Travel Guidebooks to the World's Most Romantic Cities
-
Venice Edition is Out
Yes, finally, the 2023 First Edition of The Princess Guide to Venice is out, all 340 pages of it. It’s available for sale in paperback and ebook formats on Amazon. I hope to be able to re-format both the Rome and Venice editions in Kobo format this year for those of you who prefer it…
-
Designing a Cover
For the Venice edition, I knew I wanted a similar look to the Rome book, a woman sporting a hat that symbolized the city, since it’s a series. I also wondered if I should add a mask, this being Venice. So I drew some rough sketches. This first one looked promising, but the mood wasn’t…
-
New Editions coming in January, 2023
Following my trip to Italy last month, I’m finalizing the Second Edition of The Princess Guide to Rome, which will be available on January 4th, 2023. **UPDATE** Pre-Order The Princess Guide to Rome to receive Early Bird Pricing, only until January 4th, 2023 I’m also writing the long-awaited second guidebook, The Princess Guide to Venice, which…
-
What’s so great about historical fiction?
It can feel like a waste of time looking at stuff you don’t understand. That’s no way to spend a holiday. So how do you figure out what to see in advance? Choose a period, location or historical figure that interests you, and start reading related fictional stories that are based on historical fact.
-
Review: The Marriage Portrait
Florence, 1544 to 1561 A.D. Masterfully written, this is the tale of the little-known (and heretofore little researched) Lucrezia Medici, daughter of Cosimo I and Eleanora di Toledo, who died at the age of 17, at the hands of her husband, Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. Or did she…
-
Review: Titian, His Life
Venice, 1488 to 1576 A.D. Sheila Hale’s non-fiction biography is widely acknowledged as the most thoroughly researched and engaging account of Titian’s life and works that exists. Using legal records, letters, contemporary accounts and knowledge gained from recent restoration work on his paintings, she reveals the enigma that was Tiziano Vecellio.
-
Review: The Master of all Desires
Paris, France, late 1556 to 1571 A.D. The Master of all Desires, by Judith Merkle Riley is more of a fun fantasy romp than most historical fiction books, with a decidedly ghoulish sense of humour. Featuring appearances by Catherine de Medici, and an aging Nostradamus.
-
Review: Murder of a Medici Princess
Florence, 1542 to 1612 In Murder of a Medici Princess, Caroline P. Murphy, takes a wide view of the life and times of Isabella, daughter of Cosimo I, and his son, Francesco, to give full context to the scandal of how Isabella and her young cousin, Eleonora di Garzia di Toledo (aka Dianora) were both…
-
Review: The Ruby Ring
Rome, 1515 to 1520 A.D. The relationship between the great Renaissance artist, Raffaello Sanzio and his mistress and secret fiancée, Margherita Luti, is the subject of this intriguing historical fiction tale.
-
Venice and the Cruise Ship Dilemma
Is there anything more distressing for visitors to Venice than the presence of a giant modern cruise liner looming over the city’s tiny canals? Gone is any semblance of romance or old-world ambience. Instead, this Godzilla-like thing hovers over the city, effectively photo-bombing all your shots and casting a long shadow over the outdoor terraces.…
-
Book of the Month
So tickled to report that The Princess Guide to Rome was featured as the Book of the Month by Where Rome magazine. Download the PDF here: Where Rome, June 14 issue HI RES-page59
-
Hey, we won an award!
Check out the snazzy award we won for the cover design of The Princess Guide To Rome! I nearly fell off my chair when I heard. “… great approach for this “cheeky, fun” guide to Rome. I love the simplicity and economy of the illustration style, as well as the tongue-in-cheek series logo. Just great.”…
-
Are Fashion Houses the new Medici benefactors?
Many of Italy’s great works of art and iconic cultural heritage sites are badly in need of restoration. But with a government in flux, and the Italian economy in a protracted economic recession, very little public funding has been allocated to these projects. Despite a rise in tourism, ticket sales alone are not enough to…
-
Why call it a “Princess Guide”?
Ay yi yi… Princess is such a loaded term these days, isn’t it? Being a fierce little feminist, I really struggled with whether to use it at all. And yet, I kept getting such an incredible reaction to it. Even from the cynics. And the feminists. When people asked me, “So, what’s new?” I would…
-
What Not To Wear: Trastevere, Rome
Can you spot the tourists? There are 8. Maybe more. (Click the photo to enlarge it.) For better service and to avoid being overcharged, leave your shorts at home. They may seem like a comfortable, sensible choice, but in European cities, shorts are only ever worn by children under 18, not grownups. Even in summer.…
Got any book recommendations?
Princess Guide Books 