Old Calabria

by Norman Douglas

Overview

Calabria. A dramatic peninsula of rugged mountains and windswept coastlines facing Sicily - 'the most beautiful kilometre in Italy' - wrote Gabriele d'Annunzio. Thought steeped in a rich and ancient past, Calabria has been lost from view when Norman Douglas visited in the early 1900s. Long familiar with southern Italy, the region captivated him and the wild and unspoilt landscape inspired him. Tracing a typically adventurous route from the promontory of Gargano in the north - liked in ancient times with Byzantium - to the southern tip of Aspromote, he scaled vast mountain ranges, trekked through dense forest and crossed remote and often dangerous countryside. Within Douglas's vibrant account of his adventures is woven the rich history - from Greek settlers and Roman conquerors to the powerful 'Ndrangheta organised crime family - that has shaped the land, language, culture and people of a place that Douglas grew to adore. Witty, erudite and elegant, Old Calabria is a literary classic, acclaimed as much for its sparkling prose as for its exquisite portrait of Italy's most unpredictable and colourful province.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789358017519
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	05/01/2023
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Norman Douglas was a British writer and traveler who lived from 1868 to 1952. He is best known for his travel writing, particularly his book "Old Calabria," which explores the rugged and remote region of southern Italy. Born in Austria to a wealthy Scottish family, Douglas was educated in England and Germany before embarking on a career as a diplomat. However, he was forced to resign from the British Foreign Service in 1898 after being caught in a scandal involving a young boy. After leaving the diplomatic corps, Douglas turned to write and published his first book, "Siren Land," in 1911. He went on to write several more books, including "Fountains in the Sand" and "South Wind," but it was "Old Calabria" that cemented his reputation as a travel writer. In "Old Calabria," Douglas describes his travels through the largely forgotten region of Calabria in southern Italy, painting a vivid picture of the landscape, people, and culture of this rugged and isolated part of the country. His writing is marked by a deep appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and a fascination with the customs and traditions of the people he encounters. 

Table of Contents

Introduction John Davenport 7

1 Saracen Lucera 17

2 Manfred's Town 25

3 The Angel of Manfredonia 31

4 Cave-worship 37

5 Land of Horace 45

6 At Venosa 51

7 The Bandusian Fount 55

8 Tillers of the Soil 61

9 Moving Southwards 75

10 The Flying Monk 84

11 By the Inland Sea 90

12 Molle Tarentum 100

13 Into the Jungle 108

14 Dragons 113

15 Byzantinism 118

16 Reposing at Castrovillari 130

17 Old Morano 141

18 African Intruders 147

19 Uplands of Pollino 155

20 A Mountain Festival 164

21 Milton in Calabria 173

22 The'Greek' Sila 186

23 Albanians and their College 195

24 An Albanian Seer 202

25 Scrambling to Longobucco 207

26 Among the Bruttians 216

27 Calabrian Brigandage 225

28 The Greater Sila 230

29 Chaos 241

30 The Skirts of Montalto 253

31 Southern Saintliness 260

32 Aspromonte, the Cloud-gatherer 281

33 Musolino and the Law 287

34 Malaria 293

35 Caulonia to Serra 300

36 Memories of Gissing 308

37 Cotrone 315

38 The Sage of Croton 321

39 Midday at Petelia 326

40 The Column 330

Map 336

Index 339

Editorial Reviews

If there is a better book of travel in English, I do not know it.” —R. M. Dawkins, University of Oxford

From the Publisher