The Po

Jones, Tobias

£12.99

A captivating journey along the iconic River Po and through Italian history, society and culture. The River Po is the longest river in Italy, travelling for 650 kilometres from its source in the Alps across the entire width of the peninsula until it reaches the Adriatic Sea in the east. Flowing through 13 provinces and 180 local councils, it is a part of the national psyche, as iconic to Italy as the Thames is to England or the Mississippi to the USA. This mighty river creates a formidable barrier and its banks have witnessed not only Italian history – the battle of Ticinus between Hannibal and Scipio, the Battle of the Po in 1431, Operation Grapeshot in 1945 – but also the clash of natural and human history. At the Po’s delta is an astonishing nature reserve: a wetland swamp of 380 square kilometres and 450 different lakes. Tobias Jones travels the length of the river gathering its stories.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 06/07/2023

Description

A captivating journey along the iconic River Po and through Italian history, society and culture. ‘Delightful… A wonderful cornucopia of history’ TLS‘Uncovers the Po’s fascinating history’ GuardianThe Po is the longest river in Italy, travelling for 652 kilometres from one end of the country to the other. It rises by the French border in the Alps and meanders the width of the entire peninsula to the Adriatic Sea in the east. Flowing next to many of Italy’s most exquisite cities – Ferrara, Mantova, Parma, Cremona, Pavia and Torino – the river is a part of the national psyche, as iconic to Italy as the Thames is to England or the Mississippi to the USA.For millennia, the Po was a vital trading route and a valuable source of tax revenue, fiercely fought over by rival powers. It was also a moat protecting Italy from invaders from the north, from Hannibal to Holy Roman Emperors. But as humans radically altered the river’s hydrology, those floodplains became important places of major industries and agricultures, the source of bricks, timber, silk, hemp, cement, flour and risotto rice.Tobias Jones travels the length of the river against the current, gathering stories of battles, writers, cuisines, entertainers, religious minorities and music. Both an ecological lament and a celebration of the resourcefulness and resilience of the people of the Po, the book opens a window onto a stunning, but now neglected, part of Italy.

Additional information

Weight 218 g
Dimensions 198 × 129 × 18 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

288

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

945.2 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K