Offers an introduction to Italy's history and culture, from ancient Rome and the power of the Vatican to Mussolini's rise to power, Milan's fashion designers, and Italian cuisine.

For the past several years the Bertelsmann Cartographic Institute has been collaborating with leading cartographers and geographers throughout the world to develop a revolutionary database of fully digitized maps that are without equal in their cartographic integrity and design elegance. The maps are detailed, accurate, realistic and informative.

Learn the language of la dolce vita! For anyone who wants to learn and enjoy the most expressive and romantic of languages, the third edition of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Learning Italian is the first choice for a whole new generation of enthusiastic students of Italian. This updated edition includes two new quick references on verbs, grammar, and sentence structure; two new appendixes on Italian synonyms and popular idiomatic phrases; and updated business and money sections. • First two editions have sold extraordinarily well • Italian is the fourth most popular language in the United States

A practical handbook for business travelers and tourists, a completely updated guide employs language-immersion principles to teach readers a wide variety of useful words and phrases and includes compact grammar and pronunciations sections, tips on Italian cultures, clear maps, and extensive vocabulary lists and verb charts. Original.

The history of modern Europe isn't simply the story of a bunch of dead white men who ruled most of the world from the dawn of a new age - the Renaissance - that brought light to the Dark Ages through to the chaotic last gasp of communism and the dawn of yet another new age - the European Union. Rather, it's an epic involving the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played fundamental roles, for better or for worse, in the life we live today. Without an understanding of events and personalities in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Britain, Russia, Poland, and other lands, it's impossible to truly appreciate the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic and intellectual expressions.

You’re no idiot, of course. The battle scenes in Gladiator had you on the edge of your seat and wondering where you could find more information on the rise and fall of ancient Rome. But so far, your search has left you feeling like a blundering barbarian. Pick yourself up off the coliseum floor! Consult The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to the Roman Empire—a fun-to-read introduction to the fascinating history, people, and culture of ancient Rome. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get: --The history of the Roman Empire’s rise and fall. --An idiot-proof introduction to the great epic literature of the Roman Republic. --A survey of the Romans in arts and popular culture. --Fascinating details of some of history’s most nefarious emperors, including Nero, Caligula, and Commodus.

Discusses American history from prehistory through 2006, including brief biographical sketches of historical figures and events from popular culture.