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Tag Archives: Italy
Purgatorio
Purgatorio© 14th century Dante Alighieri, translated 2004 by Anthony Esolen544 pages, including appendices and notes Seven years ago I descended into hell with Dante and his guide, Virgil, and after that arduous descent into a valley of desolation and … Continue reading
Pompey and Caesar
And do you now strew flowers in his wayThat comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood? Be gone! The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare The narrative of Julius Caesar and the fall of Rome that we get in elementary school … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged biography, classical world, history, Italy, Lars Brownworth, Rome
7 Comments
The War that Made the Roman Empire
The War that Made the Roman Empire: Anthony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium© 2022 Bary Strauss368 pages Rome, at the death of Julius Caesar, was no stranger to internal war. A functioning, healthy republic had long vanished, torn in pieces … Continue reading
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans© Garrett Ryan 288 pages For those interested in the life of Greece and Rome beyond senatorial politics and agricultural policy, Naked States offers an … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged classical world, Eastern Rome/Byzantine, Greece, history, Italy, Rome, social history
5 Comments
Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms © 1929 Ernest Hemingway 355 pages Beyond The Old Man and the Sea and his short story “The Snows of Kilamanjaro”, I haven’t read very much of Hemingway at all. A Farewell to Arms seemed like … Continue reading
The Prince
The Prince© 1532 Niccolo Machiavelli100 pages Italy, circa 1500, was a rough neighborhood. Divided between powerful city-centered states and frequently threatened by outside empires, few rulers could rest on their laurels and enjoy a prolonged peace. Even if someone outside … Continue reading
Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews
Tagged "classic", Classics and Literary, Classics Club, Italy, Medieval, politics, Politics-CivicInterest
5 Comments
City of Fortune
City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas© 2012 Roger Crowley464 pages In the north of the Adriatic grew a city built not on land, but upon the water — whose fortune was earned in transit, by running the ships … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged Eastern Rome/Byzantine, Europe, Italy, Medieval, Mediterranean, naval
8 Comments
Romans Without Laurels
Romans Without Laurels© 1962 Indro Montanelli352 pages In Romans Without Laurels, Indro Montanelli delivers an affectionate history of the Roman Republic and the empire which followed. Although a work in translation, it succeeds wonderfully as narrative history, reminding and entertaining … Continue reading
Inferno
Inferno created 14th century Dante Alighieri translated © 2002 Anthony Esolen 528 pages If Dante’s Inferno is to be believed, Hell is mostly populated by Italians. The first piece in the Divine Comedy, Inferno takes the reader down into the … Continue reading
Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews
Tagged "classic", Anthony Esolen, Christian literature, Christianity, Classics and Literary, Dante, Italy, Medieval, poetry
6 Comments
The White War
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919© Mark Thompson 488 pages By 1915, what began as a conflict between Austria and Serbia had broadened into the Great War, whose largest contenders were not parties to the … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged Austria, Europe, history, Italy, military, The Great War
3 Comments