"This collection of photographs captures the spirit of Italy in images of architecture, landscapes, and antique objects. Linda Butler strayed from the standard tourist path to create these black-and-white photographs. Sunlight and shadow fill the interiors of ancient structures and frame the yellow parchment of an eighteenth-century atlas of the heavens. Light filters through antique windows, caressing furniture created centuries ago. Sunlight seeps under the doorway of a medieval church in Lucca and shimmers in the reflections of a Venetian canal." "In a sixteenth-century model of the universe, or in books of the fifteenth century, one can sense the distilled creativity of the human mind. The presence of tradition is evident in artisans' workshops where techniques established centuries ago are still used in carving violins, building gondolas, and casting bronze." "The sixty photographs in this collection, taken with a 4" x 5" view camera, are printed in tritone reproduction emphasizing the painterly quality of the images."--Jacket.