Walk Straight Through the Square: European Travel Guides (Mixed Lot 6 Books)

Description

1- A Traveller in Rome
: Fifth printing, February 1951
H.V. Morton's evocative account of his days in 1950s Rome—the fabled era of La Dolce Vita—remains an indispensable guide to what makes the Eternal City eternal. In his characteristic anecdotal style, Morton leads the reader on a well-informed and delightful journey around the city, from the Fontana di Trevi and the Colosseum to the Vatican Gardens loud with exquisite birdsong. He also takes time to consider such eternal topics as the idiosyncrasies of Italian drivers as well as the ominous possibilities behind an unusual absence of pigeons in the Piazza di San Pietro. As
TourismWorld.com
commented recently: "H.V. Morton.. . .wrote of Rome with style, involvement, and passion. His book
In Search of Rome
is perhaps the definitive guide book on the Eternal City".
2 - Walk Straight Through the Square
, Paperback, ISBN 0-679-50572-5, ISBN 0-679-50628-4 traveltex. Copyright 1976 - Walking tours of Europe's most picturesque cities and towns.
3 - More Walk Straight Through the Square
, Hardcover, 1977, IBSN 0-679-50644-6 "Over the years, in the course of many trips to Europe, we have developed a "philosophy" of travel. It's a very simple philosophy with one principal tenet-walk! Walking is the only way to get the "feel" of a city, to really experience all it has to offer.
4 - The Stones of Florence
, Paperback, Renowned for her sharp literary style, essayist and fiction writer Mary McCarthy offers a unique history of Florence, from its inception to the dominant role it came to play in the world of art, architecture, and Italian culture, that captures the brilliant Florentine spirit and revisits the legendary figures—Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and others—who exemplify it so ironically. Her most cherished sights and experiences color this timeless, graceful portrait of a city that's as famous as it is alluring.
5 - Venice Observed
: Paperback, Like a painter capturing the city’s essence on canvas, McCarthy uses words to create stunning visuals that bring both the old and new Venice to enchanting life. From her apartment overlooking the garden of a palazzo, McCarthy takes us into the museums and monasteries of this city of canals and gondolas, Machiavelli and Tintoretto. And she reveals some little-known facts: Venetians love pets, but prefer cats to dogs; during World War II, the Allies captured the city with a fleet of gondolas; and without Napoleon, Venice wouldn’t be what it is today.  From the ancient roots of
The
Merchant of Venice
’s pound of flesh to the quotidian details of daily life, it’s all here—the magnificent frescoes, the sublime music of Mozart, the virgins, and the saints. At once a comprehensive travelogue and a powerful piece of reportage,
Venice Observed
is a testimony of McCarthy’s love affair with the City of Canals.
6 - A Traveller's History of Athens
: Paperback, Athens has a history stretching back to Mycenaean times and in the fifth century BC it became the most significant community for the development of political thought and practice, art and culture that had ever been seen and which still retains a vital influence on the present day. When the Ancient Olympics were first revived at the end of the nineteenth century they took place in Athens―an occasion remembered in the Games of 2004. A Traveller's History of Athens describes the whole history of this great city from mythological and prehistoric times, through its artistic flowering in the classical age; its transformation in Roman times from a major player in world politics to a quiet university city; its decline into ruin and insignificance in the Middle Ages when it became the playground of Crusaders and their successors; the long period of subjection to the Ottoman empire; its recreation as the capital of a new nation in the nineteenth century, and one of the finest new-classical cities in Europe; its troubled history in the twentieth century and its continuing place in the hearts and minds of all visitors. Throughout, quotations from contemporary sources enliven and illuminate the text. The author, who visits Athens at least once a year, also incorporates a chronological history and includes helpful information on Athens' museums and galleries and archaeological sites, excursions from the city and on transport and communications.