Customer Reviews

Le Marche 'Terra sconosciuta'/Marches - The Undiscovered Territory (Italian and English Edition)

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I received this beautiful book as a gift and I proudly display it on my coffee table. My houseguests are speechless when they see the incredible photo layouts. Looking at this book makes my heart long for my next Italian vacation, don't buy this book if you can't resist the temptation to fly off to Italy on impulse after seeing the magnificent images of the Italian Countryside!

The Italians say of Le Marche that it is 'All of Italy in one region'. The photography within this book has been carefully taken and and it reveals the visual beauty found in this unique territory of Italy. However, the photos more closely represent the beauty in daily scenery/life than the typical mass produced glossy books authored by most photographers. Written in both Italian and English, his outstanding preface gives insight into the questions the reader may have about Le Marche its history and the intent of his photos. My family is from the Le Marches and it is truely an undiscovered region possessing the Sibillini mountains similar to those of the lower Rockies as well as the peaceful terrain and rolling farmland hills found in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Tennessee.

Being one of the former three papal sate regions of Italy extending from Rome's western region of lazio north-eastward through Umbria and reaching to Le Marche for 1500 years, it has experienced a unique history of its own. In 115 AD, Emporer Trajan constructed an arch built of white marble at the busy commercial port of Ancona so that it would be seen for miles by approaching ships importing goods from around the world.

The prolific Renaissance painter Raphael was from the medievel town of Urbino and other notables were born in Le Marche such as composer Rossini and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.

If you have read this far, then you should really enjoy Italy's Le Marche region wonderfully captured in this book. Also, I would add that the author used an extraodinarilly rare and high quality heavy weight paper in the fabrication of this book which was moreover typset, printed and published in Le Marches province of Ancona. Extremely well done... Italian style! Cheers!

When I visited the Italian Marches, I wanted to grasp the beauty of the area and bring it home with me, and now I have a book that does that for me! Most of Guiseppe Chiucchiu's photographs are like works of art, with colors, textures, and shapes combining in a feast of aesthetic proportion and beauty. For example, one photograph is a close-up of three women holding bunches of grapes, in which the varicolored grapes, the patterns in their dresses, and the shadow and sunlight on their arms and hands blend in an intriguing tapestry. You can tell that Chiucchiu really loves this part of Italy. His pictures remind you that there are people who belong there. In one of his few black and white pictures, he captures the friendly smiles of a couple of farmers who obviously feel comfortable and proud on their land. Each new page is a surprise because he covers such a variety of subject matter, from a snowy landscape to a single starfish.

Regarding the format of the book, I found it a bit annoying that sometimes you have to look on the following page to find the title for a picture. I liked the detailed introduction by the journalist, Raoul Mancinelli, that mixes a sense of the history, descriptions of the geography, and an appreciation of the ingenuity of the people. With over 150 photographs to ponder and treasure, this book is a delight.

When I visited the Italian Marches, I wanted to grasp the beauty of the area and bring it home with me, and now I have a book that does that for me! Most of Guiseppe Chiucchiu's photographs are like works of art, with colors, textures, and shapes combining in a feast of aesthetic proportion and beauty. For example, one photograph is a close-up of three women holding bunches of grapes, in which the varicolored grapes, the patterns in their dresses, and the shadow and sunlight on their arms and hands blend in an intriguing tapestry. You can tell that Chiucchiu really loves this part of Italy. His pictures remind you that there are people who belong there. In one of his few black and white pictures, he captures the friendly smiles of a couple of farmers who obviously feel comfortable and proud on their land. Each new page is a surprise because he covers such a variety of subject matter, from a snowy landscape to a single starfish.

Regarding the format of the book, I found it a bit annoying that sometimes you have to look on the following page to find the title for a picture. I liked the detailed introduction by the journalist, Raoul Mancinelli, that mixes a sense of the history, descriptions of the geography, and an appreciation of the ingenuity of the people. With over 150 photographs to ponder and treasure, this book is a delight.