Italian Opulence On Lake Como

Jacques Garcia's meticulous restoration of Villa Balbiano, a magnificient Italian architectural masterpiece with a centuries-long history. Esteemed interior architect Jacques Garcia has undertaken painstaking restoration work at Villa Balbiano that combines a stunning array of precious materials and a world-class collection of paintings and antique furnishings set against the backdrop of the original design that had been obscured over the centuries. From its prominent position on Lake Como, Villa Balbiano radiates a majestic charm emblematic of the most splendid chapter in the history of great villas in the idyllic Italian region. Each successive owner added to the splendor of the villa through additions, new frescoes and statues, and increasingly extensive and sumptuous gardens, which were distinguished by the Society of Garden Designers for best historic garden restoration in 2018. The villa's history reached an acme at the end of the eighteenth century, when the enlightened Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini, as master of the house, transformed Villa Balbiano into a crucible of philosophy and art, framed within the villa's archetypal Roman lines. Garcia's glorious new restoration inaugurates a new season in the life of the villa in one of the world's most glamorous locations.

This well-illustrated tour through 50 magnificent villas and palaces built by the Italian aristocracy, covers country retreats in Tuscany and the Vento, impressive residences in Rome and Sienna, fortress-like castles and grand villas in Trieste and Sicily, and many more.

Como, Villa d'Este has been a favorite retreat among the world's royalty and nobility for centuries. From Clark Gable to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Greta Garbo to Sharon Stone, Gianni Versace to Calvin Klein, Giuseppe Verdi to Frank Sinatra, and Josephine Baker to Madonna, the rich, the powerful, and the beautiful have flocked to Villa d'Este, and continue to do so, in order to experience grand luxury, lush accommodations, and absolutely exquisite meals. For the first time published, here are nearly 100 delectable recipes from the hotel's renowned chef, Luciano Parolari. Book jacket.

A thirty-year career has made Jacques Garcia a worldwide name in interior design in the French tradition. In Paris, chic crowds flock to his celebrated Hétel Costes and Ladurée tearoom, and to his many fin-de-siécle brasseries. Garcia's designs also grace the interiors of the Musée Carnavalet and the Musée de la Vie Romantique-and his most recent tour de force is the restoration of Paris' Hétel Mansart. Garcia's most ambitious project to date, the refurbishment of the Chéteau du Champ de Bataille in Normandy, attracts visitors from across the globe and has become a monument to his art and celebrity. This new edition of the 1999 book is a continuing tribute to the restoration of the chéteau and to its magnificent garderns, seen here for the first time. Sumptuously illustrated and updated to include Garcia's latest creations, this new edition provides the reader with a privileged view of true French style.

WINNER, Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2022: Illustrated Travel Book of the Year. HIGHLY COMMENDED, British Cartographic Society Awards 2022. From Stephen King's Salem's Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps. The maps feature fictional buildings, towns, cities and countries plus mountains and rivers, oceans and seas. Ever wondered where the Bates Motel was based? Or Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life? The authors have taken years to research the likely geography of thousands of popular culture locations that have become almost real to us. Sometimes these are easy to work out, but other times a bit of detective work is needed and the authors have been those detectives. By looking at the maps, you'll find that the revolution at Animal Farm happened next to Winnie the Pooh's home. Each location has an an extended index entry plus coordinates so you can find it on the maps. Illuminating essays accompanying the maps give a great insight into the stories behind the imaginary places, from Harry Potter's wizardry to Stone Age Bedrock in the Flintstones. A stunning map collection of invented geography and topography drawn from the world's imagination. Fascinating and beautiful, this is an essential book for any popular culture fan and map enthusiast.

The gardens of the Italian Lakes are a favourite destination for garden lovers and groups. The gardens around Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, in the far north of Italy, are admired throughout the world for their beauty and variety in a magnificent natural location. This book sets out to become the standard work on these gardens as there is nothing of this kind on the market at the moment. It will appeal both to the specialist and enthusiast preparing for a visit. The common factor for all these gardens is their setting in this landscape of exceptional scenery. Lake Como is a deep lake hemmed in like a fjord by towering mountains. Lake Maggiore has more the character of an inland sea, with ferries crossing to the famous island gardens for an afternoon in another world. Both lakes are lined with the towers, villas and grand hotels that speak of a complex history including key events in Italy's struggle to achieve nationhood, inspiration for a string of illustrious writers and composers, and a long line of distinguished visitors. The gardens include: Villa Melzi, Bellagio: an early 19th-century romantic park on the lake shore Villa Carlotta, Cadenabbia: a terraced 17th-century property with woodland Villa del Balbianello, Lenno: a famously picturesque loggia Villa D'Este, Cernobbio: a 16th-century cascade garden with royal connections Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, Bisuschio: an intact 16th-century villa garden Villa Della Porta Bozzolo, Casalzuigno: a rural baroque garden Isola Bella, Stresa: a well-known island garden Isola Madre, Stresa: an island retreat of flowers and birds Villa San Remigio, Pallanza: an Edwardian garden made by two lovers Villa Taranto, Pallanza: one of the world's great woodland gardens

Versace. The very name conjures up images of outrageous glamour and bold sexuality, opulence and daring. All of course true, but only half the story. Versace is also the legacy of a great creative genius from a poor, backward part of southern Italy who transformed the fashion world through his intuitive understanding of both women and how a changing culture influenced the way they wanted to dress. The first book in English about the legendary designer, House of Versace shows how Gianni Versace, with his flamboyant sister Donatella at his side, combined his virtuosic talent and extraordinary ambition to almost single-handedly create the celebrity culture we take for granted today. Gianni Versace was at the height of his creative powers when he was murdered in Miami Beach. The story was front page news around the world and the manhunt for his killer a media obsession. His beloved sister Donatella demanded no less than a funeral befitting an assassinated head-of-state to be held in Milan’s magnificent cathedral. In what was the ultimate fashion show, the world’s rich and beautiful – Princess Dianna, Elton John, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Anna Wintour and others – gathered to mourn a man already considered one of fashion’s great pioneers. Deborah Ball, a long-time Milan correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, conducted hundreds of interviews with Versace family members, Gianni Versace’s lovers and business rivals, models such as Naomi Campbell whom he helped shoot to international stardom and fashion industry icons, including Anna Wintour, the legendary editor of Vogue. Ball vividly recounts the behind-the scenes struggles – both creative and business – of Donatella as she stepped out of her brother’s long shadow and took control of the House of Versace. The book offers the first inside look at the enormous challenges Donatella faced in living up to Gianni’s genius, her struggle with a drug habit, her battles with her brother Santo and the mystery of why Gianni left control of his house to Donatella’s young daughter, Allegra. House of Versace is a compelling, highly readable tale of rise from obscurity, a painful fall and ultimate redemption as the Versace empire returned to health – for now. Bringing together fashion, celebrity, business drama, jet-set lifestyles, and a notorious crime, House of Versace is an old-fashioned page-turner about a subject of enduring fascination.

A wanderlust-inspiring and transporting collection of photos from some of the world's most astounding places, organized thematically—vistas, sunrises and sunsets, city streets and urban life, tropical jungles, dramatic architectural facades, food stalls and restaurants, and more—from the premier online curator of travel photography. As much an armchair travel companion as a guide to planning your next trip, My Tiny Atlas contains more than 200 lush, surprising, and stunning photos, along with stories about far-flung locales and tips for experiencing a new location like a local. From Tiny Atlas Quarterly—one of the most trusted sources for authentic, unusual, and inspiring travel photography—this book takes you to every continent and all corners of the world, from Paris, San Francisco, London, and Buenos Aires to the Arctic Circle, Tanzania, Tahiti, and Mongolia. My Tiny Atlas visually explores new destinations with an intimate, insider's view—not of the usual monuments and tourist attractions, but of the real people, mouth-watering food, verdant flora, bustling streets, wild animals, epic views, lazy rivers, architectural gems, and other details that make you feel what it's like to truly be in another place, whether or not you ever leave home.