Italy Books

Out of all the books on Rome finally a fun and enjoyable book about the real Rome not the just the tourist Rome.

Wow! I picked up this book on a whim and couldn't put it down. Every story is a gem. They range from funny and off-beat to serious and sad. I loved the characters and how cleverly the author weaves Rome (as a city & a state of mind) throughout the book. After each story I found myself wanting to sit down to a big bowl of pasta and a good chianti--Saving Rome's that delicious!

I have no particular interest in archaeology, but this true account of a 17th century Etruscan archaeology forgery kept me completely engaged until I finished it. The author makes it quite clear almost from the first chapter that the the find is forgery, so there's little mystery to the book. But the controversy and politics surrounding the forgery, involving church leaders, nobility, and intellectuals across Europe make it clear that the concern about the genluineness of the archaeology find was secondary to everyone's concern about their own careers, reputations, and public images.

As right-thinking citizens, we all abhor crime. We think that the guy who forges a signature on someone else's check is a contemptible scoundrel. But forgers who do such things as paint masterpieces wonderfully well in the style of someone else, or forgers who write diaries of, say, Howard Hughes or Hitler, those we may find to be attractive scoundrels. They pull a prank and get away with it, or away enough with it that experts are fooled until other experts force the truth upon them. In _The Scarith of Scornello: A Tale of Renaissance Forgery_ (University of Chicago Press), Ingrid D. Rowland has written about a very peculiar forgery of the seventeenth century. It is a tiny piece of history, long overlooked, but the forger had his fun, and had a bit of influence for his times. Rowland's work is a serious piece of erudite scholarship, but the scoundrelism and the reactions to it make for fascinating reading.

In November 1634, Curzio Inghirami, nineteen years old, near his family's villa Scornello found a scarith, a capsule of mud containing peculiar documents written on paper in Latin and in Etruscan, the ancient language of the region that had yet to be deciphered. He eventually found over 200 of these, purporting to be documents from 64 BCE, which among other things, put a Tuscan spin on the Catline revolt against Rome, showed that Noah had founded the nearby ancient city of Volterra, and predicted the arrival of the Messiah. Curzio's book _Ethruscarum Antiquitatum Fragmenta_ appeared in 1636. Curzio's family ensured that the book was simply gorgeous, full of woodcuts and copperplate engravings on good quality paper. The book was designed to convince anyone who merely glimpsed at it of the truth of its contents. Academics based in Rome who descended upon it showed the forgery to be obvious. The foremost objection was that the scarith were written on paper, while Etruscans knew nothing about paper; they wrote on linen cloth. (Long after the controversy had died away, a commercial watermark was even found on them.) Curzio had indeed arranged the forgery, but it was so strongly criticized and defended, he could not back down. The battle was on a higher plane as well. It was only a year before the scarith were discovered that Galileo, a Tuscan, had been forced to recant his model of the universe with the sun at the center. The Pope was eager to put down this new bid for Tuscan pride, and Florence was just as eager to regain the intellectual reputation besmirched by Galileo's conviction and house arrest.

Rowland thinks that Curzio was participating in the practical joke, such an art form in Tuscany that it has its own name, beffa. His original scarith might be seen as preposterous parodies, but he did have a genuine interest in Etruscan objects and culture, an interest promoted by patriotism for his homeland. When his fellow citizens and family took up his cause, perhaps there was no way that he could back down. He was destined for law school by his family, but didn't want to go. He wanted to be a historian, but by making up history, he could avoid all that laborious studying that historians have to do. His joke proved to be exceedingly long-lasting. In 1985, during the Italian "Year of the Etruscans," thieves broke into the Palazzo Inghirami and stole the scarith. They must have thought the scarith were real, but in doing so, they were only members of a long line.

exemplary, the text makes you see all kinds of things that are easily overlooked, the images make you look at the works in unexpected ways

The images in this text are unbelievable! Butterfield draws attention to some remarkable and often overlooked aspects of Verrochio's work, such as details of St. Thomas' (of "The Doubting of St. Thomas" at the Orsanmichele) face and amazingly well articulated hands. Butterfield, also, brings forward Verrocchio's impact on Italian Renaissance art, especially as da Vinci's teacher, by comparing his work to that of those he influenced. This book has greatly impacted my work as a sculptor and given me a new love and appreciation for this Master!

WOW!!!!!!!! This is a fantastic novel that brings us into a mysterious, intriguing and sensual world showing, not only its beauty and history, but it's harshness of its culture. The emotional events are written with a tender hand enabling the reader to become engrossed but not repelled. Eloquently descriptive of emotions, settings, people and places, the author took me into the opulence of royalty and through threads of betrayal, spying, timely war, great love and revenge. Most interesting the factual scenes of oppression and lack of respect given to women in Saudi Arabia. I surely recommend this aunthor who is rapidily becoming my favorite one!!

Elly-Royce Lauren's Sealed by Revenge is a wonderful book that takes the reader exploring through far-away lands and into engaging relationships between chic protagonists in a modern aristocrat world. This romance with dramatic elements keeps the reader in a sizzling suspense from start to finish through its richly painted settings and fascinating characters with a dose of spice. The book reflects deep insight into the cultures at play. Great follow-up to Ms. Royce's first book.

This is a very interesting book, one of the best that I have read on Rome.
It is not a guide book with an in depth narration of several sites and personages. A must read!

this is an excellent translation of the erudite work by Corrado Augias of the history of Rome. Through a series of stories Augias transports the reader between the past and present, in what seems a first hand account of the history of this great city. the chapters can be read as individual essays, and the footnotes make for great reference for interested readers. I can see a Secrets of Rome Part II in the future.

I absolutely loved Secrets of Sant Angelo. I was raised by an Italian Mom and Dad but one of our dearest friends was Jewish, and this book brought back so many memories...the expresssions, superstitions, warm hearts! It was a book I could hardly wait to finish but didn't want it to end. There's a lot more in the book to think about than just the story. You can really feel for all the characters because we all have been in similar situations at one time or another. I would love to sit down and have an Espresso with Jeff Shapiro.

Jeff Shapiro has written another gem of a story set in the small Tuscan town of Sant'Angelo. As in Renato's Luck, the subplots are introduced gently as we enjoy the characters and the culture of the town. We become familiar with several intriguing characters, all of them presented with the sympathy and humor that comes with knowing someone well. Religious and relationship themes are interesting, expanding the reach of the story beyond Sant'Angelo. Italian words and phrases are used throughout the book, lending a charming local flavor. (Even the chicken speaks Italian: "clo,clo,clo.") Many subplots become integrated as the central plot emerges gradually, becoming complex and compelling as the book becomes a real page turner. It's best to go slowly, however, because the author offers many tender but provocative insights into human character and existence. Mystery, comedy, passion, religion and local color, this book has it all.

In researching my historical novel THE FOREVER GIRL, I found Dr. Bisel's book on the skeletons unearthed at Herculaneum an immensely valuable reference. Think about it: These poor people are buried in a volcanic eruption that happens in a single day. They are then discovered after the passage of 19 centuries. The story Dr. Bisel relates is not just about a time period, or an era, it is about one summer day in the life of people living in the Roman Empire. The slave girl Dr. Bisel calls Petronia is found cradling the body of a small baby, but there is more to it than that. The baby is well cared for, well fed, with a gold bulla around his neck. He is one of the elite. Petronia, on the other hand, has been cruelly overworked throughout her short life. She is a slave and nothing more. The whole history of human oppression is contained in this pair of ancient skeletons. What Dr. Bisel describes in her book almost brings tears to the eyes. It is very profound, simple, and moving. I consider it a perfect book for middle school students to read and discuss, and recommend it highly.

One horrid day, a volcano spewed its poisonous gases and suffocating ash on terrified Romans. We've heard the stories before, but Dr. Bisel uses a clever blend of fiction and non-fiction to make us feel the agony of Vesuvius' victims.

The book opens with Dr. Bisel introducing herself as "The bone lady", a physical anthropologist who is offered the rare chance to study Roman skeletons. The Romans usually cremated their dead.

In the next section of the book, Dr. Bisel presents the fictional story of a young slave girl, Petronia. She is struggling to survive a cruel mistress and the volcanic fire beneath their homes. As Petronia's story enfolds, we meet the individuals who are later revealed as the skeletons discovered in sealed boat tunnels.

The fictional narrative, historical information, and scientific revelations are interspersed throughout the text. The pace is effective, quick, yet absorbing.

Because of beautifully written descriptions, strong images, and well-crafted characters, we quickly care about individuals in their last moments before and during the eruption. At the same time, we learn about the artifacts and daily life of Ancient Rome as well as the effects of the eruption on the sealed city.

I use this in my classroom with 6th graders. My primary lesson is "Good non-fiction uses the same writing techniques as good fiction." I hope they will never accept non-fiction as routinely boring after they have finished this book.

Dr. Bisel deserves a "Golden Pen Award" for this excellent work.

I'm not just the webmaster of Irma Jaffe (visit at www.irmajaffe.com) but I'm also an admirer of her talent and knowledge of italian poetry and history.I'm very proud of working with you Prof Jaffe!!

Written by Italian literature experts Irma B. Jaffe and Gernando Colombardo, Shining Eyes, Cruel Fortune: The Lives And Loves Of Italian Renaissance Women Poets is an impressive compendium chronicling the lives and times of well over a dozen great female poets of Italy's history. The stories and life events hidden behind their most enduring poems are related, and many of the poems are presented in their original Italian as well as English translation. An audio CD with selected poetry readings enhances this remarkable, unique, and very highly recommended addition to Italian poetry and Women's Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Based on interviews with 29 businessmen and other economic agents in Palermo and parliamentary and trial sources, Professor Gambetta from Oxford University maintains that the Sicilian Mafia is a specific economic enterprise which produces, promotes, and sells private protection to businessmen, politicians, and the public at large. He attempts not to define Mafia as a network of corruption and collusion and tries to make sense of it in rational terms.

This book should be the most comprehensive account of how the Sicilian Mafia organised and offered protection services to different customers. Professor Gambetta suggests that the Sicilian Mafia plays a role as a lubricant in economic exchange, albeit in an erratic manner. He bases on his premise that survival of this private protection industry is due mainly to scarce and fragile trust in the society where no legitimate enforcement agency is available. Low-trust expectations between buyers and sellers can therefore generate demand for such protection services.

This book is divided into three main parts. Part I analyses general characteristics of the private protection industry. It is an industry that is managed with its peculiar requirements and constraints. As for the production and sale of protection services, the Sicilian Mafia requires certain resources including intelligence and secrecy, violence, and market reputation. What make the Sicilian Mafia different from other private firms is that they are more complicated in terms of customer retention, ownership, and manpower recruitment. For instance, the disappearance of a boss or when the boss is not available for whatever reason can increase the likelihood of internal challenge in ownership.

Part II of this book focuses on the origins and development of the Sicilian Mafia. Professor Gambetta maintains that endemic distrust, economic depression together with inept administration and erratic justice of the government can explain why the Mafia emerged in western Sicily. The Sicilian Mafia originated in prosperous agricultural areas and finally expanded their protection services to the city markets. Each mafia firm was organised within families and evidence reveals the existence of natural clusters amongst different mafia firms with the presence of the "commissione" system. Moreover, they have peculiar trademarks in terms of the ethnic origin of the members, the initiation ritual, and the brand name that distinguish them from outsiders. In Part III, Professor Gambetta undertakes an empirical description of the industry's product including diverse types of contract, protection, and payment plans offered to customers. They tempt to utilise collusive maneuvering in order to protect themselves from rival competition. It takes a variety of forms, ranging from dividing territory, taking turns, to sharing customers in orderly and disordered markets.

Professor Gambetta believes that if the Italian government chooses to deliver genuine protection to the public by initiating political reform at both the practical and the theoretical level, the demise of Mafia's protection industry will certainly be conceivable and possible in the future. All in all, this book is relevant to readers who are interested in criminology and social institution. Readers can also make access to http://www.exlegi.ox.ac.uk/Gambetta%20Dataset%20Welcome.html to download a dataset complied by Professor Gambetta that contains court files and confessions of Mafiosi who turned state witness, including the autobiographical book by an anonymous Mafioso.

What exactly is a mafia? What type of underworld association may rightfully assume the title? Can any criminal group organized along ethnic lines qualify? The answer is "No" according to Diego Gambetta. He argues that criminal activity and ethnicity alone do not justify use of the term; and the popularly held concept about what constitutes a mafia is based on broad assumption, and contains inaccuracies. Gambetta traces the social and economic origins of this much dramatized organization from the 1800s to the present. He establishes authenticity according to a more exacting set of criteria, and explains how the mafia is more than a collection of "clever psychopaths." It is an industry specializing in protection; a group of firms that possess `recognizable trademarks,' `means of identifying legitimate members;' and is successful in `thwarting imposters.' Not every group, therefore, may rightfully be designated as "mafia."

Gambetta documents extensively the history and facts surrounding one of the most successful crime cartels in history, and delves into its myths and mysteries. His account of the creation of such words as mafia, a literary creation actually applied externally, is illuminating. One source he quotes, Leopold Franchetti, reveals the label was originally applied to "a class of violent criminals ready and waiting for a name to define them." Upon reflection, the reader then imagines more examples of `externally applied' definitions: political parties are exceptionally good at conjuring up choice names for their opponents. I strongly doubt that the master of Hell bestowed the title, "Prince of Darkness" on himself. Even the sobriquet "G-men" was first created for the FBI, the mafia's unrelenting foe, by notorious gangster Machine Gun Kelly.

"The Sicilian Mafia" is excellent reading and a superb source of reference. It is marvelously objective in providing information, extensive examination and insightful, in-depth analysis, as it explores the phenomenon of modern-day, organized crime society.

The book is wonderful, and gave me everything I needed to be able to communicate in Sicily. Megghiu infurmazioni! The seller was quick, responsive, and a true Amazon asset.

This is great - until recently I could only find Italian/English. I am very pleased.