Gioia delle riviere

The Gulf of La Spezia recalls a saying by Abraham Ortelius, the great 16th-century humanist and cartographer, according to whom “geography is the reflection of history (and not the other way around). And indeed, the Gulf owes its physical appearance, as well as its social and cultural identity, to short or long-lasting events that changed its features, toponyms, historical significance and future. Illustrated, as usual, by images of the most beautiful places and fascinating artworks of La Spezia, this volume takes readers on a tour of the city. The introduction by editor Giorgio Antei is followed by several texts: Giuseppe Benelli focuses on the main personalities who characterised and defined the identity of the city; Andrea Marmori describes La Spezia’s most important public and private art collections; Rossana Piccioli tells the stories and adventures of long-ago travellers from La Spezia and offers an in-depth look at their relationships with the world and their anthropological and ethnographic studies. Last but not least, a section devoted to “snippets”: anthological writings and fun facts about the city.