Midnight in Sicily: on Art, Food, History, Travel and La Cosa Nostra

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There's a fair bit on art and culture in the book. As someone whose cultural hinterland stops at a couple of Edward Hopper prints slung up on the lounge wall these can be tiresome - but they can also be skipped through.

Midnight in Sicily - Penguin Books UK

I pass by other places I’ve vaguely heard of and seem familiar yet merely name to me like Tusa, Acquadolce and Finale. Then there is Cefalù, the famous beachside resort town from ancient Greek times. There are endless beachside villas, fishing boats and ruins left behind from long-departed Greek and Roman tourists. That being said, these are perhaps less of these than I would have liked. While I greatly enjoyed the book, I was expecting more of such writing rather than a continual return to the pernicious shadow of Cosa Nostra. The book could be said to be more a history book on the Mafia than a piece of travel writing on Sicily and its people. But then again perhaps the constant return of Robb to a dark subject matter reflects his view of the Sicily he found. One of the greatest charms of Robb's book is his evident delight in southern Italy, particularly its food, which is recorded with such intensity of memory that one can almost taste it... As an introduction to post-war Italy, to the country as well as its politics, it can have few equals Caroline Moorehead, Times Literary SupplementOcr tesseract 5.0.0-beta-20210815 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 0.9913 Ocr_module_version 0.0.13 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-WL-0000192 Openlibrary_edition

Midnight In Sicily - Macmillan Midnight In Sicily - Macmillan

Off the southern coast of Italy lies Sicily, home to an ancient culture that–with its stark landscapes, glorious coastlines, and extraordinary treasure troves of art and archaeology–has seduced travellers for centuries. But at the heart of the island’s rare beauty is a network of violence and corruption that reaches into every corner of Sicilian life: “La Cosa Nostra,” the Mafia.In an intoxicating mix of crime and travel writing, Peter Robb, a writer who lived in Southern Italy for fourteen years, sets out to understand both the historical roots of the Mafia and its central place in contemporary Italian politics. And whether he’s touting the gustatory pleasures of Sicilian ice cream, unveiling the Arabic origins of pasta, or unraveling the criminal history of a bandit, Robb seductively brings Sicilian culture to life. Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb – eBook Details This is an excellent insight into Sicilian life. I read this as 'research' just before I went to live there in 2000. The family I lived with were amazed of the things I knew about because I had read about them prior. Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Old_pallet IA18206 Openlibrary_edition I also like how the author did not refrain from highlighting the heavy responsibilities of the US authorities in WWII, when they supported the re-establishment of the Mafia structure in Sicily, in exchange for support in their occupation of the island - the famous Mafia boss Calogero Vizzini ("the boss of all bosses") was even made Honorary Colonel in the US Army.Caronia, a little known town in one of the great forests of the Nebrodi National Park, a small part of the town, got some news coverage in 2003 for a series of unexplained electrical fires. Electrical appliances exploded and caught fire for no apparent reason. I’m sure the fact that the train line passes so close to the town must have something to do with it, all of that static electricity must affect the town. Peter Robb presents a labyrinthine tale that brilliantly juxtaposes essays on food and art with historical accounts.” — Sandra Mardenfeld, The New York Times Book Review urn:lcp:midnightinsicily0000robb_l6k9:epub:f5af38b2-b7b4-42d3-93b8-176a8cb81290 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier midnightinsicily0000robb_l6k9 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t87j4734c Invoice 1652 Isbn 9780312426842

The top 10 books about Italy | History books | The Guardian The top 10 books about Italy | History books | The Guardian

I am pleasantly surprised by the author's knowledge of Italian culture and history, something quite rare with non-Italian authors. His first-hand accounts of his visits to some inland Sicilian villages, and of the historical quarters of Naples, are beautiful. He also captures some peculiar aspects of the Italian mindset with really insightful perspectives. One of my favourite books, I've just re-read it for the third time (I've got an appalling memory, so it almost reads like new each time if I allow enough time to pass). There is a book by Australian writer Peter Robb which has contributed to my ongoing fascination with Palermo. After reading Midnight in Sicily , I imagined wandering through Palermo’s streets, exploring Norman palaces, experiencing the exotic food markets and discovering little hidden restaurants which cooked an endless array of seafood. Fortunately, there is still an important part of civil society that refuses to give up. The hope is that it will finally prevail and transform Italy into a truly European and independent country. Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.Overlapping words: Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily and Leonardo Sciascia's Detective Stories in Italics". Swinburne Research Bank . Retrieved 6 May 2015. A journey into the heart of Sicily, using art, food, history and literature to shed light on southern Italy's legacy of political corruption and violent crime. The text takes as its starting point the ongoing trail of seven-times Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti Robb weaves Sicilian history, the Mafia, food, culture, politics and intrigue into a heady brew. None of these themes are explored in real depth, so if you want a recipe book or a detailed history of Cosa Nostra then look elsewhere. The author is also very clear in detailing the many political interests that colluded in the murder of Aldo Moro, one of the darkest moments in modern Italian history: Aldo Moro knew too much about the relationship between the governing party, the mafia, the business world, and he made the big mistake of promoting a compromise with the Communist party – so all affected parties (Italian and foreign) could not wait to see him killed by the Red Brigades. Fiumara d’Arte is an outdoor sculpture park located out in the hills of Castel di Tusa after Cefalu’.