To the mind curious in contrasts-surely one of the chief pleasures of travel- there can be no better preparation for a descent into Italy than a sojourn among the upper Swiss valleys. To pass from the region of the obviously picturesque-the country contrived, it would seem, for the delectation of the coeur ??? po???sie facile-to that sophisticated landscape where the face of nature seems moulded by the passions and imaginings of man, is one of the most suggestive transitions in the rapidly diminishing range of such ...
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To the mind curious in contrasts-surely one of the chief pleasures of travel- there can be no better preparation for a descent into Italy than a sojourn among the upper Swiss valleys. To pass from the region of the obviously picturesque-the country contrived, it would seem, for the delectation of the coeur ??? po???sie facile-to that sophisticated landscape where the face of nature seems moulded by the passions and imaginings of man, is one of the most suggestive transitions in the rapidly diminishing range of such experiences. Nowhere is this contrast more acutely felt than in one of the upper Grisons villages. The anecdotic Switzerland of the lakes is too remote from Italy, geographically and morally, to evoke a comparison. The toy chalet, with its air of self-conscious neatness, making one feel that if one lifted the roof it would disclose a row of tapes and scissors, or the shining cylinders of a musical box, suggests cabinet-work rather than architecture; the swept and garnished streets, the precise gardens, the subjugated vines, present the image of an old maid's paradise that would be thrown into hopeless disarray by the introduction of anything so irregular as a work of art. In the Grisons, however, where only a bald grey pass divides one from Italy, its influence is felt, in a negative sense, in the very untidiness of the streets, the rank growth of weeds along the base of rough glaring walls, the drone of flies about candidly-exposed manure-heaps. More agreeably, the same influence shows itself in the rude old centaur-like houses, with their wrought-iron window-grilles and stone escutcheons surmounting the odorous darkness of a stable. These are the houses of people conscious of Italy, who have transplanted to their bleak heights, either from poverty of invention, or an impulse as sentimental as our modern habit of "collecting," the thick walls, the small windows, the jutting eaves of dwellings designed under a sultry sky. So vivid is the reminiscence that one almost expects to see a cypress leaning against the bruisedpeach-coloured walls of the village douane; but it is just here that the contrast accentuates itself. The cypress, with all it stands for, is missing.
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Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $2.36, good condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by HarperCollins.
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This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $2.63, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Ecco Press.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $2.63, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Ecco Press.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds (Ecco Travels) to cart. $2.65, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Ecco Press.
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Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $2.81, good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Ecco Press.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $3.75, good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by HarperCollins.
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Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $5.00, very good condition, Sold by Gail P Kennon Book-Comber rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from West New York, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by The Ecco Press.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $5.49, good condition, Sold by Wagon Wheel Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from DFW, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Ecco Press.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $6.43, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Italian Backgrounds to cart. $7.00, very good condition, Sold by Heritage Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southampton, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by The Ecco Press.
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Very Good + No DJ. Third Printing. n/a. 12mo = 7-9" 214pp. Softcover. Clean interior and exterior. No highlights or markings in text. Strong and tight binding.
