Little Toot visits the beautiful palaces of Venice, travels its secluded waterways, and learns to blow Venetian glass bubbles which help him to save the city from a ship of thieving pirates.

Eliana, unhappy in her marriage to the philandering Maurizio and caring for a sick child, falls in love with Ross Story, an American who has come to Italy to work at a local art museum, but it seems as though their romance is doomed due to the laws that would award custody of her young son to her husband if she were to leave.

To say tht Italy---the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, & football Americano---holds a few surprises for former NFL player Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.

In late 1948, Ernest Hemingway made his first visit to Italy in thirty years. His reacquaintance with Venice provided the inspiration for Across the River and into the Trees, the story of Richard Cantwell, a war-ravaged American colonel stationed in Italy at the close of the Second World War, and his love for a young Italian countess. A poignant, bittersweet homage to love that overpowers reason, and to the resilience of the human spirit, Across the...

"In the thirty-second installment of Donna Leon's bestselling series, a connection to Guido Brunetti's own youthful past helps solve a mysterious murder. On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri...

Now in paperback, the #1 San Francisco Chronicle bestseller that is an enchanting and lyrical look at the life, the traditions, and the cuisine of Tuscany, in the spirit of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Frances Mayes entered a wondrous new world when she began restoring an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. There were unexpected treasures at every turn: faded frescos beneath the whitewash in her dining room, a vineyard under...

The second book, following last year's My Brilliant Friend, featuring the two friends Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. The two young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at times, and drives them apart at others. Each vacillates between hurtful disregard and profound love for the other. With this...

Douglas Preston fulfilled a life long dream when he moved with his family to a farmhouse in Florence,Italy. Upon meeting the celebrated journalist Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history--the Monster of Florence. Fascinated, Preston began working with Spezi to uncover the serial killer who had ritually...

"Under the stifling summer sun, Venice is flooded with tourism. Commissario Guido Brunetti is planning the perfect mountain vacation where he can catch up on his reading. However, before he can go, an old friend has him look into a court corruption case. As he probes deeper, Commissario Brunetti quickly becomes embroiled in a shocking murder case that is linked to his own investigation."--from NoveList.

"Environmental concerns become significant in Brunetti's work when an investigator from the Carabiniere, looking into the illegal hauling of garbage, asks for a favor. But the investigator is not the only one with a special request. His father-in-law needs help and a mysterious woman comes into the picture. Brunetti soon finds himself in the middle of an investigation into murder and corruption more dangerous than anything he's seen before."--from...