This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

1. 1. The Italians

   

   A vivid, anecdotal portrait of Italy and its people that argues centuries of history have produced a national character of paradoxes — an instinctive love of beauty, sociability and improvisation paired with political disorder, nepotism, fatalism and a tenuous relationship with modern institutions. Drawing on historical episodes and contemporary observation, it shows how family loyalty, regionalism, patronage and a talent for adaptability shape everyday life, politics and the economy, generating both creativity and inefficiency. The result is an often ironic, penetrating exploration of why Italians behave as they do and how their cultural strengths and contradictions have determined the nation's fortunes.

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