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Italy, out of hand

A Capricious Tour

By Barbara Hodgson

Reviewed by Dave Shultz

Every once in a while, a true jewel is uncovered in the travel industry.  Italy out of hand is one of those gems.  It’s self avowed as “not a tradition guidebook,” and that is certainly the case but it should be mandatory reading for anyone visiting Italy.  Even if you have no intention of going to Italy, this book will delight and entertain you with its idiosyncratic peek below the surface of the Italy found in the tourist guide books.

Barbara Hodgson shows us the seamier side of Italian history with wonderfully descriptive accounts of Italian heroes and villains.  We also learn the history of the country on a city by city journey. 

When you first pick up Italy out of hand, you’ll instantly feel like this book could have come from one of the ancient Italian libraries found in the richest palaces described within.

The cover is beautifully cloth bound and embossed with gold lettering.  The pages are printed on rich feeling, thick paper usually reserved for scholarly tomes printed in very limited quantities.  The pages are decorated with photos, drawings, interesting sidebars and many pages have full page illustrations lightly printed under the text.  There’s also a gold cloth bookmark seldom seen in these days of “faster and cheaper.”

Italian history is filled with artists, mercenaries, royalty, clergy and just plain scoundrels.  You’ll meet all of them in this book and get beyond the “politically correct” official version.  Learn the story behind why some communities thrived above others.  The answers will surprise you. 

The vignettes presented to you on your journey are incredible and improbably and inevitably true.  Forget what you learned in World History and prepare for an enchanting trek around the mother country of our greatest historical characters.

Italy out of hand is available at Amazon.com

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