Palaces of Florence

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Art Publications In 1977, the Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane was founded to help preserve the the historic homes of Italy. nowhere are these historic homes more in evidence than in Florence. In 450 color photographs by Stefano Giraldi and text by Francesco Gurrieri and Patrizia Fabbri, Palaces of Florence showcases the evolution, design and importance of Florentine palazzi in general and 30 in particular. Famous buildings like the Palazzo Medici Riccardi or Palazzo Strozzi are here, but so are beautiful examples that are still in private hands, like the Palazzo Ginori and the Palazzo Antinori. In Secret Gardens in Venice, Cristiana Moldi-Ravenna and Tudy Sammartini, along with photographer Gianni Berengo Gardin, explore Venice for the (usually intimate) gardens carved out of small spaces between water and mortar. While some are perfectly tended, others are rougher and a little overgrown. Some have beautiful views of the canals; others look entirely inward, creating a little patch of earth divorced from the surrounding ocean. "This valentine for my husband seemed to pour right out of me, as if it flowed from my heart through my fingertips and onto the copper plates. My first book, it fell into place like a little roseand a surprise to me!" "Me" is the artist Helen Frankenthaler, and her first book is Valentine for Mr. Wonderful, a slender slipcased volume of seven color prints dedicated to her husband.