Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy

by Tommaso Astarita

Book Overview

The history of southern Italy is entirely distinct from that of northern Italy, yet it has never been given its own due. In this authoritative and wholly engrossing history, distinguished scholar Tommaso Astarita does a masterful job of correcting this error (Mark Knoblauch, Booklist). From the Normans and Angevins, through Spanish and Bourbon rule, to the unification of Italy in 1860, Astarita rescues Sicily and the worlds south of Rome from the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393328678
• ISBN13: 9780393328677
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The Definitive History of Southern Italy

Tommaso Astarita's work on Southern Italian history was a joy to encounter. Astarita untangles the web of influences on the history of this region in a way I had not anticipated, and it was enlightening page by page. I believe it will prove to be the definitive narrative of this region's history. Nobody has come near Astarita's expertise in bringing it all together.

Colorful details highlight the broad sweep of history.

I am so glad this book and author were recommended to me by an Italian acquaintance. The endnotes provide an avenue for further research, and reveal the careful scholarship of Tomasso Astarita. He weaves the stories of specific events in an anecdotal style throughout the information about the broader history, and I found it a fascinating book. No, it is not pop history, but for a scholarly book it was not a difficult read. I'm very glad to have it in my library!

Beautifully conceptualized, interestingly written

I have been so delighted with this book I have nearly worn out the cover reading and rereading it. Until this book and another by a different author came out during the same year (2005) there was practically nothing meaningful about the history and development of Southern Italy available in English. This author has integrated the history, culture,art, music, literature of the region and sprinkled it with charming details and insights. This is not a travel guide or a book to be picked up lightly, but anyone interested in learning about that particular region of Italy will be well-served by this text. I have given it as a gift and consider it among my favorites.

Highly Respectable Scholary Work

Let's not confuse this work with pop histories or superficial glosses of history. This beautifully designed scholarly book is a highly detailed telling of what southern Italy has endured in the past 2000+ years. The story is quite complex. Lots of peoples have wanted to conquer this territory, for its grain, for its beauty, for its shores, and for its resources. Arabs, Spaniards, Germans, Greeks, and Normans have all left their footprints in the rich soil, and if one visits, one can still witness traces of this varied history there. To unravel all the kings, queens, barons, dukes, religious influences, cultural influences, and economic upturns and downturns is an undertaking requiring the reader's patience and quiet contemplation. The author, Tommaso Astarita, has done an excellent job in giving us the details. After reading this book, one can never quite think of this beautiful region in the same way again. Rather, as any good history does, this work changes our perception of the landscape, and we now remember and visualize its long struggles, the blood that's been shed, the plagues that have come and gone, and the hard endurance of its people. If you are not prepared to immerse yourself in scholarly details and complex writing, this book isn't for you. But if you want to truly understand southern Italy's history, you've come to the right place.