Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces [Hardcover]

Cesare Cunacci (Author), Massimo Listri (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Italy boasts a rich cultural history that has found its expression in beautiful, powerful architectural forms, at times measured and hidden, at times ostentatious and triumphant. This volume focuses on about thirty residential villas and palaces, giving the reader the opportunity to visit the magnificent palaces of Venice, Genoa, and Mantua, the elegant villas designed by Palladio and decorated by Tiepolo; the country villas of Tuscany, hidden in olive groves and vineyards; and the austere palaces of Florence-not to mention the Versaces' villa on Lake Como. The interiors of these palaces are magnificent to behold: splendid tapestries, exquisite paintings and murals, sumptuous furniture and interior decoration of all kinds, from elegant carved molding to magnificently inlaid and tiled floors to beautiful renaissance, baroque, and neoclassical furniture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Italy’s stunning villas and palaces get a noble treatment by Cunaccia, an architect and journalist specializing in the history of European architecture, and Listri, a Florence-based photographer. Each brings an appropriate mix of expertise and approachability; Cunaccia’s prose is understandable for non-specialists but specific enough to delight aficionados, and Listri’s photographs vary between sweeping panoramas that show opulent sitting rooms in all their chandeliered glory to detailed close-ups of statues and building facades. The book showcases 25 of Italy’s most impressive residences, spanning the country from Venice to Rome to Sicily, and encompassing renowned landmarks like Tuscany’s Medici Villas and The Doge’s Palace in Venice, as well as lesser-known gems, such as Sicily’s Palazzo Biscari and Lombardy’s Villa Bettoni Cazzago. The authors put each palace into historical context and discuss its artistic influences, whether neoclassical, baroque or mannerism. 400 color and b&w photos.
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About the Author

Cesare Cunaccia is an architect and a journalist specializing in the history of European architecture.

Massimo Listri is a world-renowned photographer living in Florence. He collaborated with Cunaccia on two previous Rizzoli titles, Hidden Tuscany and Hidden Naples and the Amalfi Coast.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847825914
• ISBN-13: 978-0847825912
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 1.3 x 12.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Cloud -capped Towers, the Gorgeous Palaces....', November 15, 2005

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Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces (Hardcover)

Shakespeare's words define the extraordinary structures in this elegant Rizzoli book MAGNIFICENT ITALIAN VILLAS AND PALACES. This is one of those massive tomes to spread on the table or before a nightlight fire and enter another far more beautiful time. Massimo Listri is the gifted photographer who captured the exteriors, landscapes, interiors and art of these places of wonder throughout Italy. With an informative and entertaining text by Cesare Cunaccia, who in addition to being an architectural historian is a frequent contributor to Architectural Digest, this sampler of some of the various interesting villas and palaces found in Italy is one of the finest books of its kind.

The sights and environments of the areas in which these estates exist are captured as aperitifs for the actual examination of each building. The two creators of this book spread their travel from the Villa Borghese in Rome to the Doge's Palace in Venice, including Tuscany for the Medici Villas and the Pitti Palace in Florence and the stops in Siena, to Lombardy (Lake Como and Lake Garda) and Naples, and even Sicily. Each structure is examined for its architectural details, its history, its gardens, and art treasures.

Rarely has a book on architecture felt so comfortable to read and view. The flow is a fine mix between word and image and both Cunacci and Listri are exemplary in their presentation. A magnificent coffee table volume, this. 'We are such stuff as dreams are made on...' Grady Harp, November 05

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking, July 7, 2007

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C. Limandri (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces (Hardcover)

This book has a fabulous collection of Villas in Italy. The photography is wonderful.

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a look, June 20, 2008

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Steve in Memphis "Steve in Memphis" (Memphis Tennessee) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces (Hardcover)

This book shows large, ornate villas and palaces. It has some great interior and exterior pictures and good text. It is an excellent book if that is what you want. I wish that it had some floor plans and more photographs of the gardens. I really wanted something with all sizes of villas with some floor plans as well as photos. Sometimes, there is no substitute for thumbing through a book before you buy it to see what you are getting.