cover image Italy from the Air

Italy from the Air

Folco Quilici. ABRAMS, $49.5 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-8109-1117-8

Italian photographer and filmmaker Quilici masterfully demonstrates that ""from the sky Italy often provides images that cannot be appreciated from the ground, particularly now that the living museum that Italy used to be has been transformed and partly devastated by progress.'' Evocative images include a picture of Palermo where 18th century villas decay under the onslaught of unbridled development. Natural erosion due to freezes, thaws, water and winds has created the so-called ``pyramids'' of the Adige Alps, sculpting the rock into tall, slender spires. An aerial view of the 16th century fortified city of Palmanova reveals its ingenious nine-point star design. The tradition of the live chess game, depicted here, is a biennial event in Marostica and dates back to 1545, when two rival suitors dueled with chessmen rather than swords. Also featured is Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen's octagonal castle in Puglia; built in 1240, it is said to represent the eight-sided crown of the Holy Roman Empire. (September)