Composers' Houses

There is an endless fascination with the way people of genius live, as demonstrated by Vendome's highly successful Writer's Houses. This delightful sequel takes readers around the world from Mozart's home in Salzburg to Chopin's in Nohant, where he conducted a passionate affair with Georges Sand. Here are also the astonishing houses of great operatic composers: Richard Wagner's Haus Wahnfried at Bayreuth (where Adolph Hitler was a frequent guest), Giacomo Puccini's luxurious villa at Torre del Lago, its walls still lined with photographs, or the Villa de Sant'Agata where Guiseppe Verdi wrote most of "Nabucco," "Othello," "Rigoletto," and "Aida."

The author, Gerard Gefen, brilliantly links each of the composers' houses, work and life in a beautiful, all-color book that was years in the making.