TUSCANY -- ABBEVILLE PRESS -- PART 6

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SONJA BULLATY AND ANGELO LOMEO. TEXT BY MARIE-ANGE GUILLAUME

Guillaume also recounts the Florence-based relationship between famed writer Henry James and his host (and fellow writer) Constance Fenimore Woolson (grand niece of Fenimore Cooper.)

"Here, I have attained that old-world feeling I used to dream about, a sort of enthusiasm made up of history, mythology, old churches, pictures, statues, vineyards, the Italian sky, dark-eyed peasants, opera-music, Raphael and old Michael....Perhaps I ought to add Henry James. He has been perfectly charming to me for three weeks," penned Fenimore Woolson, referring to Michelangelo as old Michael.

Guillaume's keen sense of storytelling -- coupled with Bullaty's and Lomeo's artistic capturing of said vineyards, statutes, churches, peasants and haystacks -- make Tuscany a must-have travel book.

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TUSCANY -- ABBEVILLE PRESS -- PART 5

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SONJA BULLATY AND ANGELO LOMEO. TEXT BY MARIE-ANGE GUILLAUME

The cathedral of Siena is portrayed in varying displays that show its pure beauty, its scale against the cityscape, its exquisite detailing in close up and its commanding view over the historic town and out into the countryside.

In telling the tale of Michelangelo's endless days of work in Florence and other parts of Italy, Guillaume shares the delicious quote by the artist himself: "I am bruised, exhausted, worn out: such is the fruit of my efforts; death is the inn where, having paid my dues, I'll have bed and board."

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TUSCANY BOOK REVIEW CONTINUES 
TOMORROW -- OCTOBER 2

TUSCANY -- ABBEVILLE PRESS -- PART 4

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SONJA BULLATY AND ANGELO LOMEO. TEXT BY MARIE-ANGE GUILLAUME

The full-color book is divided into chapters on: The Lure of Tuscany; The Land; Springtime and Gardens; Trees and Vineyards; Florence, Siena, and Pisa; Faces; Hilltowns and Abbeys; Marble; Windows and Doors; and The Coast.

Along with all the expected shots of the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and Duomo, the Bullaty-Lomeo team's keen eye produces a haunting image of white grave markers making a brilliant geometric pattern at the American cemetery near Terme di Firenze.

In Siena, an aerial shot captures the enormity of the Piazza del Campo while a brilliant small image depicts two children, barely tall enough to walk, enjoying the fabled public plaza.

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TOMORROW -- OCTOBER 1  

TUSCANY -- ABBEVILLE PRESS -- PART 3

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SONJA BULLATY AND ANGELO LOMEO. TEXT BY MARIE-ANGE GUILLAUME

Praising Guillaume's poetic capturing of the lives and times that make Tuscany so beloved is not meant to take anything away from the brilliant images presented by the New York-based Bullaty and Lomeo.

Anyone who has picked up a camera will be instantly jealous of the golden light, long shadows and perfect composition portrayed in their photos.

"For three decades these photographers have been drawn to Tuscany and its surrounding areas endeavoring to capture the special light, the sculpted countryside, the heralded cities and hilltowns, and the celebrated art and architecture," the dust jacket summarizes the 1995 publication.

"Their photographic themes include timeless views of ocher landscapes where farmers arrange their haystacks like artists; castles overlooking acres of irises and vineyards; shadowy cypress trees defining the land; explosions of color in springtime; incandescent views of Florence, Siena, and Pisa; faces on sculptures; faded frescoes in silent cloisters and other details of art and architecture; humorous vignettes of the daily round; and sparkling Mediterranean seascapes. 

This photographic album of Tuscany is truly unlike any other."

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TUSCANY BOOK REVIEW CONTINUES 
TOMORROW -- SEPTEMBER 30

TUSCANY -- ABBEVILLE PRESS -- PART 2

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SONJA BULLATY AND ANGELO LOMEO. TEXT BY MARIE-ANGE GUILLAUME

The text in most photo-driven books often barely goes beyond descriptions of what the photographer's eye captured.

Or worse, sometimes the text is an insufferable (and failed) attempt to be super hip and cool.

Guillaume, the Paris-based journalist, provides some of the best accompanying text we're ever enjoyed.

"In her fascinating text, Marie-Ange Guillaume provides a verbal portrait of the scores of artists and writers, as well as infamous people, who lived or worked in Tuscany, including Michelangelo, Leonardo, Stendhal, Savonarola, the Brownings, Henry James, Modigliani, Fellini, and James Ivory," is the spot-on accurate description of her prose in the book's inner jacket.

"The anecdotal text, liberally flavored with quotes from the letters and diaries of these well-known individuals, provides insights about Tuscany today and in centuries past."

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TUSCANY BOOK REVIEW CONTINUES 
TOMORROW -- SEPTEMBER 29