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The Gardens of Venice and the Veneto takes in a varied selection of gardens old and new, large and small, public and private. It ranges from tiny monastery gardens tucked away within the walls of Venice to grand palatial landscapes in the former marshes of the hinterland. The book is divided into five sections as well as a lively introduction which captures the rich history of this region. The first section will show the extraordinary gardens still to be found locked behind high walls in the city itself. Then Jenny Condie and Alex Ramsay wander through the more modest parts of the city where ordinary Venetians manage to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables in the most unlikely spots. Then it is out into the lagoon and wild gardens on marshy islands before turning inland to the grand Palladian villas and the Baroque splendours of villas like the Villa Barbarigo and the Villa Allegri Arvedi among many fine country residences of ancient families. All the gardens in the book can be reached within a day’s expedition from Venice and practical information about access and advice on the best time of year to visit is included for all those open to the public.

Jenny Condie was born in Edinburgh and took a degree in Italian and History of Art at UCL. She has translated a number of substantial works in the area of art and literary history and criticism, and she has also written in Italian as a journalist. More recently she has worked with the Fondazione di Venezia to originate and run workshops on English Literature for children in local schools. Jenny Condie has lived in Venice since 2002 with her husband, the novelist Enrico Palandri and their three children.Alex Ramsay is well known as an award-winning photographer of architecture, gardens and landscapes. His work has appeared in leading magazines worldwide and illustrates many books including Helena Attlee’s Italian Gardens: A Cultural History.YOKO KAWAGUCHI was born in Tokyo and educated in the United States, Canada and Japan. She has lived in the UK for the last twenty years. The author of Serene Gardens: Creating Japanese Design and Detail in the Western Garden, she lectures on Japanese garden history, and has appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour and the BBC World Service.

Inside Venice: A Private View of the City’s Most Beautiful Interiors

This gorgeously photographed journey through entrancingly beautiful Venetian interiors is sure to appeal to Venice’s many admirers interested in the elegance and refinement of classical Old World interior design. The private properties featured in this handsome volume are not accessible to the public and most are published here for the first time. The book is a luxurious presentation of the hidden architectural and interior design treasures of Venice, ranging from historical ninth-century buildings to contemporary renovations that blend old and new. Seventy-two properties, each photographed exclusively for the book, are profiled-mainly private apartments and palazzos, along with some churches, hotels, and other public spaces that those interested in interiors will find inspiring.

Author and preservation expert Toto Bergamo Rossi personally selected each property for inclusion based on his detailed field knowledge gained over many years as director of the Venetian Heritage Foundation, whose mission is to safeguard Venetian cultural heritage as manifested in architecture, music, and fine art.

Venetian art connoisseur, interior designer, and hotelier Francesca Bortolotto Possati knows the intricacies of Venice. To have her as a guide is to experience firsthand her passion for the private side of the mythic city whose daily visitors outnumber its population. Join her to visit artists’ studios, elegant Venetian friends, and palaces’ secrets. Follow her on a gondola ride or through hidden gardens; discover restaurants, markets, and artisan shops. The discerning eye of photographer Robyn Lea makes this book a revelation of the Venice of dreams, which will surely allow readers to see this iconic destination through new eyes.

Francesca Bortolotto Possati is the CEO of Venice’s Bauer Hotel group. A native of the city, she is greatly involved in its culture as a patron of the arts and board member of Save Venice Inc., a foundation dedicated to restoring important works of Venetian architecture and art. She also sponsors the Zuecca Project Space, a non-profit area that hosts exhibitions for local and international art communities. Bartolotto Possati presents the Ca’ Foscari Award at Venice’s international literary festival each year. She co-authored Celebrate in Venice with Csaba dalla Zorza, published in 2012.

10 x 13 in. – 25 x 33 cm
264 pages | 150 illustrations
Hardcover

US$ 85

THE BOOK
The illustrious Orient Express, “the king of trains and the train of kings,” could carry passengers from Paris to Constantinople in 76 hours, thanks to Belgian engineer Georges Lambert Nagelmackers’s perfect combination of long-distance travel and refinement. Orient Express: The Legend of Travel is a photographic guide to the history and culture surrounding this fabled train and all that took place within, from its notable passengers including Tolstoy and Grace Kelly to the tales crafted by Hemingway and Agatha Christie. In 2016, a presentation in Paris will highlight the key elements of a trip on the famed rail line through an initiatory journey created by the Design Studio Orient Express.

THE AUTHOR
French journalist Sixtine Dubly has interviewed the greatest artists, designers, and creative stars of the international scene for the last fifteen years. Wherever she travels, she tracks emerging trends and handpicks talents, keeping in touch with modern design and lifestyle around the world. She has contributed to Architectural Digest, Ideat Magazine, Marie Claire Maison, and Le Nouvel Observateur, among others, and currently writes for the lifestyle section of Paris Match magazine, where she covers design. She is also the author of Flowers: Art & Bouquets, published by Assouline in 2016.

10 x 13 in – 25 x 33 cm
240 pages | 150 illustrations
Hardcover with jacket
US$ 85

Also available in French on demand

Have a look at the page on the current Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, click here.

THE MOST SOPHISTICATED BOOKS IN THE WORLD
“We created this company to be the first luxury brand on culture. We wanted to supply everything for a contemporary library; we started working with top perfumers for scented candles, with Goyard for a book trunk, with Chanel on a quilted leather slipcase, and so on. Now we are expanding the Assouline lifestyle brand in stores in the most important cities of the world.
We love and believe in books more than everything else, but we also want to extend our vision to create all that can be expected in a chic and personalized library, from beautiful books and special editions to luxury gift items, unique library accessories, and now a complete turnkey collection of stylish furniture.
Our digital world goes faster than ever and nothing remains of it, but books are the solid part of our past and present. They also are beauty. For us, books are a matter of intellect and emotion, of heritage and innovation. Because information is not only about today, and the past is a sensational source of inspiration.”
-Prosper & Martine Assouline

Dolce Vita Style

152 pages | 250 illustrations US$50

The fantastic creative energy of the 1960s took off with a burst of black and white: La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini. An instant cult film, it became a great classic of modernity and continues to affect generation after generation, legendary yet always contemporary.
Dolce Vita Style draws on the history that inspired the film in the theatrical Rome of the 50’s and sums up the innumerable influences that this cult film has had on so many of those in the worlds of movies, popular music, society, life, and fashion.
Image by image, this book retraces the astonishing itinerary of a work that is a supreme emblem and a source of inexhaustible style.

The Italian Dream

372 pages | 400+ illustrations US$85

For more than three years, Aline Coquelle, the well-known globe-trotting photographer, and Count Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli, a member of one of the oldest aristocratic Italian families, have followed the map of Italy’s best wines. Guided by Gelasio, readers are introduced to a tribe of artistic and wine-loving amici who share their passion for their country’s heritage and bounty. The Italian Dream: Wine, Heritage, Soul is an escape into the effortlessly elegant Italian lifestyle, savoring wine behind the private gates of family castles and vineyards, from the foothills of the Alps to the hill towns of Tuscany to the relaxed southern seasides.
Photography by Aline Coquelle
Text by Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli
Foreword by Lapo Elkann

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