One can not only read facts about food and cooking in Italy, one also learns about history, climate of different regions, religion, culture and traditions.  Each photo has a caption.  Green colored boxes provide additional information.  There are 3 recipes for traditional favorites with measurements in both standard and metric systems.  Books for further information and websites provide more recipes and facts about Italy.  A glossary and index are included.  This book is a good resource for those looking for country information.