A Brief History of Italy

A Brief History of Italy PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Robinson
ISBN: 1472140885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
'Jeremy Black skilfully sketches social, cultural and political trends' - Christina Hardyment, Times audiobook of the week 'A remarkable mixture of cold history, wide culture and personal experience' Ciro Paoletti, Secretary General of the Italian Commission of Military History Despite the Roman Empire's famous 500-year reign over Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East, Italy does not have the same long national history as states such as France or England. Divided for much of its history, Italy's regions have been, at various times, parts of bigger, often antagonistic empires, notably those of Spain and Austria. In addition, its challenging and varied terrain made consolidation of political control all the more difficult. This concise history covers, in very readable fashion, the formative events in Italy's past from the rise of Rome, through a unified country in thrall to fascism in the first half of the twentieth century right up to today. The birthplace of the Renaissance and the place where the Baroque was born, Italy has always been a hotbed of culture. Within modern Italy country there is fierce regional pride in the cultures and identities that mark out Tuscany, Rome, Sicily and Venice to name just a few of Italy's many famous regions. Jeremy Black draws on the diaries, memoirs and letters of historic travellers to Italy to gain insight into the passions of its people, first chronologically then regionally. In telling Italy's story, Black examines what it is that has given Italians such cultural clout - from food and drink, music and fashion, to art and architecture - and explores the causes and effects of political events, and the divisions that still exist today.

An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia

An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia PDF Author: Desmond Seward
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1907973761
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 469

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Book Description
An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia is the story of the heel of Italy - Puglia - as told by past and present day travellers. It has beautiful landscapes, cave towns and frescoed grotto churches, wonderful old cities with Romanesque cathedrals, Gothic castles and a wealth of Baroque architecture. And yet, while far from inaccessible, until quite recently it was seldom visited by tourists. This portrait of Apulia concentrates on the Apulian people down the ages. Conquerors, whether Messapians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans, Angevins, Germans or Spaniards, have all left their mark on the region in a cultural palimpsest that at first sight bewilders, but which hugely repays investigation. Arranged in short chapters, the narrative travels from north to south, making it an ideal companion for exploring Apulia by car. The Gazetteer, which is cross-referenced to the main text, highlights cities, churches, cathedrals, castles and sites of historical importance to the visitor. For travellers on the ground or students at their desks, this elegant, cloth-bound book will prove invaluable.

A Brief History of Italy

A Brief History of Italy PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Robinson
ISBN: 1472140885
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Jeremy Black skilfully sketches social, cultural and political trends' - Christina Hardyment, Times audiobook of the week 'A remarkable mixture of cold history, wide culture and personal experience' Ciro Paoletti, Secretary General of the Italian Commission of Military History Despite the Roman Empire's famous 500-year reign over Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East, Italy does not have the same long national history as states such as France or England. Divided for much of its history, Italy's regions have been, at various times, parts of bigger, often antagonistic empires, notably those of Spain and Austria. In addition, its challenging and varied terrain made consolidation of political control all the more difficult. This concise history covers, in very readable fashion, the formative events in Italy's past from the rise of Rome, through a unified country in thrall to fascism in the first half of the twentieth century right up to today. The birthplace of the Renaissance and the place where the Baroque was born, Italy has always been a hotbed of culture. Within modern Italy country there is fierce regional pride in the cultures and identities that mark out Tuscany, Rome, Sicily and Venice to name just a few of Italy's many famous regions. Jeremy Black draws on the diaries, memoirs and letters of historic travellers to Italy to gain insight into the passions of its people, first chronologically then regionally. In telling Italy's story, Black examines what it is that has given Italians such cultural clout - from food and drink, music and fashion, to art and architecture - and explores the causes and effects of political events, and the divisions that still exist today.

Italy

Italy PDF Author: Anne Calcagno
Publisher: Travelers' Tales
ISBN:
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 478

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Book Description
Collects stories of travels in Italy by such authors as Tim Parks, Francesayes, Matthew Spender, Stanley Crouch, and Mary Taylor Simeti.

A Traveller's History of Italy

A Traveller's History of Italy PDF Author: Valerio Lintner
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
"A Traveller's History of Italy" analyzes the development of the Italian people from pre-historic times right through to the imaginative, resourceful, and fiercely independent Italians we know today.

Between Salt Water and Holy Water

Between Salt Water and Holy Water PDF Author: Tommaso Astarita
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393058642
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
The history of southern Italy is entirely distinct from that of northern Italy (the two regions were distinct cultural and political entities until 1868), but it has never been given its own historical due. The myriad influences that shaped modern civilisation in the Mediterranean come together in southern Italy and Sicily - the region once known as the 'Kingdom of the Two Sicilies'. What the rest of the world recognises as Italian culture - from opera to pizza - was born in the South. Yet negative images of its poverty, violence, superstition and nearness to Africa fuelled stereotypes of what was and was not acceptably 'European'. From the Normans and Angevins through Spanish and Bourbon rule to the unification of Italy, historian Tommaso Astarita explores the intellectual, religious, economic and political history of this fascinating region and delivers an accessibly written book that is not just colourful and scholarly but also wholly engrossing.

A Traveller's History of Venice

A Traveller's History of Venice PDF Author: Peter Mentzel
Publisher: Interlink Books
ISBN: 9781566566117
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A Traveller’s History of Venice offers a concise and readable overview of the history of Venice from the fifth century AD to the present day. The main theme is the unique place that Venice has occupied in the history of Europe in general and in Italy in particular. While Venice has been politically part of united Italy since 1866, its development tied it as much to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant as to the Italian peninsula. It is this rich cultural mix that has made Venice such a fascinating, magical place. With a historical gazetteer, chronology of major events, and special reference features on the islands in the lagoon, the history of the gondola, Venice’s churches, museums and art galleries, this book is an invaluable companion to students and visitors to this unique city.

Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo

Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo PDF Author: Tim Parks
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393348822
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
The bestselling author of "Italian Neighbors" returns with a wry and revealing portrait of Italian life--by riding its trains.

A Traveller's History of Spain

A Traveller's History of Spain PDF Author: Juan Lalaguna
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group
ISBN: 9781566563246
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
This book will unlock the secrets of Spain's vibrant and colorful past, its people and culture for the interested traveler. It takes the reader on a journey from the earliest settlements on the Iberian Peninsula, through the influences of the Romans, the Goths, and the Muslims, the traumas of expansion and the end of the Empire, right up to the present. Maps and line drawings.

The Wine Atlas of Italy and Traveller's Guide to the Vineyards

The Wine Atlas of Italy and Traveller's Guide to the Vineyards PDF Author: Burton Anderson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN:
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description


Italy and the Grand Tour

Italy and the Grand Tour PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300099775
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
For members of the social elite in 18th-century England, extended travel for pleasure came to be considered part of an ideal education as well as an important symbol of social status. Italy, and especially Rome - a fashionable, exciting, and comfortable city - became the focus of such early tourists' interest. In this book, historian Jeremy Black recreates the actual tourist experiences of those who travelled to Italy on a Grand Tour. Relying on the private diaries and personal letters of travellers, rather than on the self-conscious accounts of literary travellers who wrote for wider audiences, the book presents an authentic picture of how British tourists experienced Italy, its landscapes, women, food, music, Catholicism, and more. illustrations, the book highlights the discrepancy between the idealised view of the Grand Tour and its reality: what people were meant to do was not necessarily what they did, what the guide books described as splendid was not always so perceived. Black quotes British visitors as they reflect on their trips, and he discusses what their Italian experiences meant to them. And he considers the intriguing effects of tourism on British culture during this most exciting of centuries.