Mussolini's Rome: Rebuilding the Eternal City [NOOK Book]

Informative, got a tad lost.

I will confess, I knew very little about Rome during Mussolini's reign. Therefore, when I started to read this book, I could quickly become lost at times. This is a book to read in addition to basic knowledge, rather than a book FOR basic knowledge.
However, that is not to say this is not a good book. It is. It is well written, very informative, with great footnotes for further information, as well as pictures that aid rather than detract. If you don't have basic knowledge, it is still very rewarding but will be a bit harder of a read through than if you have that knowledge. If you are interested in Rome as a city, Italian history before and during WWII, or politics and their influence on architecture-this is a must read.

18 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

Very interesting read!

I never really thought about how a political system can actually shape a city until I read this book. This is a fascinating read for anyone who's interested in either history or architecture, and I would even recommend it for anyone just looking for a thought-provoking read.

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

As an American of Italian ancestry I found this book enthralling. In matter of architecture I found it enlightening. When we travel to Rome we will use this book as a guide.

The background to Rome's history between the wars was well developed and well documented. Mussolini would have arguably been hailed as important if he as had Franco stayed out of the Second World War. However in a desired to not be out match by Hitler he failed to preserve his legacy as a builder. Instead he will go down in history as megalomaniac. However, much of modern Rome still bears his marks.

In regard to the Papacy he is fairly balanced with a few minor errors. Pius XII was not given much credit for protecting the Jewish population of Italy. A mere mention of Scrivener's work is important and should be followed up. The Pope has taken some untrue hits about his ignoring the Jewish peoples' problems. He opened the churches and monastic house to them in order that they might be saved. At least this truth is foot noted.

None-the-less this is an important subject and an important work that should be read and if you go to Rome you will be lost without it.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Awsome

A great insite on how he changed Italy

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Good maybe.

This book looks good because I like to read about things from WW2. But sadly I can't read it yet... but if I were you, I'd read it. It looks good.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Good read for a History buff. Good portrait of Mussolini

This is a good read for any history buff. Kind of tedious with many names and places but the pictures and footnotes help in the overall understanding of the events. Definitely recommended.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

cool

y

2 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Great Read

A must read...Highly recommend

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great!!

I love history Great book

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

not recommended.

It would be nice to have some "before" and "after" pictures. An OK read but not great.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good read about Mussolinis it Good Read about Mussolini ant Italy.

If you want to know what happen during Mussolinis reign in Italy read this book. Very informative and vey well researched.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Specialized historical perspective

I bought a Nook and, within a few hours, was on a plane for Rome. I didn't know how it all worked, and had few books loaded on my new Nook - this was one of them. I have what some call a "learning personality," which seems to me to mean that I'm happy when I learn something new. So, Mr. Painter's book kept my interest through the concept of cityscapes/archicture/urban renewal as political tools. Surely future historians will be interested in changes to Rome wrought by Mussolini. For the general reader unfamiliar with Rome then and now, the level of detail about the fascist urban renewal project is overwhelming.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting read

While I did not read the entire book, I did read sections that pertained to some of the issues that my students were studying. I found it to be an interesting read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mussolini's Rome

I was very disappointed with this book. It was a long, long report on construction in Rome and the environs during the 20-year Mussolini rule. So detailed and boring were the reports that we were told how many rows of photographs and how many prints per row were exhibited in a museum. If you really must read this book (because it is free) start on Chapter 7 or maybe 6; thereafter, you will find a little about the war and what the Italian citizens thought about fascism. Oh, there was one humorous fact that was revealed early: that the corporate role in the fascist scheme never really got launched during Mussolini's day. On another subject, the book showed me a major disadvantage of the ebook readers, i.e. that you can't skim. Instead you have to plow through many dreary pages to see if there is some history in there somewhere.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Not a good fit for an ereader

Informative, but the pictures don't display well in an ereader.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

amazing

imformative very good

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

THIS IS NOT A CHAT ROOM!

You cat people should stop using the review space for this great book as a chat room... there are websites for that.

Kat

Ok. I dont where i am or how i got here. All i remember is something about featherclan bfor i blacked out...

Kevin

Hmmmm..... I am Praetor of the Roman camps. If its a war you want, then ur gonna get ur butts kicked. I want to speak with this Brutis.

Miller

I demand to speak with brutis
Im general miller aka julius
I want to join brutis's army
Skilled at unconventional warfare
Sorry about the war note
I had to get your attention