The Hero's Way: Walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna
- Downloads：3379
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-18 10:18:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tim Parks
- ISBN：B08L6ZDSGS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Tony
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Once again Parks did a fantastic job capturing the heart and sometimes odd culture of Italy in his book The Hero's Way: Walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna。 This time， Parks weaves in a bit of Italian history about the Risorgimento into the book as he and his partner follow the footsteps of Garibaldi across Italy。 I have to admit， I am Sicilian so I have a preconceived opinion about Garibaldi and his conquest of Sicily enroute to the creation of the modern Italian state。 However， as a re Once again Parks did a fantastic job capturing the heart and sometimes odd culture of Italy in his book The Hero's Way: Walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna。 This time， Parks weaves in a bit of Italian history about the Risorgimento into the book as he and his partner follow the footsteps of Garibaldi across Italy。 I have to admit， I am Sicilian so I have a preconceived opinion about Garibaldi and his conquest of Sicily enroute to the creation of the modern Italian state。 However， as a recent Italian/American dual citizen by jure sanguinis， I was interested to read this more modern take on this time period in Italian history and how it connects to Italian culture today。 。。。more
R。Bharat
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Today i completed Tim parks ''The hero's way- walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna'， a non fiction book that recalls jenny diski's ''Skating to antarctica''， as a blend of travelogue， memoir， reflections and observation 。 Embarking on a walking journey tracing garibaldi's footsteps across 27 days the book superimposes past and present by examining overlaps and divergences。 Pre unification italy， caught in the interstices of religio political control and foreign power， chiefly austria and Today i completed Tim parks ''The hero's way- walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna'， a non fiction book that recalls jenny diski's ''Skating to antarctica''， as a blend of travelogue， memoir， reflections and observation 。 Embarking on a walking journey tracing garibaldi's footsteps across 27 days the book superimposes past and present by examining overlaps and divergences。 Pre unification italy， caught in the interstices of religio political control and foreign power， chiefly austria and france， with modern italy， part of the EU， aswarm with tourists or immigrants who largely do menial jobs and an overlay of technology and urban modernity beneath which historical， cultural traces remain inscribed 。 This arduous ， painstaking journey undergone by Tim parks and his partner Eleonora ， albeit with all the appurtenances of modern technology- apps and google maps ， with plentiful food and nourishment， contrasts with garibaldi's valour and fighting spirit。 Traversing Tivoli ， vacone， todi， tuscany ， cetona ， citerna ， san marino and various other landmarks navigated by Garibaldi's indomitable spirit and love of freedom the journey of tim parks carries its own concomitant discomforts of tendinitis， sore feet， heat and sometimes inclement weather。 The effect is not of dovetailing the two temporal points but to compare and contrast past and present。 What also materializes in a dual vantage point into which adjacent histories of time past are compressed。 Italy prior to unification， divided， factionalized， with immense popular sentiment for sovereignty and a coddled privileged class happy to let foreign rule exercise its jurisdiction and the italy of today， with observable differences of rural/urban， country/city， with areas prettified for tourist revenues， with people left behind， or the youth migrating due to absence of job opportunities。 Garibaldi's undeviating purpose to fight for sovereignty disquietingly followed by salvini in the present making of globalization an opportunity for political advancement， abutted by the fascisti's appropriation of garibaldi's love of freedom for their own nefarious purposes。 The imperative to struggle and fight for freedom counterpoints the sobering culminating chapter written in the midst of lockdown in the present。 Though sticking to garibaldi's quest and escape ， the book also leaves suggestive feelers around the nature of modern democracy and the nation state ， the transition from religiosity to secularism， from a freedom in potentia to yet another form of relinquishment of the tribulations of self governance and self accountability。 Freedom for and freedom from and freedom to sites becoming pointers as to the nature， degree， value and consequences of what the implications were and what the possibilities are contemporaneously， how far has freedom been complacently coexisted with and apathetically abdicated and what its goals might have been。 Garibaldi's historical urgency thus becomes a trajectory over the last 170 plus years encompassing what the nation state is， what patriotism is and how is it to be negotiated in a minefield of competing discourses and iniquities。 None of this is spelt out doctrinaire but explored in the journey following on garibaldi's footsteps。 Misapprehensions and retrospective judgements about garibaldi are also addressed - his commitment to nationalism but not in a narrow ， isolationist way ， with an ethical core of not taking away other's freedoms。 And his compatriots in the group of patriots， fighters he gathers together- among them polish， british and german comrades 。 In Europa the narrator， part of a delegation of outsiders going to the european commission to petition for the rights of teachers from outside italy being given their rights finds himself distinctly at odds about the role he has agreed to perform， finding the late 20th century， post ww2 ， global landscape （emblematized in his italian sojourn） he peregrinates full of irresolvable contradictions and moral ambivalence。 ''Italian life'' looks at academia and concentrically widens to interrogate issues of funding， a self serving faux nationalism contrasted to a smug internationalism in a larger landscape of italy still contending with the north/south divide and its place as a sovereign nation within Europe 。 This book by Tim parks provides yet another prism， historical blended with the modern to highlight the tangled ways history impinges on and presents unaddressed challenges to the here and now。 Garibaldi is very much center stage here but the larger ramifications his self willed determination embodied persists。 。。。more
Arnab
，
At the outset， allow me to convey through this review how inspired Indians have been by the example of Giuseppe Garibaldi。 His deeds were widely known and admired by India's revolutionary leaders， and several quoted his example in their own activities against the hated foreigner （the author's compatriots， coincidentally）。 Even today， we as school students learn about Garibaldi in world history， as well as his influence on Indian freedom fighters in national history。 An account of this man's mome At the outset， allow me to convey through this review how inspired Indians have been by the example of Giuseppe Garibaldi。 His deeds were widely known and admired by India's revolutionary leaders， and several quoted his example in their own activities against the hated foreigner （the author's compatriots， coincidentally）。 Even today， we as school students learn about Garibaldi in world history， as well as his influence on Indian freedom fighters in national history。 An account of this man's momentous retreat from Rome to Ravenna， combining the Long and Salt Marches of later years （with a good measure of the Trail of Tears thrown in）， is undoubtedly very welcome。Many will describe this book as part-history， part-travelogue， but they will be wrong。 What this book manages to do is to transcend these genres completely， to combine them into a coherent， interesting and educational piece of non-fiction。 The way the author manages to tell the story of Garibaldi and his men， while simultaneously - and nearly imperceptibly - lancing the pestilent boil of xenophobia， ageism and prejudice through his own experience cannot be pigeonholed into any one category。 This book is not just one thing or another， it is a very commentary on Italy's history and present， and through it， of all of our histories and presents。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Agnes
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Bijzonder verslag van een voettocht door Italië waarbij heden （ Tim en Eleonora） en verleden （garbaldi en anita） wedijveren om je aandacht。 Arm Italië was het gevoel dat ik aan het heden overhield， maar de beschrijving van het Italië van 170 jaar geleden vond ik prachtig qua natuur maar tragisch qua historie。 Interessant。 De Nederlandse vertaling liet nog wel eens te wensen over。
Becky
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So I will make no bones about it， I am missing Italy like crazy right now。 This is the longest I have gone without visiting in about a decade and the country of art， of sunshine， of gelato and gondole is calling to me。 I was always going to love this book because of this。 Parks' style is probably not for everyone; as a long time immigrant to Italy he has both an outsider's and local's perspective allowing him to recognise but understand some of the eccentricities of his adopted nation and its pe So I will make no bones about it， I am missing Italy like crazy right now。 This is the longest I have gone without visiting in about a decade and the country of art， of sunshine， of gelato and gondole is calling to me。 I was always going to love this book because of this。 Parks' style is probably not for everyone; as a long time immigrant to Italy he has both an outsider's and local's perspective allowing him to recognise but understand some of the eccentricities of his adopted nation and its people。 His books are always personal， in that they make no bones about being his opinion and his understanding of a place and of events。 He doesn't claim to be presenting an unbiased definitive guide either to Garibaldi or to the countryside that formed the backdrop to the 1849 retreat。 What you get is a glimpse into the events that would form a good starting point for anyone wanting to investigate further， a sort-of travel guide for anyone wanting to visit the areas discussed， and a brief， and often witty look at the author and his relationship with his partner and his adopted home。 I highly recommend reading this with a glass of prosecco or a negroni in hand， ideally in the sunshine。 。。。more
Kimberly
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Just won in a goodreads giveaway！ Can't wait to read and review！ Just won in a goodreads giveaway！ Can't wait to read and review！ 。。。more
Saadia
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I read this book with a lot of anticipation。 I love Italy， I love hiking， trails and history。 The premise of the book seemed very promising: the author and his wife tracing the footsteps of Garibadli and his men。 It’s a fascinating subject if you’re into that particular topic。 Turned out that my interest in Italy or hiking or history wasn’t enough to keep me interested in this book。 I do wish there were more visuals though I got the cheekiness of the author suggesting we open up Google maps。 I t I read this book with a lot of anticipation。 I love Italy， I love hiking， trails and history。 The premise of the book seemed very promising: the author and his wife tracing the footsteps of Garibadli and his men。 It’s a fascinating subject if you’re into that particular topic。 Turned out that my interest in Italy or hiking or history wasn’t enough to keep me interested in this book。 I do wish there were more visuals though I got the cheekiness of the author suggesting we open up Google maps。 I think if you don’t have an interest in Garibaldi and the Italian unification to begin with， this book will do little to lift your enthusiasm on the subject。 However， if said topics are out your alley， then this book will be also！ 。。。more
Jon
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