Castle Quest - Reply to Topic

Forum:	Castle Book Nook
Topic:	Castles in Italy.

Want to register?

Who Can Post?	Any registered users may post a reply.
About Registration	You must be registered in order to post a topic or reply in this forum.
Posting Tips:	You will receive a much better response to your questions if you include your age and as much detail as possible. Both of these things allows a person to give you an answer specific to your question and age group.
Your UserName:
Your Password:	Forget your password?
Message Icon:
Your Reply: HTML is ON UBB Code is ON [IMG] UBB Code Not Allowed!
Options	Show Signature: include your profile signature. Only registered users may have signatures.

If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, click here.

*If HTML and/or UBB Code are enabled, this means you can use HTML and/or UBB Code in your message.

T O P I C R E V I E W
Peter Castles in Italy.
Just finished, a book bought for Xmas. This is an excellent book, not merely because it is about my favourite castles, but it is sub-titled .. 'The Medieval Life of Noble Families'.
I can't give you a price, but the ISBN is 3-8290-1578-X
The book really deals with some 22-sites, but the stress is on the 'In' in the title. There are excellent 'box's' with each site dealing with all manner of items. From decoration, music, honour, ladies etc. Some of the them being real eye-openers. The one on music was startling in its information, on a subject I knew very little about.
My daughter bought it from one of those 'Remainder Shops', so the price shouldn't be too bad. Keep an eye open for it. Nice addition to the shelf wether you are interested in this part of the world or not.
[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 02-14-2003).]
Erik Schmidt A couple of links to it; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/382901578X/002-7433675-5268818?vi=glance http://www.edwardrhamilton.com/subject2/med.html
I notice it has Castel del Monte on it's cover, which makes me suspicious about the definition of 'castle' used by the authors.
Castel del Monte has religious cult overtures in it's architecture and has few defensive features. There are no arrow loops or crennelations as I recall, nor any access to the flat roof. It is considered less a castle than a country retreat/hunting lodge/cult centre.
Peter, what are some of the true military castles the book covers? What is the time frame which they use to cover 'medieval'?
I just bought a castle book the other day also, 'Medieval Castles of Spain'.
It has some very pretty pictures and covers 30 'castles', but unfortunately they consider the 16th century to be medieval. But it was worth it for only AU$30 given it would normally retail for around $80 - $120 if the quality of the photos and binding are any indication.
Erik
ipflo hi
i have the german one of castles in italy, it is a nice book (very good pictures, but that is 'normal' for könemann publisher) and it is like medieval castles of spain (which i also have and is from the same publisher).
the book covers the following 'castles':
castello sant angelo in rome
san leo
montalcino
the city walls of lucca
vicopisano
milano, castello sforza
imola
ferrara
fontanelatto
gavi
bracciano
trente - buenconsiglio
genua - the fortresses
gradara - the castle of the malatesta
massa - the castle malaspina
cagliari - the defence walls
barumini - prehiostoric forress
palermo - palazzo reale/ palazzo normanni
sperlinga
castel del monte
so the book covers 'castles' from 5000 bc til 1700 bc (so it is not pure medieval, one prehistoric castle and some renaissance walls and fortresses). i think the book is really the price worth. i bought it once for DM 12 (~ Euro 6), so it was a real bargain (i would even have paid 30 - 40 euro's for it). The binding and the foto's are like medieval castles of spain, only the format is smaller (26cm * 22cm)
Erik Schmidt Thanks for the info.
I really wonder why it is that the authors and publishers of such books mis-use the word 'medieval' so often.
Publishing a book is no small matter, so getting the title right should be pretty important, yet 'castles' and 'medieval' are words often used to describe books covering subjects well outside even very broard definitions of these words.
At least most of the buidlings in the two books mentioned are 'castles' in the broard sense, but medieval many are not.
Are the pictures as pretty in "Castles in Italy"?
Certainly worth 6 Euro I'm sure.
Erik
Merlin I also have the Italy-book in my humble collection and the pictures are very good. But it's a shame that they covered palaces and city walls under the name of 'castles' and left aside all those medieval treasures that country has to offer, especially in the alpine area of southern Tirol.
ipflo i totally agree with merlin, the pictures are very pretty, and it is unbelievable what they see as a castle.
Peter Whoops !
Been busy.
Ger away ... for that price you can call a book anything. If it has information that can be useful to me I don't give a jot.
Perfection often comes at price .. normally one that I can't afford.
South Tirol !!!!