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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Italy in Mind
by Alice Powers
A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others.
Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa
by David Downie
A renowned food writer's highly selective guide to Liguria's authentic small eateries, culinary traditions, wine, wineries, food artisans and gourmet shops.
Italy, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Lawrence Venuti (Editor)
Not just a literary companion, this anthology is also a who's who of contemporary Italian writers who capture the spirit, history and allure of the country.
Rick Steves' Snapshot Italy's Cinque Terre
by Rick Steves
A slim guide to the Cinque Terre region with Steves' expert-selected hotels, travel advice, major sites and places to relax.
Culture Smart! Italy
by Charles Abbott
A concise, no-nonsense guide to Italian customs, etiquette and culture along with helpful travel advice.
Eyewitness Guide Italian Riviera
by Eyewitness Guides
A handsome, beautifully illustrated and informative compact guide to Liguria. It covers places, recommended excursions, hotels and attractions from the border with France east to La Spezia.
Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron
by Edward Trelawney
The lives and deaths of these two most romantic of Romantic poets are lovingly recounted in this memoir by Edward Trelawny. Trelawny was a fascinating figure in his own right, and his tribute to his two lost friends bears all the marks of his own generous, wild personality.
La Bella Lingua
by Dianne Hales
Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir.
A Traveller's History of Italy
by Valerio Lintner
A brief history of Italy through the 1990s -- wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed. With a useful chronology and historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries.
Cinque Terre, Portofino Hiking Map
by Freytag & Berndt
Scaled at 1:50,000, this one-sided, color map depicts Italy from Sestri Levante to Montemarcello, with an inset of Portofino. Ideal for exploring this beautiful stretch of the Italian coast. Printed on water- and tear-resistant paper.
Beautiful Ruins
by Jess Walter
Award-winning, bestselling author Jess Walter brings us to the Italian Riviera in this glittering love story. Based on actual events.
The Portable Romantic Poets
by Norman Holmes Pearson, W.H. Auden (Editor)
This is the anthology to take along on a trip to Italy's Cinque Terra, England's Lake District or any other classic haunt of the romantic poets. This selection includes works by all the masters (and even an occasional mistress).
Enchanted April
by Elizabeth Von Arnim, Cathleen Schine (Introduction)
In this delightful book, four Englishwomen are awakened by self-discovery and the power of their friendship on a stay in the Italian countryside in the 1920s. Inspired by Countess Arnim's travels, this book captures the rhythm and magic of Portofino.
Extra Virgin, A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera
by Annie Hawes
A memoir of travels and life in Liguria, where the Hawes sisters ventured and stayed. In this refreshingly candid account, the English sisters end up buying a house and learning the local customs and eccentricities of their neighbors in Diano San Pietro.
Liguria Map
by Touring Club Italiano
A map of the region, including Cinque Terre, at a scale of 1:200,000.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
by Beppe Severgnini
Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. The book opens with a snapshot of Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
