Dreaming of Italy : Las Vegas and the virtual grand tour / text by Giovanna Franci, photographs by Federico Zignani ; afterword by José Gamez.

Main entry:

Franci, Giovanna.

Title & Author:

Dreaming of Italy : Las Vegas and the virtual grand tour / text by Giovanna Franci, photographs by Federico Zignani ; afterword by José Gamez.

Publication:

Description:

157 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 28 cm

Notes:
"Translated by Debra Lyn Christie"--Title page verso.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 156-157).
1. Introduction : Las Vegas and the postmodern grand tour -- 2. Las Vegas, from gambling mecca to postmodern icon -- 3. The grand tour in Italy revisited -- 4. Theoretical digressions : the beautiful, the ugly ... the fake -- 5. Italian-Themed resorts : Caesars Palace, the bellagio, the Venetian : the copies and the originals -- Afterword / José Gamez.
Also issued online.

Summary:

Giovanna Franci compares three Las Vegas Italian-themed resorts - Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and The Venetian - to their Italian counterparts: the ancient Forum in Rome, the breathtaking Lake Como resort town of Bellagio, and eternal Venice, jewel of the Adriatic. Franci not only examines architectural format and decorative details but considers how the mystique of these Italian sites has been transplanted to the Nevada desert. In the process, she addresses the compelling phenomena of modern mass tourism and post-modern travelers to whom the distinction between the "real" and the "fake" is often far less important than the appeal of a destination that allows a visitor to make a "virtual Grand Tour" within the confines of a single city. Federico Zignani's photographs bring to life the physical details and ambiance of both the Las Vegas resorts and their Italian inspirations.

ISBN:

0874176107
9780874176100

Subject:

Architectural design Nevada Las Vegas.
Resort architecture Nevada Las Vegas.
Architectural design Italy History.
Design architectural Nevada Las Vegas.
Architecture des lieux de villégiature Nevada Las Vegas.
Design architectural Italie Histoire.
Architectural design.
Buildings.
Resort architecture.
Travel.
Las Vegas (Nev.) Buildings, structures, etc.
Las Vegas (Nev.) Description and travel.
Italy Description and travel.
Italie Descriptions et voyages.
Italy.
Nevada Las Vegas.

Form/genre:

History.

Added entries:

Zignani, Federico.

Holdings:

Location: Library main 242468
Call No.: NA735.L37 F72 2005
Status: Available

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