What  they are saying

The Irish and English in Italy’s Risorgimento

di Mary Jane Cryan            EDIZIONI ARCHEOARES

 L’opera della Consocia Mary Jane Cryan getta nuova luce sugli avvenimenti legati all’Unità d’Italia, vista e

combattuta da chi italiano non era, ma che dalla penisola ne fu attratto e nella quale cercò di far prevalere ed

esaltare quegli ideali di libertà e rinnovamento che ne hanno contraddistinto l’evolversi.

Fino ad oggi, le vicende storiche legate ai 1000 volontari, sia del St. Patrick’s Battalion, combattenti per il Papa Re

da un lato, sia degli English Excursionists della British Legion, sostenitori di Garibaldi dall’altro, sono state

dimenticate dalla storiografia ufficiale legata allo studio dell’unificazione italiana.

Grazie a quest’opera abbiamo infatti una visione di quello che fu il ruolo di questi militari, siano essi stati inglesi o

irlandesi, nel complesso quadro del processo risorgimentale italiano: lettere confidenziali, diari e

documenti segreti riguardanti le due tipologie di volontarihanno messo in evidenza gli umori, le passioni, le abilità,

gli atteggiamenti e le vicissitudini chi ha contribuito da straniero, ma con grande passione e forte spirito europeo

ante litteram, alla costruzione dell’Italia moderna.  (Per i Consoci interessati è previsto uno sconto sull’acquisto: € 10, anziché € 15, incluse spese postali.

Review  published  on Recensione  da “Sul Tutto”,  agosto  2011 , rivista  della SISA, Società Italiana di Studi Araldici, Torino.

www.athomeintuscany.org ------------------------

Well, you've managed to do it, again. Publish another historical narrative of considerable scholarship, but with commendable, i.e., enjoyable, precision and clarity. I refer to ETRURIA: Travel, History and Itineraries In Central Italy.

Next on the reading list is your THE IRISH AND ENGLISH IN ITALY'S RISORGIMENTO. Can't wait to dig in. Joe Krupsky, N.J

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I am most grateful to Roberto, not only for a delightful day of birding and introducing me to the area not often seen by tourists, but also for the gift of your book. 

It was fascinating to discover the gems in your book describing the history, the natural environment, and the people. In each location, I had the feeling of a special something or someone being there. I have re-read portions that hold special meanings such as the town of Vetralla which I saw so briefly on one very rainy Sunday. I almost felt the need to apologize for the remarks made by Mrs. Hawthorne.

I sense your love for the area and understand more fully Roberto's brief description regarding the wonders of the area which few foreign travelers take the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate. However, perhaps it is best to keep your wonderful area unspoiled by tourists. Having said that, I would like very much to return and spend some time there.Thank you (and Roberto) for the chance to discover an area not covered by our teachers in classes on European History nor the Tourism Industry. I am honored to be able to express to you my appreciation for your thoughtful and extensive coverage of this most interesting part of Italy. Bobbie Miller , USA

Ville e Casali - Gennaio  2011   -   Letture  

 review  by Claudia Capperucci

Etruria –travel, history and itineraries in central Italy

L’ultimo libro di Mary Jane Cryan conferma l’amore  e la passione  della scrittrice per il territorio dell’Etruria, in cui vive da tempo, e la sua ormai totale appartenenza  a questa cultura. Scritta in lingua inglese per turisti selezionati e appassionati di tutto il mondo, l’opera ci porta nell’anima più remota della Tuscia, fra territori collinari di rara bellezza, piccoli musei di provincia che celano inestimabili ricchezze artistiche, folclore, aneddoti e notazioni storiche frutto di anni di ricerche sul campo e del contatto diretto con la cultura locale.

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Book Review     by        Alexandra   Korey       www.arttrav.com  

Mary Jane Cryan’s “Etruria – Travel, History, and Itineraries in Central Italy” is written with the deep knowledge of a scholar and the passion of someone who wasn’t born there. Aside from her knowledgeable itineraries in the area of the province of Viterbo, including a good guide to the tombs of Tarquinia, there are elements of this book that are clearly characterized by personal, expat interests: a study of an Irish family (the Denhams), impressions from early Americans who visited the area, and a description of the international residents of the town of Vetralla.

 Let’s start off by saying that as you know I’m a big fan of Maremma, so in some way I’m writing about my neighbour and Tuscany’s “competition”. 

Before reading this book I never knew that an area called Etruria existed. Actually, I thought I was living in it, because Cosimo I Duke of Tuscany went on at rather great length about being Etruscan and reigning over all of Etruria. This book, however, is about a rather specific part of Etruria mainly centered on the province of Viterbo. In search of a better understanding I checked Cryan’s website Elegant Etruria and found this explanation.

Until recently the Etruria region (aka Tuscia or Viterbese) has been snubbed by visitors in favour of neighbouring Tuscany. If the names Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Tuscania, Viterbo and Vetralla are little known, it is because the area is about 50 years behind the times, touristically speaking, due to their proximity to the overwhelmingly important Rome and Tuscany.

Okay, well that explains in part why I’ve heard of Viterbo and Tarquinia but not much more. Will this book have a strong impact on tourism and cause hoardes to descend on Bolsena (population 4000)? No. I hope not. But if you’re looking for some off-the-beaten-track Italy, this area – and this book – is for you.

 When Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia wrote about their trip moving North from Rome in 1858, they did visit Bolsena, and his description has not been taken up by the local APT’s brochure service for good reason:

We did not look long at the castle, our attention being drawn to the singular aspect of the town itself, which is the very filthiest place, I do believe, that was ever inhabited by man. Defilement was everywhere; in the piazza, in nooks and corners, strewing the miserable lanes from side to side, the refuse of every day, and of accumulated ages.   His wife said of the town’s residents: “I do not think they ever touch water”. This is my favourite chapter of the book, only in part because it provides fascinating evidence for the pestilence of both this flat part of Etruria and of Maremma just up the road; both areas were uninhabitable until after the second world war. One of the Hawthornes’ children contracted malaria there, and she was neither the first nor the last. (Arttrav readers will soon learn of my malaria obsession – this is as good as ever a moment to confess…)

Not to worry though. Malaria is no longer a risk should you wish to visit the Etruscan tombs, hot springs, medieval castles, unusual museums, and impressive gardens that Cryan describes and lists with care in her book. The itineraries she offers are more evocative than practical so you’ll need to mark the locations on a map and find out opening hours before venturing out (a choice that surely gives the book a longer life since opening hours change frequently in Italy… if they are respected at all).

One chapter, for example, offers a one-day sampling of the area for cruise-ship passengers disembarking at Civitavecchia (and who choose to eschew Rome’s crowds and shops).

 An unusual premise, but one that is likely born from Cryan’s experience as a cruise-ship lecturer – she says that about 25% of these tourists do not go in to Rome for the day. Excellent idea to spread them out on the territory. Practical information is provided here about how to procure transportation in order to explore Tarquinia, Tuscania, Viterbo, Vetralla, and maybe Vulci. This seems like a lot for one day, and the material here can surely be used for a more leisurely visit by anyone not about to float back out of Italy.

 I’d certainly like to test out the itinerary of historic gardens of Etruria, with visits to the Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo, the water games of Villa Lante at Bagnaia, Caprarola’s Palazzo Farnese (with frescoed animals paragoned to Dr. Seuss a comparison unknown to Italians), and the “Secret Garden” at Castello Ruspoli in Vignanelllo. These sound like marvelous places that I’m putting on my to-do list.

Etruria – Travel, History, and Itineraries is unquestionably a wonderful gift to Northern Lazio (who will likely reward the author as they have done in the past for her books) and a treat for all of us who think we know Italy well: there’s always somewhere else to be discovered!

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Rarely does one experience such a "good read" as ETRURIA.  Such an abundance of   erudition housed in such clear, concise language. I wolfed down the book in one setting. The other copy is to be given as a Christmas present to an old friend      Joe Krupsky, N.J.

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• Excerpts from  Presentation Etruria at Sala Crociera, Palazzo del Collegio Romano, Rome  Oct. 28, 2010

Parla  Maria Giovanna  Fadiga,

Saluti della direttrice Petrollo e del Ministero,Saluti alle autorità che hanno concesso il patrocinio: Provincia di Viterbo, Comune di Montefiascone, Universtià della Tuscia per lo spessore culturale conferito a questa serata e il supporto dell'Enoteca Provinciale, che ci permetterà di degustare le leccornie che ora giacciono solitarie in attesa nella sala qui a fianco.   Ringraziamenti calorosi vanno alle mie collaboratrici che mi hanno seguito con grande entusiasmo nella realizzazione di quest'evento: Lucia Mirabelli, Elisa Breccioni e Chiara Di Francesco.

And many thanks to you all, to this wonderful public, here gathered to tribute the right honour to an impressive work, full of culture and history and to testify with your presence the international dimension of this presentation . 

  Come tutte le terre di confine, questa regione beneficia di diverse nature, che bene emergono dal lavoro prezioso ed accurato della prof.ssa Cryan, da cui traspare una profonda preparazione e un grande spessore nella narrazione storica.

Personalmente ho due cose in comune con Mary Jane: il nome e il grande amore per la Tuscia. Per questo, quando mi e’ stato proposto di presentare questo volume, sono stata davvero entusiasta perche’ ho trovato nel lavoro di Mary Jane l’equilibrio e la sintesi che caratterizzano l’approccio anglosassone alla ricerca e che sanno aggiungere novita’ ad argomenti apparentemente già noti.

Viaggiare attraverso questi territori con gli occhi della studiosa significa scoprire realta’ profonde, non solo appartenenti al passato, come la dimensione archeologica che il territorio offre, ma sopratutto trovare una nuova chiave di lettura degli spazi che hanno coinvolto diverse civilta’ e comunita’, come ad esempio la parte riguardante l’american connection dell’Etruria o ancora la moderna dimensione multietnica dei centri abitati.

Per finire e lasciare il microfono alle autorevoli parole del prof. Sanfilippo, vorrei leggervi il brano celeberrimo con cui Vincenzo Cardarelli, a nome del quale è stato istituito un prestigioso premio, di Cui la prof.ssa Cryan è stata insignita, dipinge la sua terra:

Qui rise l’Etrusco, un giorno, coricato, con gli occhi a fior di terra, guardando la marina.[…] Ma rimase seppellito, il solitario orgiasta, nella propria favola luminosa. Benché la gran madre ne custodisca un ricordo così soave che, dove l’Etruria dorme, la terra non fiorisce più che asfòdeli.

 Possa il libro di Mary Jane contribuire al risveglio dell’Etruria.

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• Excerpt  from “ A Viterbo Odyssey-Witia’s  2010 Educational in Italy” – personal observations by  Beverley Auerbach,  Director of Marketing Americas www.WITIA.org

“Lunch deserves its own paragraph. We went to the nearby hillside town of Vetralla  to the home of Mary Jane Cryan, a transplanted Irish American historian who has written extensively about the region…Besides the voyeuristic delights of visiting a local palazzo, filled with antiques, art and an overflowing library, we were treated to a luncheon prepared by Mary Jane’s sweetie, Fulvio Ferri, a chef and cookbook author.

 It was served in her neighbor’s broad terrace garden down a flight of  stone steps  but worth every one of them for the magnificent view over the valley. The sun was warm on our shoulders, the scent of fresh baked brad wafted from an outdoor oven and the food was indescribable.

A veritable   feast with wine that rolled out over several hours  while the muted strains of opera drifted through the air. It was our first day of touring but if we had rolled up and finished right then and there, everyone would have declared the trip a resounding success. There was one further surprise: on peeking into the neighbor’s house I learned it was Rudolph’s house-and marveled at the simple elegance, grace and bounty of life in Tuscia”

·         Rarely does one experience such a "good read" as ETRURIA.  Such an abundance of   erudition housed in such clear, concise language. I wolfed down the book in one setting. The other copy is to be given as a Christmas present to an old friend      Joe Krupsky, N.J.

 ·         I wanted to say thank you for the extraordinary afternoon you hosted for us when we visited Lazio. You were such a wonderful hostess! We were totally charmed by your lovely home and wonderful hilltown. We will not soon forget Vetralla or its connections with Henry VIII and Cardinal Henry. Our meeting you was one of the highlights of our stay in Lazio. We very much enjoyed   our Castello and our various daytrips to Tarquinia, Villa Lante, Parco dei Mostri, Vitorchiano, Orvieto and of course Civita di Bagnoregio. We’ll be sure to keep tabs on your writing career.  Clark Aston Miller, Salinas, CA

·         Thanks again so MUCH for your spontaneous hospitality! It was one of the highlights of our journey and certainly one of the most memorable meals with that luscious olive oil! We are looking forward to perusing the books  of yours at our leisure too. grace & peace, Sarah & Andrew Wilson, Strasbourg  www.hereiwalk.org   

·         My mum and I were the Royal Caribbean cruise in May this year and we went to all your presentations about each port. We found them so fascinating that I went and purchased your book and still read it when I get a chance… I didn't want to leave I have fallen in love with Italy all over again. My husband and I are coming back next year in May. I hope to travel through more regions in Italy next year.  Ciao,  Maria Trifaro Mavrick

 ·         I'm still in catch up mode and so I won't go on at length about our wonderful trip to Italy, but I do want to mention two things. First, I want to extol the virtues of "slow travel" and of Mary Jane's friend Dave Morton and his Roman Road Walks. Walking in the beautiful countryside of Northern Lazio and Umbria was sheer delight. Dave is a fantastic guide and arranger of all things. Second, once again, Mary Jane and Fulvio proved to be generous and gracious hosts. We had a delicious pre-Easter lunch in the olive grove with special Easter bread, bruschetta, various sausages and cheese, and wine--and of course, wonderful company. Too many highlights to mention them all including a Good Friday procession in Blera, a stay at a totally magical villa, and a cooking class with Fulvio. Many thanks, Bonne T. Brooklyn

·         We cannot express our gratitude for your wonderful company and friendship on the cruise. John tells everyone of his new amiche, Fulvio and MaryJane. We hope you both had a safe trip home to Vetralla. Even though it was sad leaving Italy, we took  with us wonderful memories and 2 new friends. Please give our love to Fulvio, and tell him we  have used a few of his recipes from his delightful cookbook. We have also been on your website, and love it. Please tell Fulvio that I am taking Italian language lezione soon, and will be able to write him in Italian some day. Stay safe and healthy, Love,  Giovanni and Agnese, R.I.

  ·         Grazie per il tuo impegno che metti   nel far conoscere le bellezze della Nostra Terra Meravigliosa sia per il suo aspetto fisico come per quello storico artistico; noi figli di questa terra non riusciamo più ad apprezzare quanto i nostri avi ci hanno lasciato ed avevano capito!!! Grazie ancora per quello che fai e come per  tanti amici che provenienti dalla tua lontana, oggi non più, terra d'Irlanda che hanno amato ed apprezzato questo territorio, anche per te ci sarà, sono sicuro, il ringraziamento di tutti quelli che amano le cose belle e desiderano visitarle e conoscerle!   Gianfranco Ciprini ,   La Quercia, VT

·         vi ringrazio nuovamente, anche da parte di Sussi, della splendida serata e incomparabile cucina. Gli ospiti erano tutti deliziosi.   Oggi ho regalato un libro di Fulvio a una mia amica cuciniera, gli è piaciuto moltissimo!  A presto. Francesca C.  Roma

Mary Jane Cryan on    Elegant Etruria Friends