The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization by Paul Strathern
Florence played a key role in the Renaissance. It was democratic. The Medici's were able to find religious loopholes to lead a banking empire. Artists, scientists and inventors were present. The book catalogs all in a time series, but is little too long and rambly.
A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar
I had never heard of Siena before. It is an Italian city in Tuscany with a pedestrian-only old town area. Seems to be an interesting place to visit. The author had studied there. He fell in love with art and the Italian culture. Later he went back to spend some time there and reminisce on his past and explore the city. Though it was not intended to be a travel book, it has enticed me to want to go visit Siena.
The Merchant of Prato: Francesco di Marco Datini, 1335-1410 by Iris Origo
An Italian merchant kept detailed records of his life and business activities. The author of this book researched those records to assemble a record of his life and living in early renaissance Italy. Business was fairly developed at the time. He had various life activities that looked similar to today. There were also aspects of life that looked quite different. There were various machinations done to remain in compliance with the church requirements. Healthcare and scientific understanding were quite different. We know details about his life because his books and writings were uncovered a half-millennium after he hid them away. The "worthless" records have become a valuable historical record.
The Invention of Sicily: A Mediterranean History by Jamie Mackay
This history of Sicily focuses more on the modern history. Early history is covered quickly. Things get slower during the plight of Sicily during the World Wars and part of the kingdom of Naples. The Mafia rose in the somewhat backwards region. The Mafia made sure that they were able to "buy" church property on the cheap. Mussolini nearly wiped them out. However, the US helped them get back into power. (There were plenty of new world connections back to the "old world".)
Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History by John Julius Norwich
Sicily occupies an interesting place in the globe. It is the ball that Italy's boot is kicking. It is close to Africa and Europe. It has rarely been independent. Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians, Spaniards, Arabs and many others have claimed part of the island at some time or another. A few thousand years ago, Syracuse in Sicily was a bustling metropolis, known for Archimedes and his scientific and mathematical achievements. Today, we are more likely to think of Palermo and the Mafia.
This book takes a broad view of Sicilian history, giving fairly balanced coverage to all periods from pre-history to the modern state.
Machiavelli was involved with their political endeavors (though they would often not give him credit.) Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci both had commissions from the Medicis. They were behind almost all of what we consider to be the renaissance in Florence.
I found The Venetians to read like a much too long encyclopedia article. The book covered many key figures in the history of Venice, but the cohesive narrative glue tying it together was lacking. It was hard to fit all the details together in a mental map of the history of Venice.
The Lying Life of Adults is a very Italian novel. It was originally written in Italian by an Italian author and is set in Naples. It deals with a family that is torn apart due to infidelity in relationships. The central character is the daughter who gradually discovers that the adults are all caught in a variety of "lies". Her father fears that she may turn out like her distant aunt. The daughter then sees the aunt and learns about the affair that this aunt had. She becomes more friendly with the aunt and learns more about her life. At the same time, she gradually comes of age and discovers her sexuality as well and has various types of relationships with boys. Her parents' marriage falls apart as they got caught in "accidental" infidelity with friends. Then the book seems to meander along for a bit before it comes to a conclusion.
Culture of the Fork is a short history of food in Europe (with an emphasis on Italy). The author delves in to the origin of foods, and also traces some as they go from "low class" to "high class". (Caviar, for example, was a poor man's food that became expensive due to shortages.) Transport was very slow, leading to each locality having its own tastes and cuisines. The cities would even become accustomed to "less fresh" food. Vegetables, especially "salad vegetables" had a very low caloric density, and thus were expensive for the nutrition provided. Today, the "old" food is most likely to be found among the poor and rural populations.
