Italian pleasures

As enchanting and irresistible as Italy itself, these evocative and personal essays by expatriates David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell conjure up the varied delights and delicacies of Italy, where they now live. In alternating essays - published here for the first time - the authors vividly render the joys and surprises of their adopted homeland, including iced cappuccino, umbrella pines, the nuances of language, window shopping, the names and shapes of pasta, boys leaning against a wall, and sidewalk art made of dried flowers. The authors have also interspersed short excerpts from their favorite writers, including Mary McCarthy, D. H. Lawrence, Carlo Levi, and Edith Wharton. Whimsical illustrations by Elvis Swift complement this distinctive and delightful portrait of a country and its culture.