Speak the culture : Italy /

Speak the culture : Italy /

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Bibliographic Details
Imprint:	London : Thorogood, 2010.
Description:	1 online resource (307 pages) : illustrations (some color), maps
Language:	English
Series:	Speak the culture Speak the culture.
Subject:	National characteristics, Italian. Civilization. Intellectual life. Manners and customs. National characteristics, Italian. Italy -- Civilization. Italy -- Social life and customs. Italy -- Intellectual life. Italy. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11227262

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:	Italy
Other authors / contributors:	Whittaker, Andrew.
ISBN:	9781854187208 1854187201 9781854186287 1854186280
Notes:	Print version record.
Summary:	"Italy has a bewildering cultural patrimony. Where do you start? With Giotto? With Caravaggio? In murky Etruscan tombs or the mighty Roman Pantheon? Speak the Culture: Italy sifts through a sprawling 3,000 year saga and makes sense of it; dissecting architecture, music, food, art, literature, cinema and much more. Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Mussolini: you've heard of them, but how did they live? What were their achievements and failings, and how are they remembered in Italy today? Speak the Culture: Italy explores the place of these and other figures in the national identity, in the story that made the modern nation. Culture is covered in its broadest sense, extending into the everyday modes of life - the food and drink, religion, politics, sport, character and so on. On one side lies the famous lust for life, expressed in everything from the Carnevale Di Venezia to the family mealtime; on the other lies a darker story of organised crime, corruption and political transience. And while the Italian peninsula has its ancient history, as a state the famous boot, or Lo Stivale, remains young, so the nuances of strong, surviving regional identities are also revealed."--Publisher's description.
Other form:	Print version: Speak the culture. London : Thorogood, 2010 9781854186287
Standard no.:	9786612580703

Description
Summary:	"Speak the Culture: Italy" offers a rich and engaging insight into the events, people and movements that have shaped Italy and the Italians. A guidebook can show you where to go, a phrase-book what to say, but only "Speak the Culture: Italy" will lead you to the nation s soul.The Italian character is complex, contradictory, alluring and infinitely variable: heirs to the greatest empire of the ancient world but almost ungovernable; cradle of western civilization as well as the Mafia; maestros of modern design, mired in old-fashioned bureaucracy; epicentre of the Catholic Church and exemplars of la dolce vita.Where do you start? Giotto? Caravaggio? Murky Etruscan tombs or the mighty Roman Pantheon? "Speak the Culture: Italy" sifts through a sprawling 3,000 year saga and makes sense of it, dissecting architecture, music, food, art, literature, cinema, family and much more.Culture is covered in its broadest sense, extending into every aspect of Italian life food and drink, religion, politics, sport, manners, character and so on. While the Italian peninsula has its ancient history, it s been a unified nation for less than 150 years. Lo Stivale, or the famous Boot, is young: the nuances of strong, surviving regional identities are important and revealed. Taken as a whole, "Speak the Culture: Italy" gives you an insight into what it means to be Italian, but it s also a book to dip into, to learn, for instance, about Giuseppe Verdi, Sophia Loren or Umberto Eco. Easily read and beautifully illustrated, this, the fourth in the "Speak the Culture"series, offers an intimate understanding of Italian life and culture for new residents, second home-owners, holidaymakers, business travelers, students and lovers of Italy everywhere."
Physical Description:	1 online resource (307 pages) : illustrations (some color), maps
ISBN:	9781854187208 1854187201 9781854186287 1854186280