Bøger af Martin Gani

This is an informative, visual guide to the best of Piemonte illustrated with some 190 photos. It covers the capital Turin, the Savoy royal palaces Stupinigi and Venaria, the Le Langhe region famed for its scenic vineyards and just as famed wines like Barolo, truffles and great food in general. The city of Asti, the western shore of Lake Maggiore including Stresa, Arona, Verbania, gardens of Villa Taranto nearby, Lake Orta, rice fields of Vercelli, Novara, and more...

A visual guide to the best of Tuscany illustrated with some 230 photos

Few cities are as cosmopolitan as Amsterdam where some 180 nationalities peacefully live side by side. The Venice of the north, as it's sometimes called due its picturesque canals, Amsterdam is famed all over the world for its freedom loving lifestyle, a beautiful capital, tolerant city where everyone instantly feels at home. The book explores Amsterdam as it is today through some 120 photos illustrating the city's main tourist attractions, canals, flower market, red-light district, street life, museums like the ever popular Van Gogh art gallery and much more

Around 170 works I have selected from hundreds of quality murals I have come across and photographed on my travels up and down Italy over the years. They are but a handful of what's continuously being created all over Italy, I hope to photograph other street art in the future and publish a second volume, maybe even a third, of the best.

The focus of this book is contemporary Cyprus, a visual exploration of the island's main cities both in the Turkish-speaking north and Greek-speaking south, namely capital Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta and Kyrenia as well as outstanding monuments, castles, monasteries and churches in their vicinity. In the prologue a brief history is given and why the island is still politically divided and physicallly separated into Turkish and Greek-speaking territories, explained

The author's third collection of poems this time focusing on the theme of love in all its manifestations not only romantic attachment. The poems are divided into five sections, first brings back voices from the past from well-known philosophers like Epicurus, to famed artists such as Raphael to sculptors with the calibre of Michelangelo not to mention poets Dante Alighieri and Shakespeare who express pearls of wisdom, an anecdote or an aspect of their life shedding light on the nature of love. The second section deals with living celebrities from Mick Jagger to Ed Sheeran to Mark Zuckerberg whose brief biographies, and achievements reveal how love is experienced or encountered in 21st century. In the following section poems narrate love-themed stories, 40 of them, in a light key, often with a surprise ending. The book concludes with 90 haiku

The focus of this book is contemporary Cyprus, a visual exploration of the island's small towns and villages, the Troodos Mountains, Karpaz Peninsula, Akamas Peninsula as well as outstanding monuments, castles, monasteries and churches in their vicinity, and the countryiside. In the prologue a brief history is given and why the island is still politically divided and physicallly separated into Turkish and Greek-speaking territories, explained

This is a photo essay, a picture story for adults, on the southern Italian region of Campania with Naples serving as capital. It is an attempt to highlight the vast cultural, artistic, architectural, archaeological treasures of the area blessed with a beautiful, varied countryside and scenic cities and townships dotting the coastline millions of tourists flock to see in all seasons. In 140 original photos aided by some 8,000 words the author gives a succinct, accurate account of this fascinating region exploring Naples, Salerno, the island of Capri, the archaeological sites, Pompeii and Herculaneum destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, and the ancient Greek colony, Paestum, with three still-standing temples still in amazingly good condition, before moving on to visit and photograph the famed Amalfi Coast comprising 13 townships on a coastline stretching 40 km to the west of Salerno, calling on the townships of Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano and taking in the views on a boat trip from Amalfi to Positano. The story concludes with a visit to Reggia di Caserta, the sumptuous royal palace in the outskirts of Caserta that can easily rival Versailles, and its magnificent gardens embellished with lavishly decorated fountains and cascades.

Berlin Today is the fifth in the series, City Profiles, after London, Venice, Lisbon and Florence. Again through a detailed introduction and over 140 captioned photos the reader experiences what Berlin is like today and goes on a visual discovery of the city through the eyes of the author. A lot of tourist info is also embedded to help the reader planning a visit to have an idea of how the city is organised, transport options, and admission fees to museums etc. If not planning to go but interested in Berlin, the reader can take an 'armchair trip' to the fascinating German capital, without even leaving home.

As indicated in the title, this book of photography is a guide to Italy's remarkable landscaped gardens. Twelve popular, prime tourist attractions are considered including Villa Carlotta facing Lake Como, Isola Bella off the shores of Lake Maggiore, Sigurtà Park 8 km from Lake Garda, Pralormo Castle in Piemonte, Boboli Gardens of Florence, and Villa San Michele on the island of Capri. A short description, history of each garden, official website, info on opening periods and admission fee are followed by an ample series of quality photos, over 270 of them, taking the reader on a virtual visit.

A book for language lovers, 32 chapters focusing on topics like how the English language has become the lingua franca of the world today spoken by over two billion people; closely monitored by Oxford English Dictionary, it now counts some 60 million words with new ones added every year. How does UK English differ from US English and does this hinder communication between the Brits and Americans? How do learners perceive informal American English? A chapter deals with the verbification phenomenon, another questions the custom of creating acronyms like NIMBY and BAME, familiar to some but not all. Many modern languages contain numerous loanwords from English, Japanese probably tops the list with tens of thousands of words borrowed from English though they are often disguised e.g. fast food is rendered fasutofudo, but it's still English. French shares more than 4,000 words with the same spelling and meaning in English, Italian has not only borrowed from English it has also created hybrids like cliccare (to click) or tutoraggio (tutoring). Turkish rather surprisingly has borrowed many more words from French than English. A number of chapters compares English with other languages as to how people greet each other, how they answer the phone, how they say cheers and drunk, and declare their love for eact other. How are expressions containing numbers differ in different languages. One chapter looks into untranslatable expressions e.g. the Swedish word, mångata, literally moon street, poetically describes moonlight reflecting off the water, resembling a road made of light. There's a chapter on the gender issue, how are languages in the 21st century adapting to become gender-neutral, dealing with sexists terms like, mankind and spokesman. Diacritics too is dealt with, do we really need all those dots, diaeresis, squiggles and accents? English may have gotten rid of them over the centuries but other languages need them more than ever. The book also looks at the most common names for babies around the world these days and ends with a chapter exploring the difficult concept of love, attempting to find an answer to the difficult question, what is this thing called love?

A picture story for adults, a photo essay, a guide of sorts, exploring the fascinating Italian island of Sardinia, population 1.6 million, the second largest in the Mediterranean after Sicily. Sardinia is full of surprises, offering much more than gorgeous beaches embracing turquoise waters as in the popular La Maddalena Archipelago and Stintino or even the beaches of Alghero, and Cagliari the capital, stretching for miles. Cagliari and Alghero as well as Olbia, Sassari and Nuoro all have fascinating monuments and museums to check out too not to mention a lot of street art especially in the township of Orgosolo, barely half an hour's drive from Nuoro. What's more surprising still are the numerous archaeological sites not only Roman such as Nora close to Cagliari but those of Nuragic Civilisation dated 1800 BC to 3rd-century BC. Landscapes of Sardinia with mountains soaring to 1,800 metres, awesome cloud formations fleeting across big skies, oak forests, olive groves and vineyards carpeting the sparsely populated countryside, flocks of sheep roaming pastures are truly scenic and inspiring. Via some 140 photos and 7,000 words the book aims to describe the best of Sardinia in one racy read revealing the islands untamed beauty, bucolic countryside and fascinating history and traditions.

A photo essay, picture story, on Puglia (Apulia) through 3,000 words and some 125 photos, exploring this southernmost region of Italy occupying the heel of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula. The author/ photographer visited the regional capital Bari, its warren of streets in the atmospheric, mediaeval quarter, famed monuments, seafront promenade and street markets before moving on to the quaint seaside resort of Trani and on to Castel del Monte, the 13th century, perfectly octagonal castle enigmatically standing on a hilltop. This was followed by a visit to Alberobello, the most characteristic town in the region made up of round stone buildings known as trulli with conical rooftops. The journey continued to south calling on the picturesque, whitewashed township of Ostuni perched on a hilltop overlooking a huge expanse of olive groves extending all the way to the seaside some 6 km away. Moving further south led to the city of Lecce renowned for its Baroque architecture. Finally, a visit to Otranto, the easternmost town in Italy further south still checking out the ancient castle, Norman cathedral, the scenic port harbouring fishing and leisure boats and more. The author added more chapters to the book when he returned to Puglia in September 2019 visiting the picturesque, whitewashed townships of Polignano a Mare, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Monopoli, Ceglie Messapica and Martina Franca among others as well as the neighbouring countryside embellished with olive groves, almond orchards, fig trees, prickly pears and vineyards growing on healthy red earth.

An interesting collection of 25 short stories with an Italian flavour, a number of them are actually set in Italy. The stories include several entertaining mysteries brilliantly investigated and solved by intrepid Lt. Vespucci based in New York. In another, an Italo-American travels from Dallas, Texas to Palermo, Sicily, looking for his origins, a big surprise is waiting for him. A Dog Named Kim, and Meeting Claudia Cardinale, are true stories; Violin-Maker's Secret, and An Excursion in the Alps, are based on true stories. Sometimes characters in one story reappear in another as in the case of The Runners, and The Labyrinth where father and son go to explore a real life labyrinth in the Parma province of Italy, and then go to visit a castle by the name of Fontanellato, nearby, both the labyrinth and castle are accurately described, narration is of the 'thriller' style ending with a totally unexpected surprise. Often fact and fiction mix offering interesting, factual information together with a fascinating story as in the case of, Meeting Woody Allen. Two stories, An Excursion in the Alps, and Homicide at a Film Festival are set in Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. There is a lot of romance in, An Encounter, partly taking place in Como, where the author is based, and partly in the nearby Swiss town of Lugano. A Christmas Story narrates a warm story in multi-cultural London. The Reunion tells the story of eight successful university graduates from UK meeting in a hotel in Rome, they went to the same school in UK and decide to have a reunion 20 years after leaving school, at the end of the meeting their lives will never be the same again. In the last story, Adapting to a New Country, the English teacher Lisa we first meet in, A Christmas Story, goes to the hotel in Rome where The Reunion story is taking place, like her a number of characters from other stories will also converge on this luxury hotel in Rome but I'll say no more...

A visual journey, guide, to Ticino, Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton illustrated with some 280 original photos. Latin in culture and Mediterranean in atmosphere it is unlike any place in Switzerland. Home to 350,000 inhabitants squeezed into 2,800 sqkm, it has scenic lakes and rivers; its mountains and rolling hills are crowded by skiers in winter, hikers and sunbathers in summer. Its valleys are like time capsules with jealously restored ancient villages punctuating green green pastures and woods. Ticino also has myriad cultural events from a non-mainstream international film festival at Locarno which the Variety defined '...one of the world's top half dozen fests...', jazz and classical music events, to world class art exhibitions. The regional capital, Bellinzona, is home to medieval castles whereas Lugano, the largest town in Ticino, flaunts a dynamic nightlife, fine examples of modern architecture and a wealth of cultural activities. Switzerland's best known and successful contemporary architect Mario Botta (the starchitect of San Fransisco's Museum of Modern Art, the cathedral of Evry in France, churches in Italy, a synagogue in Jerusalem) is in fact from Ticino and the whole canton is dispersed with his houses, civic buildings and churches. As an American ambassador on a visit to Ticino put it, "...these people live in a national park."

My second book in the series, City Profiles, giving an insider's account of Venice as it is today with the aid of over 120 photographs. A detailed introduction is followed by photographs with detailed captions to give an accurate, like being there, description of the magical city everyone must see at least once in a lifetime. A World Heritage Site since 1987, it is a truly unique city that began as a fishing and hunting community in 5th century AD becoming the power base of a wealthy republic boasting over 1,300 years of glorious history that can be traced in its magnificent palazzos lining the Grand Canal, the major waterway traversing the city, still standing as testimonies to Venice's architectural, artistic riches in an inimitable setting. Over 100 islands were connected by bridges to create the historical core of Venice, there are no cars, the only way to get around is on foot, by passenger boat or gondola. If the main highway through the city is the Grand Canal, a network of narrow canals spreading out from the Grand Canal make up its streets. The adjective, picturesque, hardly describes the charming, atmospheric squares, old churches, art galleries, artisans' shops, canal side cafés and restaurants not to mention the luxury hotels like Danieli and Cipriani where the rich and famous sojourn.

Haiku, three-line poetry, emerged in Japan in 16th century. Traditionally it is made up of 17 syllables divided into 5-7-5 parts and focuses on depicting nature. As the title implies, this compilation of 300 haiku does not follow this pattern nor does it only focus on nature but also philosophy, reflections on modern society, and includes a good dose of humour. Enjoy!

After London and Venice, Lisbon Today is the third in the City Profile series. A detailed introduction is followed by some 140 captioned photos giving an accurate, visual description of contemporary Lisbon. A lot of useful tourist information is also embedded in the book and a leisurely perusal of it is probably the next best thing to actually going to the fascinating Portuguese capital in person.

The aim of this book is to paint a portrait of present-day Italy; titles: Italy As Is, Contemporary Italy, or even, Only In Italy, may have been equally appropriate. The chosen title, Made in Italy, refers to what Italians create with much passion be it haute couture, or alta moda as Italians say, status cars like Ferrari, exquisite food and wine from truffles to chocolate to spumante, but also uniquely Italian style politics, education and money matters. Answers are given to questions like: What is Italy's pop music scene like, and opera, where does it come from, which are Italy's top opera houses? What sort of movies do Italians like? What kind of books do they read, how much do they read? What is modern Italian language like, what are its peculiarities, is it still heavily borrowing from English? Is Italian family, marriage institution values still intact? Where is the best place to live in Italy? How green is Italy? And finally when do Italians retire from work, how much are they paid? Can they live on it? Also included are three entertaining travelogues exploring Liguria, Le Marche and Lazio regions

25 Anni in Italia racconta la vita in Italia divertendo e informando contemporaneamente. Dà dettagli sulla vita di tutti i giorni, cultura, cibo e lingua di quest'affascinante paese dal punto di vista dell'autore residente sul Lago di Como da oltre un quarto di secolo. Attraverso 20 capitoli colmi di informazioni di ogni genere, tenta di rispondere alle domande del tipo: Perché George Clooney vive sul Lago di Como? Come mai il Grana Padano è il formaggio più consumato, quando ci sono ben altri 820 tipi tra cui scegliere. Perchè agli italiani piace 'abbellire' la loro lingua con espressioni inglesi/americani? Cosa guardano in TV? Come ha fatto l'Italia a trasformarsi in un paese multi-culturale con 5,2 milioni di stranieri nel 2016? Più interessante ancora, come mai gli immigrati cinesi sono immortali? Come si viaggia in Italia? Cosa significa guidare all'italiana? Quante fontane ci sono a Roma? Come nacque il mito di Stradivari a Cremona dove i suoi discendenti continuano a costruire violini? Cosa succede durante il carnevale di Venezia. Dove si mangia il gelato più buono, e ci si imbatte in una celebrità, nella Città Eterna? Gli italiani, come organizzano un matrimonio e quanti soldi sono disposti a spendere per 'il giorno più bello'? E tante altre domande.

Cyprus Revisited is part memoir, part travel literature and part solid journalism explaining the current issues in Cyprus regarding politics, lifestyle and economy but most of the book is focused on the cultural wealth of this fascinating Mediterranean island boasting a history that stretches back 12,000 years; Cyprus can easily be defined a cradle of civilisation.

A delightful collection of 25 short stories with an Italian flavour, a number of them are actually set in Italy. The stories include several entertaining murder mysteries brilliantly investigated and solved by intrepid Lt. Vespucci based in New York. In another, an Italo-American travels from Dallas, Texas to Palermo, Sicily, looking for his origins, he's in for a big surprise. A Canine Called Kim, and Meeting Claudia Cardinale, are true stories; Violin-Maker's Secret, and An Excursion in the Alps, are based on true stories. Sometimes characters in one story reappear in another as in the case of The Runners, and The Maze where father and son go to explore a real life maze in the Parma province of Italy, and then go on to visit a castle by the name of Fontanellato, nearby, both the maze and castle are accurately described, narration is of the 'thriller' style ending with a totally unexpected twist. Often fact and fiction blend offering interesting, factual information carried alongside a gripping story as in the case of, Meeting Woody Allen. A couple of stories, An Excursion in the Alps, and Murder Mystery at a Film Festival are set in Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. There is quite a bit of romance in, An Encounter, partly taking place in Como, where the author is based, and partly in the nearby Swiss town of Lugano. A Christmas Story is a warm tale unravelling in multi-cultural London. The Reunion, set in a Rome hotel, tells the story of eight successful university graduates from UK, they attended the same school in UK, and decide to have a reunion 20 years after leaving school, the revelations brought by one of them, is bound to turn their lives upside down. In the last story, Fitting In, the English teacher Lisa we first meet in, A Christmas Story, goes to Rome where The Reunion story is taking place, like her a number of characters from other stories will also converge on this luxury hotel in Rome but I'll say no more...

This is the 4th in the series, City Profiles, giving an accurate description of Florence as it is today via a detailed introduction and some 120 photos with informative captions. Like the other books in the series devoted to, London, Venice and Lisbon, this too focuses on the city's monuments, artistic heritage and lifestyle revealing a lot of tourist information too in the process. If you want to take a virtual tour of Italy's prime Renaissance city, this book is for you.

A visual guide to the best of Rome illustrated with some 220 photos