An inside look into travel in
Italy but
NOT a travel book
NOT a travel book
My Secret Italy A Girl’s Guide to Intimate Italy, by Isabella Campagnol, Beatrice Campagnol and Elizabeth Rainer
Photographs by Lorenzo Di Renzo
This collaboration by native
Italians offers a fresh approach to experiencing Italian culture, a cities and
people. The authors share the secret places and locals you can find
in Italy if you know where to look, includes wonderful history lessons,
folklore, superstition and biographies.
Italy is special.
The more you visit the more you long to return. If you have a love
for the Italian way of life or enjoy exploring a town or city beyond the list
of ‘important sites’, the approach the writers of this ‘experience
guide’ take, will show you how to enjoy Italy on a different level.
Tourists transform into travelers when they enjoy meeting locals, discovering
unknown places and experiences not featured in travel books. My
Secret Italy opens doors to the places and people that may not be
included in well promoted travel books.
This is NOT a tour book but a
great on the ground resource for seeing Italy as a traveler. You may find
yourself reading every page of My Secret Italy, as I did and highlighting
many ‘stops’ for your next trip Home to Italy. The introduction explains
“the inspiration for My Secret Italy from the destinations for the 19th
century traditional Grand Tour”. Today’s list includes far more: “all
of these experiences, and more, become a select itinerary for the sensitive
traveler”. What a great inspiration!
Each chapter in this
delightful book takes you to a different region in Italy, many that are not on
the usual tourist’s list. You visit large and small cities and even
a few small towns. You will learn more than what are
the most important buildings, churches or art found in each location but also
discover such treasures as ‘Emilian rolled-out pastry in Bologna, a house with
12 sisters in Milan, a museum to Mary in Abruzzo, silks for a King in Caserta,
the statue that stopped the lava in Naples or wine doors and windows in
Firenze’. Stunning photographs and illustrations punctuate each
description.
With more than 70 entries you
are sure to find some surprises. Have you visited the Museo dell’Occhiale
(eye ware museum) in a small town in the Dolomites? Did you know that
Nove in the province of Vicenza is known for ceramics? The legend
of “An Honest Woman and a Greedy One” (page 45) will have me searching for the
marble face in the wall, in Venice. If I visited a
fraction of the fascinating shops and artisans listed, I would be traveling for
many weeks. Just a small sample of many unique
entries.
You will find a few recipes
included and contact information for shops and museums is also
available. Directions should be available on the individually
listed web sites. The color-coded sections, dividing entries into
North, South, East or West, allows the reader to target parts of
Italy.
A thoroughly enjoyable read
even for an armchair traveler.
“My Secret Italy” A Girl’s Guide to Intimate Italy by Isabella
Campagnol, Beatrice Campagnol and Elisabeth Rainer. Photographs by
Lorenzo Di Renzo
ISBN number 9788873017738
You may also enjoy the in depth
tour of Venice where you will meet artisans and visit shops while learning about Venice from locals.
“My Pretty Venice” a Girls’ guide to True Venice by Isabella Campagnol,
Elisabeth Rainer, Illustrations by Beatrice Campagnol
ISBN 9788873017745
