New Author Patty Civalleri Rethinks Travel Books and Reaps Rewards

Independent author Patty Civalleri has created a new take on travel with her latest book in her DEEP TRAVEL Series, FLORENCE Gems & Giants. Civalleri’s goal was to develop and publish the kind of travel book that she could never locate throughout her extensive global travels, one that creatively shares the highlights and substance of a city.  Her “FLORENCE” book accomplished that and much more.  Civalleri is now taking home the awards and sales along with critical acclaim that overwhelmingly confirms her book’s worthiness.

The critics and readers have agreed that Civalleri’s approach to travel guides is a game changer, and that the time is right for a new kind of travel book.  Her method, along with writing style, graphics, and content earned it the prestigious Independent Author Network “IAN” Award granting it First Place for the Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2017 (which included a $1,500 cash award). Several weeks earlier, it was awarded the coveted IRWIN AWARD (Trophy) for The Best International Travel Book of the Year 2017. In all, her new book has garnered six literary awards to date.  The book has also appeared on five of Amazon’s Best Seller Lists, including book categories for Travel, Italy, Renaissance History, Art History, and Florence.

Her “FLORENCE” book fits the definition of the books she had previously looked for throughout her global travels. “Due to the current high level of distractions, today’s travelers have a very short attention span and don’t seem to want the burden of heavy reading during their vacation,” said Patty. With this key fact in mind, Civalleri packed her book with creative content including little-known trivia, fascinating factoids, great storytelling, and nearly 500 of her own photos and images.  When covering historical topics, her prose comes alive to the ease and satisfaction of her readers.  “The idea is to scoop up lots of information about the city without feeling like you are working for it,” said Civalleri. This plan creates the ideal book for the tourist that wants to know more and to do more than simply eat and drink when they arrive at or pass through their destination.

“The idea was to avoid wasting pages on places to sleep, eat, and drink. This information changes often, is readily found online, as well as in most other travel books. My goal was to shoot the arrow directly into the heart of what makes that city tick, and in Florence’s case, it was the Renaissance. The sheer fact that guys I already knew all came from Florence was truly enlightening to me: Michelangelo, Donatello, da Vinci, Botticelli, Galileo, Dante, Machiavelli, Raphael, the infamous Medici, and many more,” said Civalleri.

With such an impactful history, Civalleri bristles when she hears that people swoop into Florence, find  a meal and a drink, maybe see a museum, then leave the city without having a clue as to why they went there in the first place.

To round out the Italian DEEP TRAVEL Series, Civalleri is coming to market with complementary follow-up travel books for Venice (nearly complete) and Rome. “These books are not corporate-made cookie-cutter template books,” she declared. “Rather, it is important to me that the format of each book is driven solely by the story and heart of that city.”

Civalleri has created a recipe for deep travelers that is proving irresistible. She shot nearly all of the photos in the book during her 3-month stay in Florence. She coupled this with her 20+ years of writing, marketing, and graphic design, and threw in her passion for history and story-telling. Her book is an excellent way for travelers get so much more for their vacation dollars when they pass through Florence with more than a full stomach – they will come away as the smartest person in the room.

For more information, visit ItalyTravelBooks.com or simply search Patty Civalleri on Amazon.