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The Pursuit of Italy: A History of a Land, its Regions and their Peoples by David Gilmour (Hardcover, 2011)
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Author : Gilmour, David. The Pursuit of Italy: A History of a Land, its Regions and their Peoples. Width : 16.2 cm. Height : 4.2 cm. Length : 24 cm. Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing.
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Visiting a villa built by Lorenzo de Medici outside Pisa, David Gilmour fell into conversation about the unification of Italy with a distinguished former minister: ' You know, Davide, he said in a low conspiratorial voice, as if nervously uttering a heresy, Garibaldi did Italy a great disservice. If he had not invaded Sicily and Naples, we in the north would have the richest and most civilized state in Europe. After looking round the room at the other guests, he added in an even lower voice, Of course to the south we would have a neighbour like Egypt. ' These words stayed in the author's mind for a long time. The dream of a unified Italy, how and why it has never been more than a dream, became the subject of a book he has been thinking about and writing for the last twenty years. Was the elderly Italian right? The Pursuit of Italy traces the whole history of the Italian peninsula since the Romans in a wonderfully readable style, full of well-chosen stories and observations from personal experience, and peopled by many of the great figures of the Italian past, from Cicero and Virgil to Machiavelli and the Medici, Garibaldi and Cavour, and the rather less inspiring political figures of the 20th century. Gilmour gives a clear-eyed view of the Risorgimento, the pivotal event in modern Italian history, debunking the many absurd and influential myths which have grown up around it but including a particularly sympathetic portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, one of many cultural figures he treats. Gilmour shows that the glory of Italy has always lain in its regions, with their distinctive civic cultures, cuisine, art and identities. Similarly, most of the people of the peninsula have thought of themselves first as Tuscans, Venetians, Romans, Neapolitans or Sicilians and as Italians second, if at all. This, he argues, is where the strength of Italy lies rather than in misconceived ideas of unity. This wise and enormously engaging book explains the course of Italian history in a manner and with a coherence which no one with any interest in the country could fail to enjoy.Product Identifiers
PublisherPenguin Books LTD
ISBN-139781846142512
eBay Product ID (ePID)97842471
Product Key Features
Number of Pages480 Pages
Publication NameThe Pursuit of Italy: a History of a Land, Its Regions and Their Peoples
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHistory
Publication Year2011
TypeTextbook
AuthorDavid Gilmour
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height240 mm
Item Weight804 g
Item Width162 mm
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited Kingdom
Title_AuthorDavid Gilmour
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Ratings and reviews
Most relevant reviews
- 31 Jan, 2018
Absorbing read
I bought this book because I had borrowed it from a friend and had duly returned it. I simply had to own it.It makes the complicated history accessible to the layman, and, I would guess to anyone teaching the subject.It can be dipped into readily to study how Italy has become the country it is.A fascinating read...David Gilmore engages the reader.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- 21 Sep, 2022
Italian history
I have only started to read this book but so far so good just to mention the reading print could of been a little bigger it contains good detailed picturesVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
