This is the story of Italy from the Roman Empire to the present day. Until just over a century ago, Italy did not exist as a political unit, but in previous periods it had been both the heart of the Christian Church and the seedbed for the extraordinary cultural flowering of the Renaissance. In the middle ages and early modern Europe, the merchants of Florence, Genoa and Venice bridged Asia, Europe and America with their trading and financial activities. Italy itself remained a region of fiercely independent city-states, with a complex political life and an incomparably rich and varied culture.
In the nineteenth century an upsurge of nationalist fervour was channelled by Cavour and Garibaldi into a victorious war against Italy's Habsberg and Bourbon overlords. A political vision was finally realized and the nation of Italy was created. In recent decades Italy has prospered in a way that would have seemed improbably a century ago.
This extensively illustrated survey by twelve leading historians offers a fascinating introduction to the whole history of Italy, and also pays proper attention to the evolution of its culture.
Contents:
Editor's Foreword
List of Colour Plates
List of Maps
List of Contributors
1. From Augustus to Theodosius: Invention and Decline (Simon Swain)
2. The Medieval Centuries 400-1250: A Political Outline (Bryan Ward-Perkins)
3. Politics and Society 1250-1600 (Michael Mallett)
4. Renaissance Culture (George Holmes)
5. Italy 1600-1796 (Stuart Woolf)
6. Culture in the Age of Baroque and Rococo (Robert Oresko)
7. Italy 1796-1870: The Age of the Risorgimento (John A. Davis)
8. Nineteenth Century Italian Culture (Jonathan Keates)
9. Politics and Society 1870-1915 (Adrian Lyttleton)
10. Italy 1915-1945: Politics and Society (Paul Corner)
11. Twentieth Century Culture (David Forgacs)
12. Italy Since 1945 (David Hine)
Further Reading
Chronology
Illustration Sources
Index
Review:A fascinating exploration of Italian culture ... this history brings the past to vibrant life by revealing the interrelationship between society, politics, and culture - The Universe
This lively survey by a team of a dozen historian covers politics from Augustus to Berlusconi, the arts from Byzantium to Bertolucci, and everyday life from Pompeii to espresso-coffee machines. It tells the story of the nation, which came into being little more than a century ago, from its earliest days - Church Times
