Iconic Mediterranean Treasures

Istanbul to Barcelona | 22 days

Visit ancient sites and cosmopolitan cities when you combine Ancient Mediterranean Treasures, Journey to Antiquities and Iconic Western Mediterranean into one captivating journey. See remarkably preserved ruins in Turkey and Greece, and call on some of the Mediterranean’s most beloved ports in Italy, Monaco, France and Spain. Overnights in Istanbul, Athens, Florence/Pisa and Barcelona allow you to fully explore the region’s wealth of cultural treasures.

Mediterranean Odyssey

Barcelona to Venice (Chioggia) | 13 days

Set course for unforgettable exploration to some of the Mediterranean’s most historic ports: the fabled towns of Tuscany, ancient Rome and canal-laced Venice. Enjoy ample time to savor Barcelona’s easygoing spirit with an overnight stay. Discover the French Riviera’s seaside pleasures in Marseille and Monte Carlo. And visit Dubrovnik, a hidden medieval jewel. Along the way, gracious hosts and fine regional cuisine connect you to this remarkable region.

Baroque and Rococo (World of Art)

Baroque and Rococo art and architecture have become popular once more, after a century and a half of neglect, misunderstanding and scorn. This radical shift in taste has led to a rapid growth of detailed knowledge about the artists who created these exhilarating styles. The famous masters have been reassessed and whole areas of achievement--Italian Baroque painting, German Rococo architecture--have been brought to a new, enthusiastic public. Germain Bazin's engaging survey of this rich subject ranges over all Europe and traces the origins and effects of these two periods of art--from the Counter-Reformation to Neoclassicism, Exoticism and even Art Nouveau. 218 illus., 43 in color.

"He writes with a Gallic verve and grace which are very successfully conveyed through Mr. Jonathan Griffin's translation...His observations upon painters and painting are particularly acute." --The Connoisseu

A Short History of Europe: From Charlemagne to the Treaty of Lisbon

By Gordon Kerr

This fascinating history for beginners provides a coherent map of the jumbled history of Europe and the European idea that has led up to this point. A continent of countless disparate peoples, races, and nations, governed by different ideas, philosophies, religions, and attitudes, Europe nonetheless has a common thread of history running through it, stitching the lands and peoples of its past and present into one fabric and held together by the continent’s great institutions: the Church of Rome, the Holy Roman Empire, the European Union, individual monarchies, trade organizations, and social movements. However, people have always harbored aspirations to make this vast territory one. The Romans came close and a few centuries later, the foundations for a great European state were laid with the creation of the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon overreached himself in attempting to create a European-wide Empire—as did Adolf Hitler. Now, Europe is as close as it ever has been to being one entity, yet Europeans still cling to national independence.

The Edge of the World: A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe

By Michael Pye

Saints and spies, pirates and philosophers, artists and intellectuals: they all criss-crossed the grey North Sea in the so-called "dark ages," the years between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of Europe's mastery over the oceans. Now the critically acclaimed Michael Pye reveals the cultural transformation sparked by those men and women: the ideas, technology, science, law, and moral codes that helped create our modern world. 
This is the magnificent lost history of a thousand years. It was on the shores of the North Sea where experimental science was born, where women first had the right to choose whom they married; there was the beginning of contemporary business transactions and the advent of the printed book. In The Edge of the World, Michael Pye draws on an astounding breadth of original source material to illuminate this fascinating region during a pivotal era in world history.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

By William Shakespeare

Arm yourself with this volume from the Knickerbocker Classic series, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, including 16 comedies, 10 histories, 12 tragedies and all the poems and sonnets of the world's most influential writer. This collection includes poems and plays that were not included in Shakespeare's First Folio of 1623 to make one complete, authentic collection. For Shakespeare fans worldwide, this stunning gift edition has a full cloth binding, foil blocking on the spine, ribbon marker, and is packaged neatly in an elegant slipcase. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare contains essential reading like Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Henry V alongside many lesser-known gems for a complete Shakespearean education.

See You in Montevideo

Dragan Bjelogrlic

When a football team from Belgrade gets the opportunity to go to the First World Football Championship, things get complicated along the way. Originally titled Montevideo, vidimo se! Filmed in the Canary Islands, Spain and Trieste, Italy.

Mysteries of Lisbon

Raúl Ruiz

This highly acclaimed movie traces the adventures of a jealous countess, a rich businessman and a young orphaned boy as they travel across Portugal, France and Italy, and to Brazil. Filmed in multiple locations including Lisbon.

Ludwig

Luchino Visconti

This Academy Award–nominated film starring Helmut Berger and Romy Schneider examines the reign of Bavarian King Ludwig from 1864 until his death in 1886. Filmed in Bavaria and Italy.