La Dolce Vita: Living in Italy

This book was my selfish gift to me. I used it as design inspiration for authentic Italian interiors. I still refer to it for ideas. The photos of country villas, rural retreats and urban apartments, took my inspiration in several directions. Keep that in mind because it's not all rustic villas. I especially enjoyed the wall plaster colors and textures as well as the variety in flooring tiles. How simply some of the rooms are furnished! The cover photo is so gorgeous in composition, color, structure....it doesn't get any better.

Living La Dolce Vita: Bring the Passion, Laughter and Serenity of Italy into Your Daily Life This is an endearing publication of a vibrant society. Find the inspiration of the Italian mystic in pictures and comments. Experience the lifestyle which inspires poets and artist globally.

Instead of reserving this book to a coffee table, read it, enjoy it and see what Italy has to offer. Now that your interest has been sparked, travel to the places in Italy that are featured in this book.

Catherine Fairweather has honed her skills as a writer from her days as a contributing editor to House and Garden and here joins forces with photographer Mark Luscombe-Whyte to present a volume of life in Italy that not only makes for a beautiful and informative book, it makes the reader long for the pleasures of living in what surely is the world's most romantic country. Separated into chapters - Grand Style: classic villas and country estates; Bohemian Chic: rural and island retreats (Tuscany, Lazio, Puglia); Urban Elegance: city apartments and townhouses (Milan, Rome, Venice) - Fairweather enters private homes of the rich and famous and describes how the regions and the atmosphere dictate the home's ambience. The photographs are gorgeous: full views of each home entered as well as separate views of rooms and bibelots, both inside the home and from the garden make us feel as though we have at least spent a full day in each location. For a coffee table tour of the places rarely seen in Italy, this book is as fine as they come. Other volumes may offer more sophisticated history and cultural input, but Fairweather and Luscombe-Whyte take the personal approach - and that works very well! Grady Harp, November 2004