Modern Italy

It is not an easy job to draw the border between the history of Italy and the history of Rome. In so many places, the two political and geographical entities collide. They wouldn’t be possible without each other, but they each have their own story. Rome’s history is only a small fragment of Italy’s history. Although it is just a city, Rome was the birthplace of the republic, a great empire, and notable philosophers, poets, and artists.

Experience three thousand years of captivating European history, exploring the epic rise and fall of mighty empires. Perfect for your daily commute or educational listening, this fast-paced historical overview plunges you into the vibrant mosaic of ancient settlements, dazzling city-states, and...

When the Mayor of a picturesque Italian town launches a new scheme to rejuvenate the community, his advertisement is read with interest and excitement by many. Zara is in her thirties and desperate to get on the property ladder. Tim and Lynda are retiring and need a project. Some are looking for a peaceful bolthole. Others hope to make a profit, start a business, escape a dull life or an unhappy relationship. And there is someone who just might be hiding their true motivation...

Maisie Knight had it all. A gorgeous husband. A successful business. A beautiful home. Until one day, after walking into the storeroom of their shop, she loses it all at once - catching her husband cheating on her with the girl from checkout 3. So when she wins a holiday to Italy, a week under the Tuscan sun couldn’t come soon enough. She treats best friends Cheryl and Emma to a girls’ trip, and the terracotta-roofed Villa Marisa on a rustic farm awaits them.

A Fresh Pick at Fresh Fiction When she learns she has a big Italian family she never knew about, a lonely woman travels to Sicily for a life-changing summer in the new romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst. Aurora York had it all together: loving parents, a steady...

Invite Hannibal Lecter into the palace of your mind and be invited into his mind palace in turn. Note the similarities in yours and his, the high vaulted chambers of your dreams, the shadowed halls, the locked storerooms where you dare not go, the scrap of half-forgotten music, the muffled cries...

A concise, star-studded retelling of Italy's past, from Caesar and Augustus to da Vinci and Michelangelo, tracing the story of a country with prodigious global influence—from a foremost author of historic Italy.

Brought to you by Penguin. 'Do you know it, do you remember it, the drives, the attitudes, the terrors and, yes, the joys?' Thus Steinbeck introduces his collection of poignant and hard-hitting dispatches for the New York Herald Tribune when the Second World War was at its height. He begins in...

“[An] elegantly layered exploration of Europe’s past and future . . . a multifaceted masterpiece.”—The Wall Street Journal “A lovely, personal journey around the Adriatic, in which Robert Kaplan revisits places and peoples he first encountered decades ago.”—Peter Frankopan, author...

Invite Hannibal Lecter into the palace of your mind and be invited into his mind palace in turn. Note the similarities in yours and his, the high vaulted chambers of your dreams, the shadowed halls, the locked storerooms where you dare not go, the scrap of half-forgotten music, the muffled cries...

Mi chiamo Fabio Fabiano e sono un giallista siciliano. Ho scritto diversi romanzi che raccontano vicende che sono frutto della mia fantasia, ma osservando la realtà siciliana mi sono accorto che è intrisa di eventi che farebbero impallidire i migliori scrittori e drammaturghi. Dopo aver studiato i documenti del passato ho raccolto queste storie vere, avvolte dal mistero, per raccontarvele.

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER M. is a startling look into the fascist mindset, a portrait of unrelenting determination, and an impeccable work of historical fiction. Italy is exhausted. Tired of the political class. Tired of the inept moderates and the agonizing machinations of a...

Convulsed by a civilizational crisis, the great thinkers of the Renaissance set out to reconceive the nature of society. Corrupt and reckless tyrants sowing discord and ruling through fear; elites who prized wealth and status over the common good; military leaders waging endless wars. Their solution was simple and radical. They would rebuild their city, and their civilization, by transforming the moral character of its citizens. Soulcraft, they believed, was a precondition of successful statecraft.

Two sisters. One secret. A journey to learn who they really are… The instant Irish number one bestseller! ‘I really, really loved it. I think it's her best book so far, written with maturity and great compassion. The characters are very relatable, Lou was my favourite … I enjoyed this book...

From an acclaimed historian, the definitive story of the Venetian Ghetto and the emergence of modern antisemitism. In the early sixteenth century, amidst the ruins of war and mounting religious hatred, the world’s first Jewish “ghetto” was established in Venice. Constrained in cramped...

Thea wakes from a coma, having forgotten much of the recent past. As well as learning to walk again, she studies the list of ‘facts’ she keeps on her phone, hoping something will unlock her memory. Her top three facts are: I was in Italy I was with the people I love the most I fell down a...

A delicious novel from Sunday Times bestseller Heidi Swain: ‘Heidi’s known for her feel-good factor and this story is a delight’ New! Magazine ‘A charming, summery read’ The People’s Friend ‘A summer trip to Wynbridge will never disappoint. Swain’s writing as always is so...

When Lorenzo de Medici seized control of the Florentine Republic in 1512, he fired the Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Signoria, Niccolo Machiavelli, which set in motion a fundamental change in the way we think about politics. Suddenly finding himself without a job after 14 years of...

Uncover sweeping European history as a forgotten papal town violently transforms into a contested modern metropolis. Perfect for your daily commute, this immersive narrative replaces dry facts with the vivid voices of revolutionaries and everyday citizens. You will witness five hundred years of...

Four plays by the award-winning Italian playwright and innovator Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello was an Italian playwright, novelist, and short-story writer and winner of the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature. In the first performance of Six Characters in Search of an Author, an enraged Rome...