Throughout its history, Italy has been at the crossroads of people and civilizations. Its roots are in both ancient Rome and early-modern Europe-influences still evident today. The canals of Venice and Roman amphitheaters; Vatican City and the Catholic Church; fast cars and fashion runways; artisanal cheeses and the Slow Food movement-these traditions and more are all celebrated in this volume on Italy's customs and culture. Covering history and religion;...

In this thrilling adventure rife with romance and danger, Nancy travels to Venice to investigate the kidnapping of a famous glassblower and the disappearance of an artist.

Examines the history and development of Rome and discusses the city and its people today.

The Republic of Venice was the first great economic, cultural, and naval power of the modern Western world. After winning the struggle for ascendency in the late 13th century, the Republic enjoyed centuries of unprecedented glory and built a trading empire which at its apogee reached as far afield as China, Syria, and West Africa. This golden period only drew to an end with the Republic's eventual surrender to Napoleon. The Venetians illuminates the...

When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared. Where was the crime scene? And how can Brunetti identify the man when he can't show pictures of his face? The autopsy shows a way forward: it turns out the man was suffering from a rare, disfiguring disease. With Inspector Vianello,...

"In skillfully intertwined storylines from the dawn of the twentieth century and the heyday of the Roman Empire, Tasha Alexander's bestselling series brings Lady Emily and her husband to Pompeii, where they uncover a recent crime in the ancient city. Some corpses lie undisturbed longer than others. But when Emily discovers a body hidden in plain sight amongst the ruins of Pompeii, she sets in motion a deadly chain of events that ties her future to...

"Portofino, Italy, 1943. A young woman steps off a boat in a scenic coastal village. Although she knows how to disappear in a crowd, Elodie is too terrified to slip by the German officers while carrying her poorly forged identity papers. She is frozen until a man she's never met before claims to know her. In desperate need of shelter, Elodie follows him back to his home on the cliffs of Portofino. Only months before, Elodie Bertolotti was a cello...

One of the most important historical records from classical antiquity, "The Annals of Imperial Rome" chronicles the history of the Roman Empire from the reign of Tiberius beginning in 14 AD to the end of the reign of Nero in 68 AD. Written by Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman Senator during the second century AD, it is a detailed first-hand account of the early Roman Empire and an important source for a modern understanding of that time. It is believed that...

"Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo comes across a young woman's body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble. Born to a wealthy Jewish family, Giulia is on the run from the Wehrmacht SS. Cenzo chooses to protect Giulia rather than hand...

While on a mission to prove to Merlin that they can use magic wisely, Jack and Annie travel to seventeenth-century Venice, Italy, to save the city from disaster. With the help of some new friends, a research book, and a mysterious rhyme from Merlin, the heroes will save the beautiful city from a flood! As Jack and Annie wander among the costumed crowd, no one is who they seem to be, the clocks all tell different times, and water is mysteriously rising...