"...today more than ever, in good times as in bad, the world recognizes in Italy an essential idea of beauty: beauty of landscape, beauty of learning, beauty of art, beauty of human romance and affection. All these responses, all these varied judgments, are expressed somewhere or other in the pages of this book. Go on darling, close your eyes and think of Italy..."
From the Introduction by Jan Morris
“So what is this region -- of the heart, in the heart of Italy – of Tuscany? It is the one region Tuscans and travelers single out. Ask anyone about Italy; he can usually name cities and Roman monuments with alacrity, but regions? You must mean Tuscany.”
"This is travel writing at its glorious best."
—Chicago Tribune
"For the thoughtful traveler, these books are an invaluable resource. There's nothing like them on the market."
—Pico Iyer
"I can't think of a better way to get comfortable with a destination than by delving into Travelers Tales...before reading a guidebook, before seeing a travel agent."
—Paul Glasman, Society of American Travel Writers
Travelers Tales: Italy, (1998, 2001) Ed. Anne Calcagno
(Featuring essays by Tim Parks, Adria Bernardi, Luigi Barzini, Stanley Crouch, Andrea Lee, Fred Gardaphe and many more...)
ISBN:1-885211-72-4
Travelers Tales:Tuscany, (2002) Ed. James O’Reilly and Tara Weaver
Introduction by Anne Calcagno
ISBN:1-885211-68-6
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http://savvytraveler.publicradio.org/before/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1065345.stm