Who hasn't longed to escape to the enchanting canals and mysterious alleywaysof Venice? Globetrotting writer Paula Weideger not only dreamed the dream, she took the leap. In Venetian Dreaming, she charts the course of her love affair with one of the world's most treasured cities.Weideger's search for a place to live eventually takes her to the Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, one of the rare Venetian palaces continuously inhabited by the family that built it. She weaves the...

“Add No Vulgar Hotel to the list of books you must read before you come to Venice.”—Donna LeonThis is the definitive book for managing an incurable passion for a decaying, water-logged village. Whether you already have a raging case of Venetophilia or are among the fifteen million people who yearly put themselves in danger of contracting it, here is where you get your fix of Venetian wit, history, practicality, and enchantment.

When dream meets reality. . .Endless fields of flame-like poppies. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The sweet, rhythmic chime of church bells.Months upon months of unemployment? Struggling to communicate with locals? Duvets frozen on the clothesline?Jennifer Criswell's move from New York City to Tuscany was not supposed to go like this. She had envisioned lazy mornings sipping espresso while penning a best-selling novel and jovial group dinners, just like in the movies...

'The best book about Venice ever written' ( Sunday Times) - Jan Morris' bestselling travel writing classic is an essential guide to this magical city, newly introduced by Tracy Chevalier.Whether the dappled secrets of the city's canals, churches, calles and campos, to the romantic tales behind its revered landmarks, paintings, scultpures and mosaics - the myths and history of the Venetian people or the legendary mystery of the the lagoon itself -Jan Morris...

“Titanic in potential appeal . . . the Mátés do something rare; they go native.”—Washington PostThis hilarious, international bestseller is a true-life adventure of a New York City couple moving to Tuscany.Ferenc Máté’s enthusiastic prose is infectious. He brings to life the real Tuscany: the contadini neighbors, country life—the harvest, grape, and olive picking, wine making, mushroom hunting, woodcutting—the holidays, and of course the never-ending, mout...

When Yvone Lenard returned to her native France and purchased a house in a hilltop village of Provence, an enchanted world of food, wines, and unusual adventures–including chicken rustling, flirtatious advances from neighbors, and a séance–opened up before her. This is her account of the spell cast on her by Provence, from her first morning’s visit by a charming prince bearing a jug of the village’s vin rose to the growth of her friendship with a duchess in the local chateau. Lenard shares...

One year and one arduous home-renovation into their marriage, Ken and Bing head to the French countryside to celebrate their long-delayed honeymoon, swearing they're getting out of the home-fixing business for good. When they fall in love with the village of La Montagne Noire, they find themselves buying a fixer-upper and starting all over again-but this time, in French!McAdams recounts their mishaps and misadventures with humor, capturing the essence of French village life, the awk...

Kathleen went to Venice with a goal and a plan. The goal was to write about the lives of a cliched group of men, the gondoliers. The plan included a camera, a notebook, and the perseverance of a serious journalist. But sometimes plans must change.She soon found that a journalist's attitude didn't fly, and a single woman alone in Venice didn't go unnoticed. Changing her approach, she fell in with the flirtations, jokes, and carefree outlook of these men who occasionally offered small...

"A vivid memoir" of a time spent in Supino, Italy "quickly transports readers into the charm and richness of village life . . . a story of love and family." ( Publishers Weekly)Every summer Maria and her husband, Bob, went to their little house in the Italian village of Supino, and every year it was a new adventure. Only in Supino would you find a pizzeria in a sheep pasture, a seafood restaurant hidden in the woods, or an electrical cord...

Told with consummate skill by the writer of the bestselling, award-winning A Civil Action, The Lost Painting is a remarkable synthesis of history and detective story.An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a young graduate student from Rome, Francesca Cappelletti, makes a discovery that inspires ...

“A murder mystery, a model of investigative reporting, a celebration of the fierce bonds that hold families together through tragedies…Murder in Matera is a gem.” — San Francisco Chronicle"Tantalizing" — NPR“A thrilling detective story… Stapinski pursues the study of her family’s criminal genealogy with unexpected emotional results.” — Library ...

Author and columnist Tom Blake has written more than 3,200 newspaper and online columns titled "On Life and Love After 50." While his specialty is writing about finding love after 50 and 60,many of Tom's columns have included articles on travel to many parts of the world. Tom's "Travel After 55" website documents 20 trips he and his partner have taken over 17 years. He has appeared on Good Morning America,Today and Fox and Friends.Tom is the author of four printed books and several ebooks....