Castles of the World

by Gianni Guadalupi, Gabriele Reina

Palatial structures set in the tranquil green countryside or austere strongholds atop unassailable crags, the castles of the world — so often marked by extravagant architecture, enormous parks, richly furnished rooms, turbulent histories and an aura of legend and mystery — are still landmarks of geography and the collective imagination. Castles tell the history of lands that throughout the centuries have been ravaged by war; they range from centuries-old defensive towers made from bare stone to resplendent residences built by 18th- and 19th-century monarchs and magnates.In the defense or conquest of castles, men have fought and died. To beautify them, legions of artists and architects have been drafted into service; to maintain them, marriages and alliances have been forged between great families and great fortunes. Kings and queens, princes and prelates, aristocrats, favorites and courtiers have inhabited their magnificent rooms; ghosts that live on in memory are said to descend the wide marble staircases, plot vendettas in secret rooms, or dance to ancient melodies before the immense fireplaces of vast salons.Leafing through the pages of this volume, dwelling on the superb photographs and rich descriptions, is to visit the world's most fascinating castles. To enter these historic buildings, to climb narrow spiral stairs and to pass through ancient chambers and dusty libraries is to embark upon a journey of discovery and to encounter the power and the pageantry, the splendor and the brilliance of a great chapter in our history.Gianni Guadalupi has worked in the publishing industry as a writer, translator, and editor of anthologies for 30 years, dealing in particular with the literature of real and imaginary voyages. He edits several travel series, including the Impossible Guides. He has published numerous successful works on history and travel, including The Discovery of the Nile (1997), China Revealed (2003), and The Holy Bible (2003). He has also collaborated on The Art of Being a Wolf, The Art of Being a Lion and The Art of Being an Elephant .Gabriele Reina was born in Lugano, Italy. He studied under a "futurist" architect in Siena, and graduated in Milan with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and Art History. For a number of years he served as Managing Editor for Franco Maria Ricci, where he and Gianni Guadalupi worked together on several publications. He is currently the curator of one of the leading private art collections in Europe.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, Architecture, Coffee Table Books, Reference

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Alfred Haplo · Rating 3 out of 5]

UPDATED MAY 2, 2019: Castle bucket list updated with pretty pictures.

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ORIGINAL REVIEW MAY 10, 2017:
My fantasy is not just to travel, but to travel with unlimited opportunities. Suffice to say, that fantasy remains unfulfilled. My imagination though, has no temporal and fiscal constraints. It goes where the mind will lead.

For a token sum at a charity thrift store, I bought an hour’s delight of shots upon panoramic shots of color-splashing gorgeous photos of breathtakingly beautiful castles, many worthy of sublimed superlatives. The pictorial journey begins in Portugal and makes its way generally eastward across Europe to Asia and finally, ending with Northern America in this large coffee-table hardcover. The USA made the list with a… castillo (more fort than castle) where patriotism obliges me to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but honesty compels me to acknowledge ’tis not my eye.

I think of castles as living stones. They have felt much, heard much, witnessed much, and as long as they stand, will continue to create gentler history unlike their usually more violent past. Every birth and death, scandal and celebration, sweat and tear, etched in the past is re-lived by imagination. Most are now preserved as museums, where old memories mingle with new ones from present day interlopers visiting a historical landmark. Some are still working castles as venues for state dinners, schools and weddings.

The sixty featured here come with brief descriptions of their genesis and architectural uniqueness, though many famous castles are missing too. While their absence is noted, it is not grumpily felt as everything can be searched on the internet. It is much more fun, though, to read a heavy book nestling comfortably on my lap, and dream away at these pictures until I see them in person someday.

Anyway, this is just a terrible excuse to take a moment’s respite, and an even more terrible review lazily summed up as - I like pretty things. I like castles. I like pretty castles. I like pretty every castle.

Ratings for pix only, 4-stars. Overall presentation, between 2 and 3 stars.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gianni Guadalupi’s Castles of the World shows the splendors of castles, inside and outside, throughout the world. Some of these castles are ‘centuries old’ and were built for defensive purposes. Others were built in the ‘18th & 19th centuries’ by rulers or CEOs. Regardless, this is a ideal coffee table book to see and experience the fabulous structures and to dream! 5 stars!

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a coffee table book of photography I received for Christmas. It spans everything from the grand palaces of Windsor to the more obscure palatial structures, even one in Ethiopia! Having been fortunate enough to have visited a few of these in my younger days, I know that pictures just do not do them justice. A nice gift I will enjoy looking at again and again.

[Becky Galambos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reference book for those of us interested in castles of the world. Stuffed full of stunning full color pictures of both the exteriors and interiors and background information in each individual castle. So much more than I was expecting. The last book I picked up like this had just pictures, where the castle was and the name. This is SO MUCH MORE than your average coffee table book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing leaves a bit to be desired- there's so much more to be said about each of these amazing landmarks! The photography is absolutely stunning, though, so I'm glad that I picked up a copy of this book.

[⚔️Kelanth⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro fotografico davvero spettacolare e meraviglioso.

Questo volume è di grande formato e le foto sono stampate su carta patinata, rendendo ancor più gratificante lo sfogliare delle pagine; il libro presenta tutti i grandi e più belli castelli del mondo, corredati da una breve storia degli stessi.

Il volume è ben realizzato ed è bello percorrere le varie epoche e i diversi stili architettonici usati dalle varie popolazioni che costruirono queste meraviglie che innalzano lo spirito umano.

Un "must have" per gli amanti di queste costruzioni che inizialmente furono delle fortificazioni, poi vennero eletti a dimore signorili.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got at a close-out at B&N. It's just OK. Some of the pictures are great, but many are not. Given there's 4 - 12 photos of each location, ever photo should be tops. The mini-histories of each castle are widely varied in quality.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars cuz... castles! 😍

[Lynn Bingaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had visited some of the castles in this book, but after reading this, I wanted to visit more! It was a little heavy on the descriptions andmany of the captions repeated what was in the text.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Castles of the World
Guadalupi, Gianni
a very large print book with beautiful pictures of castles of the world