SAVOURING ITALY

In 1983 the Belgian born photographer Robert Freson published "The Taste of France" which launched a new genre of "culinary landscape" photographic cookbooks. Freson's new book "Savouring Italy", is his multi-faceted portrait of the food, people and landscape of 14 regions of Italy. With these photographs he captures the fading images of a classic Italy which is passing away before our eyes as technology alters traditional culinary methods and as new modes of high-speed transportation blur regional boundaries. Freson's exquisite pictures reveal the true spirit of an ancient and beautiful land and provide an eloquent record of a place that may look very different tomorrow. The text is provided by a range of international contributors who use the pictures as a springboard for their own statements about Italy - it's cuisine, people and civilization. The 14 regions are broken down into 9 chapters, each of which has an introductory essay, and the recipes for each area are gathered directly from the regional chefs and cooks whose faces, foods and kitchens are featured in the photographs.