From the Trade Paperback edition.