Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy [Hardcover]

Tommaso Astarita (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 11, 2005

“Lucid, evocative, and richly detailed.”—Jay Parini, author of The Apprentice Lover

The history of southern Italy is entirely distinct from that of northern Italy, yet it has never been given its own historical 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 the South from the dustier folds of history and restores it to sparkling life. We are introduced to the freethinking, cosmopolitan King Frederick, who conferred with Jewish and Muslim philosophers; to Masaniello, “the fisherman of Naples,” who inspired artists and revolutionaries across Europe; and to the colorful religious observances, diverse population, ancient ruins, beautiful landscapes, sweet music, and magnificent art—all of which inspired visitors to claim that one had to “see Naples, and then die.”

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The history of Italy tends to focus on events from Rome northward, too often giving short shift to the peculiarly named "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies." Astarita does a masterful job of correcting this error and bringing to life for English speakers the people and events of these lands so central to the entire Mediterranean basin. European by geography, the region had close ties to Africa from the time of Carthage onward. Post-Roman Empire southern Italy fell under the sway of the Normans in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and Astarita recounts the era of kings Roger I and II, who dealt with the diverse powers of the papacy and sizable Muslim populations in their realm. Astarita is at his best discussing South Italy and Sicily's social history, the roles of religion and superstition as animating forces in the populace's everyday lives. A highly readable history, this volume will be enthusiastically received wherever there are concentrations of Italian-Americans. Population tables and genealogical charts add to the text's clarity. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Astarita takes readers where far too few scholars have preceded him, into the strange and wonderful saga of Meridionale Italy. (Frank Viviano, author of Blood Washes Blood: A True Story of Love, Murder, and Redemption Under the Sicilian Sun) -- Mark Rotella, author of Stolen Figs: And Other Adventures in Calabria

If you want to understand Italian Americans, you've got to read this book. -- Fred Gardaphe, author of Leaving Little Italy

This wonderful book offers the best introduction in any language to a complex and fascinating region. -- Anthony Grafton, Henry Putnam University Professor of History at Princeton University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (July 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393058646
• ISBN-13: 978-0393058642
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Respectable Scholary Work, February 22, 2006

By 

John Sollami (Stamford, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy (Hardcover)

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.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars History of Naples, not Southern Italy, January 18, 2006

By 

enzozne (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy (Hardcover)

I was born in southern Italy so I was interested in this book because part of its title is "A History of Southern Italy". But it is far more accurate to describe it as a history of Naples with a few skimpy references to areas south of Naples to Messina. Naples is the heart and soul of this book, but then what can one expect of its writer who is described on the inside jacket as "Native Neopolitan". His love of Naples and its history is evident throughout. There is hardly a page where there's not endless mentions of Naples. For example, between p.268 and p.273 there are 33 mentions of "Naples" and "Neopolitan". Naples is not Southern Italy and Southern Italy is not Naples. If you are looking for a book on "A History of Southern Italy" this is not the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully conceptualized, interestingly written, June 25, 2007

By 

Carlacara (Alachua, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Between Salt Water And Holy Water: A History Of Southern Italy (Hardcover)

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.