TF PRESS

If They Are Roses

The italian way with words

‘Italy’s not Wonderland, but it never lacks for wonderful words.’ So began the language and culture column that took Tuscany by storm. And the stories that sprouted in and around a grass-roots press-room in Florence. After the smashing success of Italians Dance and I’m a Wallflower, author Linda Falcone is back with more wit from behind the scenes of everyday Italy. ‘Italy has never tempted me with temporary infatuation: it is the love of my life and the bane of my existence. An incorrigible mix of ‘leave me alone’ and ‘don’t ever leave me,’’ writes Falcone in her second book If they are roses. Don’t miss the joys of intercultural friendship and the trails of international living in this exhilarating celebration of the Italians and their way with words. Part promise and part condition, If they are roses is for those who love language and those who love, period.

 

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To Florence, Con Amore

77 ways to love the City

From famous frescos and family restaurants to meditative spots that soothe the soul, To Florence con Amore: 77 Ways to Love the City reveals a city full of unsung treasures and fascinating cultural gems. This collection of 'must-sees' that are rarely seen is an indispensable guide for those who know the city and those eager to meet her. Jane Fortune's intimate and informative essays, many drawn from her cultural column, 'Mosaics', in The Florentine, Tuscany's English-language newspaper, are for anyone longing to spend quality time with this beloved city.
The guild-based history of Florence, the city's role as the birthplace of opera, the perspective and innovation of its artists, the far-reaching vision of its leaders—all find space in To Florence con Amore . Jane Fortune's warm but concise prose urges readers to discover a city where the fine arts reign sovereign and craftsmanship is key.
This 'love-inspired' guide offers day-trips and afternoon getaways appropriate for all of Florence's admirers. Whether you love theatre, costume and the performing arts or are more apt to swoon before a fresco, painting or breath-taking view—there are options for everyone. This guide spotlights myriad itineraries including medieval palaces and Renaissance chapels, contemporary art gardens, natural oasis, libraries, and science museums, spanning centuries cultural wealth.
Thanks to eye-catching, full-colour photographs, To Florence con Amore provides rich views of the city's multi-faceted character. The bird's egg blues of della Robbia ceramics, the luminous shades of handcrafted silk, a sun-drenched view from the Arno, the shadowy silence of Santa Croce, the luscious greens of traditionally Tuscan landscapes—urge both visitor and resident to rediscover the beauties of one of the world's most renowned cities.

 

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Finding Leonardo: The Case for Recovering ‘The Battle of Anghiari’

‘And having climbed the stairs of the Great Hall, diligently take a look at a group of horses and men (a battle piece by Leonardo da Vinci), which will strike you as a miraculous thing’ Anton Francesco Doni (1549)

 

For centuries the whereabouts of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterwork mural of the Battle of Anghiari has been one of the art world’s greatest mysteries. Leonardo worked on a painting in the Great Hall of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio for less than a year before abandoning it to pursue other commissions. The uncompleted fresco was reported to be deteriorating rapidly, and less than 50 years later, Giorgio Vasari was commissioned to cover Leonardo’s unfinished work with new, large-scale battle scenes. Yet those who saw Leonardo’s mural during its brief existence applauded it as his greatest work and commended it as a ‘school for the world’.
In a new book from The Florentine Press, Finding Leonardo: The Case for Recovering ‘The Battle of Anghiari’, art historian Rab Hatfield revisits historical data and scholarly analysis in light of new archival evidence and results from recent thermographic examinations to clarify the painting’s exact location in the Palazzo Vecchio.
Rather than submit his research to a scholarly journal, which was his original intent, Hatfield, a past Member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and former Fellow of Villa I Tatti, decided to publish with a fledgling popular press. Support from actor and art historian Peter Weller and The Friends of Florence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoration of the city’s art treasures, made publication through The Florentine Press possible.
In an essay for the general reader, Hatfield identifies the mural’s location, posits its probable size and context, considers the possible existence of other work, and explores the complex issues of the painting’s state and the viability of its recovery. He offers a section of detailed notes for the scholar.
A professor at Syracuse University in Florence, Hatfield is also the author of The Wealth of Michelangelo and Botticelli’s Uffizi “Adoration”: A Study in Pictorial Content. He serves on the advisory commission of a major international project to search for the mural using non-invasive technology, a joint effort of the University of San Diego and the University of Florence.
Explaining his decision to present his meticulous research in this unusual format, Hatfield noted that in the years it takes for an article to appear in a scholarly journal, the research project to determine its existence will be completed. He also wanted to make the information accessible to those beyond the art history community.

 

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Italians Dance and I’m a Wallflower

Though the title may sound like an outsider’s complaint, it betrays the whimsical name of the book’s tongue-in-cheek humor. Italians Dance and I’m a Wallflower: Adventures in Italian expression is, in fact, ‘Italy from the inside-out’—product of the author’s fifteen years of permanent Italian living. Linda Falcone’s irreverent, affectionate vignettes spotlight the mentality, temperament and identity of a country whose citizens truly ‘step into speech.’
‘In Italy, speaking is not just an action—it’s a state of being,’ writes Falcone, whose quick, witty prose captures the essence of everyday Italian situations and extraordinary conversations that make language and laughter the true key to cultural understanding.
Known in Florence as the book that ‘broke all the rules’, Italians Dance and I’m a Wallflower spotlights Italy as you’ve never heard it before. ‘Words are the stepping stones that lead you to another world,’ writes Falcone. So welcome to a country ‘where everything depends’ and sandwich-makers fix you the snack ‘they think you should eat’. Welcome to a place where ‘the season’s first strawberries hold more weight than political turnover’ and ‘air is a dangerous element’. Find out why Jell-O quickly becomes ‘a source high-profile crisis’ and why wishing someone good luck ends up bringing exactly the opposite. Learn how ‘shopping reminds you of the insignificance of your desires’ and ‘familiarity is a synonym for power’.
Smart enough for the veteran traveler, light enough for the newly arrived—even natives and those who’ve made Italy their long-time home, are inspired to grow with ‘Wallflower’. Read it on the train, share it with relatives abroad, collect its cultural know-how like ‘spare change jingling in your pocket’, and when all is said and read—just face the music and Dance.

 

To order online send an email to press@theflorentine.net

We ship worldwide / paypal and credit card payments

Books are available at following shop list

Florence

• Newsstand Alamanni - Firenze S.M.N. Railstation Gallery - Firenze

• Art& Libri - Via dei Fossi, 32r - Firenze

• BM Bookshop - Borgo Ognissanti, 4r - Firenze

• Fetrinelli International - Via Cavour, 12 – Firenze

• Galleria degli Uffizi Art Bookshop – Uffizi Gallery - Firenze

• Giunti al Punto – Florence airport - Via del Termine, 11 – Firenze

• I’ Libraio – Via Romana, 7r - Firenze

• Libreria del Porcellino - Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, 6/7/8 R - Firenze

• Libreria Edison - Piazza della Repubblica 27r - Firenze

• Libreria Martelli - Via Martelli, 22/r - Firenze

• Mandragora Book and Art Store - Piazza Duomo 9 - Firenze

• McRae Bookstore - Via de' Neri, 32r - Firenze

• Paperback Exchange - Via delle Oche, 4R - Firenze

 

Pistoia

• Librolandia - Viale Adua, 405/a - Pistoia

 

Prato

• Libreria Mondadori - Via Guizzelmi, 13/15 - Prato

 

Siena

• Feltrinelli - Via Banchi di Sopra, 64/66 - Siena

• Newsstand La Martinella - Piazza Bartolomeo Scala, 30 - Colle Val d'Elsa, Siena

• Libreria Senese - Via di citta' 64/66 - Siena

 

Bologna

• Feltrinelli International - via Zamboni, 7/b - Bologna

 

Como

• Feltrinelli - via Cesare Cantù, 17 - Como

 

Milano

• American Bookstore - via Camperio 16 - Milano

• Il Libro - via Ozanam 11- Milano

• Feltrinelli International piazza Cavour 1 - Milano

• Feltrinelli - piazza Duomo (via Ugo Foscolo 1/3) - Milano

• Libreria Internazionale Ulrico Hoepli - Via Hoepli, 5 - Milano

 

Padova

• Feltrinelli - via S. Francesco, 7 - Padova

 

Parma

• Feltrinelli - via della Repubblica, 2 - Parma

 

Perugia

• Feltrinelli - Corso Vannucci 78/82 - Perugia

 

Roma

• Almost Corner Bookshop - Via del Moro, 45 - Roma

• Anglo American Book - Via della Vite, 102 – Roma

• Borri Books - Termini Railstation Ticket Hall - Roma

• Feltrinelli International Roma - Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 84/86 - Roma

• Feltrinelli - Largo Torre Argentina 5/A - Roma

• The Lion Bookshop - Via dei Greci, 34 – Roma

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Monday, July 07, 2008