Siracusa

An electrifying New York Times bestselling novel about marriage and deceit that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from one another are exposed and relationships are unraveled. With her inimitable psychological astuteness and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none will see coming. One of People Magazine’s Top 10 Books • A Washington Post Bestseller • A Los Angeles Times Bestseller • A USA Today Bestseller • One of Vulture’s 100 Greatest Beach Books Ever • A People Magazine Summer Reading Pick • One of Elle, InStyle, and Marie Claire’s Best of July • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016 (Fiction)

The southeastern corner of Sicily is a popular choice with travelers. Its historic towns, beautiful scenery and uncrowded beaches merit a substantial part of any Sicilian itinerary. Two glorious epochs in history have helped make the southeast towns what they are today. The Greeks settled the region and it flourished for 500 years under them as a center of culture, learning and political power. The second epoch was made possible by a devastating earthquake that flattened towns and villages in 1693. As a result, it was rebuilt in the ornate architectural style known as Sicilian Baroque. Siracusa is the major city in the region and the most visited, but there are plenty of other gems to discover in the wider province. Noto, Modica and Ragusa all feature the Baroque style; you could undertake some serious trekking at Pantalica's necropolis or Cava Grande in regions of immense beauty, bird watching at Vendicarri or explore Sicily's most southern point around Portopalo. Highlights: Ortigia: This beautiful warren of streets combines ancient Greece and Baroque with a view of the sea from almost every lane. Piazza del Duomo: This is one of Sicily's great squares and the Duomo its best church and a prime example of Siracusa's polyglot character. Take a dip in Cava Grande's waterfalls and refreshing pools. Pantalica's 5,000 tombs riddling the hillsides. The beautiful wetlands of Riserva di Vendicari. A great new resource. --Travel + Leisure. "The perfect companion for planning." --Rutgers Magazine. "These useful travel guides are highly recommended." --Library Journal. There aren't many places in the world you can ski and then hit the beach afterwards for a refreshing dip; see Greek, Roman, Etruscan, medieval and Arabic architecture all in the same town; and meet some of the friendliest people in the world. The richness in culture is demonstrated in the theater, cinema and art found everywhere. The coastal towns, the Mafia, the wines and foods, the astonishing history - all are explored in this guidebook. Full color throughout. This is excerpted from our full guide to Sicily.

Simona Raneri, Germana Barone, Vincenza Crupi, Francesca Longo, Domenico Majolino, Paolo Mazzoleni, Davide Tanasi, Josè Teixeira and Venuti Valentina Technological analysis of Sicilian prehistoric pottery production through small angle neutron scattering techniqueSimona Raneri, Germana Barone, Paolo Mazzoleni, Davide Tanasi and Emanuele Costa Mobility of men versus mobility of goods: archaeometric characterization of Middle Bronze Age pottery in Malta and Sicily (15th-13th century BC)Judit Molera, Javier Iñañez, Glòria Molina, Josep Burch, Xavier Alberch, Michael D. Glascock and Trinitat Pradell Lustre and glazed ceramic collection from Mas Llorens, 16th-17th centuries (Salt, Girona). Provenance and technologyCelestino Grifa, Alberto De Bonis, Vincenza Guarino, Chiara Maria Petrone, Chiara Germinario, Mariano Mercurio, Gianluca Soricelli, Alessio Langella and Vincenzo Morra Thin walled pottery from Alife (Northern Campania, Italy)Svetlana Valiulina and Tatiana Shlykova Iranian Bowl from Biliar: Complex Research and ConservationFatma Madkour, Hisham Imam, Khaled Elsayed and Galila Meheina Elemental Analysis Study of Glazes and Ceramic Bodies from Mamluk and Ottoman Periods in Egypt by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Fernanda Inserra, Alessandra Pecci, Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros and Jordi Roig Buxó Organic residues analysis of Late Antique pottery from Plaça Major-Horts de Can Torras (Castellar del Vallés, Catalonia, Spain)Marino Maggetti, Andreas Heege and Vincent Serneels Technological aspects of an early 19th c. English and French white earthenware assemblage from Bern (Switzerland)Leandro Fantuzzi, Miguel A. Cau Ontiveros and Josep Maria Macias Amphorae from the Late Antique city of Tarraco-Tarracona (Catalonia, Spain): archaeometric characterizationShlomo Shoval and Yitzhak Paz Analyzing the fired-clay ceramic of EBA Canaanite pottery using FT-IR spectroscopy and LA-ICP-MS

Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. Syracuse, City of Legends - the first modern historical guide to the city - explores Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and reveals why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. For more than 1600 years, from its settlement by Greeks in 733 BC, Syracuse was the leading city in Sicily and at times one of the most powerful in the world. As a Greek city-state it competed with Athens and Carthage and was for a while an important ally of Rome. When Sicily became Rome's first province, Syracuse was the island's capital and was an important centre for early Christianity. Under Byzantine rule, the Emperor Constans II even moved his court to Syracuse for five years. Capture by the Arabs in 878 AD marked the end of ancient Syracuse but the city continued to evolve and during the Spanish era Caravaggio created one of his masterpieces, The Burial of Santa Lucia, in the city. After a devastating earthquake in 1693, a major rebuilding programme gave the city the characteristic Baroque appearance it retains today. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends also offers detailed descriptions of the principal monuments from each period in the city's life, explaining their physical location as well as their historical context. This vivid and engaging history weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and will be an invaluable companion for anyone visiting the city as well as a compelling introduction to its ancient and modern history.

Italy offers an extraordinary kaleidoscope of regions and experiences for all visitors. Packed with photographs, illustrations and maps the Eyewitness Travel to Italy in the new ebook format has mapped out all of the remarkable flavors of Italy. Use this guide to help you decide where to stay, eat, relax, and shop. Every page in the Eyewitness Travel to Italy has pinpointed the highlights of each fascinating region. Annually revised and updated with beautiful new photos, illustrations, and maps, this guide includes information on local customs, currency, medical services, and transportation. Consistently chosen over the competition in national consumer market research. The best keeps getting better!