The Slow Food Movement was conceived in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, after learning that a McDonalds was to open at the base of the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. As the name suggests, the organization was founded to counter the fast food culture. So at a conference in 1989, what had started as an amusing idea became a world-wide movement that now has over 50,000 members in 50 countries, including Britain and the United States. This is their guide to Italian wines, which provides a region-by-region profile of the producers and their wines. Excellent pages with slight edge-wear.