To immerse oneself in the history of Italy is to go back to the roots of Western civilization. The authors of this major new volume have sought to answer the question: How did the qualities of "Italianness" that make Italy unique arise in history? Their various journeys to the heart of Italy -- the country that has produced the Papacy, such centers of civilization and exploration as Florence and Venice, an imperishable literature, the supreme sanity of humanist art, the intoxication of opera -- call up some of the most beautiful, dramatic images in the human reportory. They are fully represented in the almost 300 striking illustrations in this volume, 70 in full color, and supplemented by brilliant modern photography. Images, ideas, and imagination -- all three are here in abundance in a book that is certain to appeal to a wide and diversified audience and to set standards for years to come. -- From publisher's description.