Within TuscanyUnlike any other account of the region, Matthew Spender's Within Tuscany is a rich combination of personal observation and historical inquiry which will delight the discerning reader and traveler. Spender's meditations on his chosen homeland of twenty years are fired with intelligence, humor, and an overriding sense of the palpability of the past. He is captivated in turn by trace memories of the Etruscans subjected to Roman cultural genocide, by the obsessive diaries of Pontormo and the ancient practice of extracting oil from olives; by the burning of Savonarola and by the sound of bees mourning their lost queen. Together with family, or accompanied by the mischievous archaeologist Vittoria, he encounters the Magus of Montecapraia, filmmakers from Rome, a funeral party, the leader of the local band, and many craftsmen who still follow traditions that have endured for two millennia. Spender in extraordinary detail writes of the battle of Montaperti in 1260, when for the last time the Sienese defeated the Florentines, with the help of Florentine exiles. Dante describes the river Arbia on the boundary between the two contestants at Montaperti as "colored red with blood". The passions which this archaic rivalry evoke are still present in modern Tuscany. Matthew Spender's eloquent memoir explores the interfusion of violence and gentleness, turbulence and great civility, in an incomparably vivid portrait. |
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artists asked band Bandinelli battle of Montaperti beautiful became bees Byron Caio called Carrara carved century church colour Comune Dante Don Osvaldo Etruscan eyes face fact Farinata Fascist feel felt fingers floor Florence Florentine frescos front Furbuffo Gaiole garden Georgina Ghibelline green Guelfs hand head hill historians hive imagine Italian Italy leaves listened lived looked Lorenzo Maccari marble Marco Maro Medici Michelangelo Montaperti moved Murlo Mussolini never olives Otello painted Palio perhaps piazza piece Pietrasanta Pietro Leopoldo Pitigliano Poggibonsi political Pontormo quarry Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli road Roman Rome round Savonarola sculpture seemed sense Seravezza Shelley side Siena Sienese Signor Sinalunga smile stone talking tell thing thought told took town trees turned Tuscany Vasari village Vittoria voice walked wall wood young