Love And War in the Apennines by Eric Newby

Lonely Planet Love & War in the Apennines (Travel Literature)

Eric Newby escapes through a hospital window to become a POW on the run in Italy in 1943. With the Nazis moving in from the north and no certain way back to England, his situation appears grim. But with the help of local farmers and villagers, who risk their lives to shelter him, he survives. Hiding in shepherds' huts and even a cave, he achieves three precious months of freedom - and meets the determined and courageous woman who would become his wife.

Love and War in the Apennines is an intimate account of the horror and surrealism of war, and of the heroism and selflessness of those caught up in its madness. Eric Newby creates an unforgettable record of the resilience of human nature in the face of despair, and forcefully remind us of the pointlessness of war.

A Fez of the Heart: Travels around Turkey in Search of a Hat

A Fez of the Heart: Travels around Turkey in Search of a Hat


What is more Turkish than the fez? Almost anything, as it turns out. Just two years after Turkey was officially proclaimed a republic in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk outlawed the fez. For Ataturk, the maroon felt headgear foisted on Turkey's turbaned Ottoman precursors by a similarly reform-minded ruler, Mahmud II, just 100 years earlier, symbolized Turkey's backwardness?unlike the European hats Ataturk himself favored. It's not taking anything away from the book to say that first-time author Seal, after traipsing through Ankara, Istanbul, Cappadocia and many much more obscure Turkish towns (as well as the Moroccan city of Fez), doesn't discover the origins of the fez. But aided by fluent Turkish (it fails him once when he believes a host has invited him to hunt Kurds, only to discover that the game is kurts, or wolves) and wry sensibility, he does offer both an engaging, often very funny travelogue and real insights into Turkey's troubled balancing act between modernity and tradition, between Europe and Islam. For those who were surprised by the plurality gained by Turkey's pro-Islamic Refah (or Welfare) Party in the most recent elections, Seal's book shows that we could all learn a lot from a hat.

Tracks by Robyn Davidson a desert odyssey through Australia on camel

Tracks

A cult classic with an ever-growing audience, Tracks is the brilliantly written and frequently hilarious account of a young woman's odyssey through the deserts of Australia, with no one but her dog and four camels as companions. Davidson emerges as a heroine who combines extraordinary courage with exquisite sensitivity.

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail


In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to fulfill a dream and hike the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller's account of this thru-hike along the entire 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine. On page after page, readers are treated to rich descriptions of the valleys and mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the life-changing moments that can only be experienced when dreams are pursued. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about safety and proper gear, with a view into a professional hiker's preparations and tenacity. This is not merely a travel guide, but a beautifully written and highly personal view into one man's adventure and what it means to make a lifelong vision come true.

Great Travel narratives books for your trip to Italy

Great Travel narratives books for your trip to Italy http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/travel-tips-and-articles/66656?affil=fb-fan



An Italian Education (Tim Parks). Parks takes a witty and observant look at the society around him as he watches his children navigate the Italian school system. In an earlier work, Italian Neighbours, he viewed a wider panorama, observing everything from Catholicism to racism.

Heel to Toe: Encounter in the South of Italy (Charles Lister). Lister explores the glory and sadness of the south in his trip aboard a clapped-out moped.

Travel Narrative of the Day: Quest for the Sublime: Finding Nature's Secret in Switzerland by @richardbangs

Travel Narrative of the Day: Quest for the Sublime: Finding Nature's Secret in Switzerland by @richardbangs http://tinyurl.com/SwitzBook

In addition to being a picturesque setting for organized tours into the wild, Switzerland has long been considered the birthplace of adventure travel and the wellspring of eco-tourism. Byron, Shelly, Keats, and Wordsworth all traveled to Switzerland, and upon reaching the Swiss Alps the word they chose to describe what they saw was, not surprisingly, sublime. Here, Richard Bangs embarks upon a new adventure to discover what sublime truly meant to those early travelers and to know how the experiences of past poets and artists transformed the concept of travel. Along the way Bangs examines questions surrounding natural resources, finding answers in Switzerland that may serve as examples for the rest of the world.

With Few Reservations: Travels at Home and Abroad by Peter I. Rose

With Few Reservations is a collection of forty-eight engaging commentaries that were written by the sociologist, traveler, and photographer, Peter Rose, editor of the magazine, SoGoNow.com. They offer lively takes on what a travel writer does, "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves", and vivid descriptions of what it is like to enjoy "Austrian Ambiance in the Green Mountains of Vermont" and "Italian Culture in a Swiss Canton." He helps us to understand the reason so many people are "Stoop-Shouldered in Sanibel" and have conversions in the Arizona desert.

How do you enjoy "Moorish Arches and Other Spanish Delights" or spend quality time in "Sarajevo Today?" Come along on a "Northwest Passage across Europe," or take a cruise in "Liner Luxury" and sail on windjammers "Plain and Fancy." Visit many special venues - from Cape Cod to Cape Horn and Arizona to Zeeland, in the Netherlands. Go "Behind the Scenes" in the travel business with a knowledgeable expert. Several photo essays offer new insights relating to places and people-and offer some hindsight as well. These sojourns form the core of the forty-eight stories in With Few Reservations.

With Few Reservations: Travels at Home and Abroad
Peter I. Rose