Guides: Alumni Travel Reading 2018-2019: Italian Lakes District

Art and Architecture

Bellagio by Andreas Schauer-Villanueva used under a
CC BY-NC-ND license 2.0

Villas on the Lakes: Orta, Maggiore, Como, Garda by Elizabeth Helman Minchilli; Simon McBride
ISBN: 9781902686271

Publication Date: 2003

An accessible, richly illustrated book focusing on the villas and environs of Orta, Maggiore, Como, and Garda.
Ville e Giardini del Lago di Como-Villas and Gardens by Lake Como by Donata Vittani Enzo Pifferi
ISBN: 9788888174709

Publication Date: 2007

Another lushly illustrated book on the villas in the Lake District but with additional coverage, not included in the other titles, of Lake Como. In Italian and English.
Milan of Art by Antonello Ngeri, Ghigo Roli; John R. L. Johnson (translator)
Call Number: NA1121.M6 M54 2001

ISBN: 8870571750

Publication Date: 2001

A useful overview to the art and architecture of Milan.
The Court Cities of Northern Italy by Charles M. Rosenberg (Editor)
Call Number: N6919.N67 C68 2010

ISBN: 9780521792486

Publication Date: 2010

This title examines the painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture produced in nine important court cities of Italy during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.

Milan

A tram in Via Manzoni, Milano, Italy, by FromTheNorth

Since the end of the second world war, Milan has seen such economic growth and prosperity that it now reigns as one the top global leaders. Milan has transformed itself into the heralded fashion and design capital of the world, providing a luxurious experience to all who populate the city. But the draw continues beyond extravagant culture and magnificant dining--it also provides visitors with unprecedented architecture and the home of Leonardo DiVinci's The Last Supper in the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery.

Milan since the Miracle by John Foot
Call Number: DG662 .F66 2001

ISBN: 1859735452

Publication Date: 2001

Author John Foot brings forth a provocative analysis of Milan, from its days as an industrial powerhouse to the rise of fashion and glamor. Angling his perspectives from those of the media, immigrants, and urban scandal, Foot allows readers an unprecedented look at Milan throughout history.
Asnago and Vender and the Construction of Modern Milan by Adam Caruso (Editor); Helen Thomas (Editor)
Call Number: NA1121.M55 A86 2014

ISBN: 9783856763411

Publication Date: 2015

An informative collection of analyses on the architecture of Claudio Vender and Mario Asnago, two prominent figures heralded for transforming Milan into what the community experiences today.

Italian Lakes District

Ascona

Villa on a hill next to water
Villa del Balbianello by Nick Postorino

Used under a CC-BY-NC License 2.0

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Call Number: Fine Arts Library. N6923.L33 I827 2017

ISBN: 9781501139154

Publication Date: 2017

Biographer Walter Isaacson turns his attention to Leonardo da Vinci in this biography based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's notebooks.
Leonardo, the Last Supper by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon; Pietro C. Marani; Harlow Tighe (Translator)
Call Number: ND623.L5 A683 2001b

ISBN: 0226504271

Publication Date: 2001

The Last Supper, a painted curated by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late 1400's, has weathered much erosion throughout its extensive history in the Santa Maria Della Grazie church. While many have attempted to restore this incredible and timeless piece, author Pinin Brambilla Barcilon has been the latest to bring this work back to life, having reconstructed the painting over the last twenty years. This novel is the timeline of her work--providing images and descriptions of her process each step of the way.
Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan by Luke Syson; Leonardo; Larry Keith; National Gallery (Great Britain) Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: NC257.L4 A4 2011b

ISBN: 9781857094909

Publication Date: 2011

A detailed account of how Leonardo Da Vinci's work throughout the late 15th century transformed art as the world knew it.

Travelling Through the District

Gardens of the Italian Lakes by Judith Chatfield; Luigi Perugi (Photographer)
Call Number: SB466.I8 C418 1992

ISBN: 084781601X

Publication Date: 1992

This is the first book to focus on the splendid gardens of the villas surrounding Como, Maggiore, Garda, and others. The book is more of an introduction than a landscape history of this district’s horticultural traditions.
The Italian Lakes by Richard Bagot
Call Number: 914.52 B146

Publication Date: 1912

Published originally in 1905, this illustrated guide book dutifully transports its readers to this region and into the charming world of the early 20th century travel and transcontinental sensibilities.
Practical Guide for the Italian Lakes and Cities of North Italy by Alexandre Tighe Gregory
Publication Date: 1870

As it states in the preference, “The object of these Guides is to indicate all that is really essential and exclude all that is irrelevant.” That said, it is a 19th century Englishman determining the sensible and essential, so the reader does encounter wonderful (and a bit fussy) recommended itineraries.
Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages: Notes of a Tour in the North of Italy by George Edmund Street
Call Number: 723.45 St85

ISBN: 9781446032503

Publication Date: 2010

A professor of architecture at the Royal Academy, author George Edmund Street produced his first publication about the complexities and craftsmanship within the architecture of northern Italy.

History and Literature

Literary Tour of Italy by Tim Parks
Publication Date: 2015

Tim Parks - who was described in a recent review as "one of the best living writers of English" - has delighted audiences around the world with his finely observed writing on all aspects of Italian life and customs. This volume contains a selection of his best essays on the literature of his adopted country.
Numero Zero by Umberto Eco
Call Number: Van Pelt Library. PQ4865.C6 N8613 2015

ISBN: 9780544635081

Publication Date: 2015

From notable author, Umberto Eco, a novel about the murky world of media politics, conspiracy, and murder set in the area of Lake Como in 1945.
Shadows on the Lake by Giovanni Cocco; Amneris Magella; Stephen Sartarelli (Translator)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library. PQ4903.O34 O4313 201

ISBN: 9780143127253

Publication Date: 2017

Steeped in the beautiful atmosphere of Northern Italy, Valenti's investigation brings to light a family's secret, a tragic romance, and reveals a fascinating piece of Italian history.
Europa by Tim Parks
Call Number: PR6066.A6957 E97 1998

ISBN: 1559704446

Publication Date: 1998

This novel, a finalist for the Booker Prize, follows a sorrowful man desperate for the love of a woman with whom he had an affair. In this dark but comical novel, the reader bears witness to the protagonist's frantic and provoking inner-monologue as he travels through Italy in an attempt to regain his former lover's attention.
Bells of Lombardy by Lucien Stryk; Richard Beard (Illustrator)
Call Number: PS3569.T76 B4 1986

ISBN: 0875801277

Publication Date: 1986

A selection of some of Stryk's most renowned poems about the dualistic nature of the village of Lombardy, which is filled with both immense beauty, and a dark past.