Dotted across the ancient Tuscan landscape of rolling hills, olive groves and towering cypress trees, sit some of the greatest country houses of Italy. Here, Professor Carlo Cresti and the photographer Massimo Listri present buildings by such noted masters as Sangallo, Buontalenti and Peruzzi.

Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipate -- about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, and what's important in life.

Not only a photographic revelation of the residential treasures of Lucca, but an exploration of the artistic and cultural heritage of the region.

Drawing on documentary sources and archaeological evidence this book offers a socio-economic history of elite villas in Roman Central Italy and brings a new perspective to the debate on the slave-based villa system and the crisis of Italian villas in the imperial period.

Preeminent Florentine photographer Massimo Listri uncovers the great public as well as private Tuscan treasures in this unprecedented, oversize, and deluxe volume. Celebrating Tuscany's renowned art and architecture, elegance, and charm, this unique volume unveils the finest Tuscan gems, both the famous as well as the hidden. Photographer Massimo Listri's unique access affords this resplendent publication of Tuscany's great treasures, including the architecture, art, and artistry of its frescoes, churches, palazzi, and gardens, as well as previously unseen private residence interiors, chapels, villas, and estates. This oversize and deluxe volume features stunning gatefolds and showcases four hundred sumptuous color and large-format photographs. From Florence to its surrounding areas, such as San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pisa, Siena, Montepulciano, Chianti, Lucca, and Pistoia, this book culls from Listri's rich vault of visually stunning and historically noteworthy material to create a privileged journey through which Tuscany is at once marvelously displayed. Tuscany is a superb piece of art to be enjoyed by both Italian art and culture connoisseurs as well as those discovering the region for the first time.

Who could refuse a two-week stay in a chateau perched on the edge of the Mediterranean? Certainly not Richard, who was fed up to his easel with the damp London weather. Babysitting a treasure-filled museum while his old Sorbonne roommate honeymooned in Spain was the least he could do. The vandals who’d been plaguing the chateau wouldn’t dare return, the repairmen Tom hired would be completely trustworthy, and “murder” was only found in something by Agatha Christie. Richard might even meet a woman, someone capable of surprising him like never before. He should go. He really should. He was dying for a vacation.