I have a very large collection of cookery books, some packed with recipes, others more inspirational 'reading' books. This book falls into the latter category. It is a culinary journey through the Italian regions. Each chapter introduces the area/region and includes a few recipes drawn from that region. So, for example, the chapter on Lombardy has risotto; buckwheat pasta with cabbage, beans & cheese, and a sponge cake sandwiched with mascarpone cheese originating from southern Lombardy. There will be an outline of regional produce such as cheeses or wine.
I enjoyed reading about regions which are less well-known or whose cuisine is seldom seen outside Italy. By way of example, from Alto-Adige come recipes for ricotta dumplings with porcini sauce & for goulash; from Friuli, there is bean & sauerkraut soup (certainly not my cup of tea!), roast venison with pine needles, & fish goulash; from the Marche, there are deep fried stuffed olives.
There are some recipes which I do use such as the timbale of aubergines with Parmesan and tomatoes, pasta n'Casciata (pasta timbale), chickpea fritters to serve with stews, all of these from Sicily; a ravioli recipe from Sardinia using Pecorino, my favourite Italian cheese.
Altough I don't use this book to cook with on a regular basis, it nice to just pick it up and browse with a glass of Italian wine.