Made in Italy: A Shopper's Guide to the Best of Italian Tradition [Paperback]

Laura Morelli (Author)

Book Description

Series: Made in Italy | Publication Date: August 23, 2003

Each year, Americans flock to Italy in search of rich Old World cultural traditions and handmade crafts. Now Laura Morelli, art historian and Italy aficionado, has created the first guide to shopping and touring Italy's handmade treasures-including Sicilian ceramics, the Murano glass of Venice, Tuscan terracotta, gold and coral jewelry of Sardinia, Florence's marble paper, Torre del Greco's cameos, and much, much more.

Organized by region, Made in Italy takes the reader on a complete tour of the dazzling artisanal legacy of Italy, uncovering one-of-a-kind hidden workshops and off-the-beaten-path tours. Slender enough to fit in the traveler's handbag, packed with useful tips on pricing, quality and value, with a year-round calendar of craft festivals, Made in Italy is the perfect supplemental guide for everyone interested in bringing home the unique treasures of Italy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From carnival masks to cured ham, this guide aids tourists searching for Italy's best artisanal goods. Morelli, author of several illustrated travel and architecture books, divides her book by Italy's regions-northeast, northwest, central, southern, the islands-and introduces each one with an explanation of the traditions; at the end of each section she lists shops by cities and object of desire. The northwest, for example, is known for its copperware and violin making, while the south is known for its bagpipes and ceramics. In the town of Squillace in Calabria, for instance, Morelli notes that the Bottega artigiana "La Terracotta" has "some stunning all-black wares reminiscent of ancient Greek pottery." Her research is thorough (she recommends two bagpipe craftsmen in Scapoli, Molise, alone), and her observations engaging. The book is nicely laid out and beautifully bound, with many photos as well as chapter openings with maps of each region-a good choice for any shopper headed to the land of sun and wine.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Laura Morelli is the author of six illustrated hardcover travel and architecture books. She earned a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and has a decade of experience living in Europe. Most recently, she spent three years living in a small village outside of Milan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Universe; Edition Unstated edition (August 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789308754
• ISBN-13: 978-0789308757
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, March 7, 2006

By 

t42 24t (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Made in Italy: A Shopper's Guide to the Best of Italian Tradition (Paperback)

If you are going to Italy and are interested in things specific to the region and made there, this book is a great resource for planning your trip and also a great companion through the actual adventure.

The photos are great. The text is informative. Plus, some things you may not have thought of on your own are covered and suggested.

Having just returned from a driving trip through Italy, I can say the book was definitely valuable although you need to supplement with your own research as to practicalities (such as how to get to places and actually find the shops within the cities).

Also, some of the cities actually publish listings/maps of the shops. So, for example, it is possible to obtain a map of the ceramics shops of Faenza from the city's tourist office.

We had some difficulties in trying to find some of the addresses, and some of the recommendations are a matter of taste, but these are details. I wish there were more books of this sort. A great resource!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, June 11, 2004

By 

R. Regli "autocritic" (St. Petersburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Made in Italy: A Shopper's Guide to the Best of Italian Tradition (Paperback)

Being the owner of a furniture store, my last visit to Italy was a ceramics buying trip. The recommendations in this book were right on. The section on Deruta was especially good.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!!, November 24, 2003

By 

"ksmith732" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Made in Italy: A Shopper's Guide to the Best of Italian Tradition (Paperback)

I just returned from Italy with my husband, and we used this book everywhere we went. The listings were very easy to use and Made in Italy led us to some wonderful shops and people we never would have found otherwise. Take this book with you and enjoy the best Italy has to offer!