When viewed as works of art, signs can tell us quite a lot about the culture that created them. Reflecting on four decades of engagement with European style, designer Louise Fili presents these collections, each featuring more than 200 of her page-filling color photographs of eclectic, sometimes extravagant signs.

Italy has always been Louise Fili's artistic mecca, inspiring her to travel through the cities and countryside cataloging the work of sign craftsmen working in wrought iron, enamel, ceramic, or neon. Traditional signs exhibiting distinctly Italian elegance are here, alongside Futurist (and fascist) mosaics. Most charming of all, perhaps, are the beach clubs of the Tuscan Riviera, whose entrance arches feature freestanding letters spelling out such illustrious names as "Della Spora" and "Vespucci."