Book review: ‘The Shortest History of Italy’ by Ross King

Planning a long-overdue trip to Italy, a wonderful country I’ve visited several times before, I thought it was about time I brushed up on the history of the country. This was just the book I needed.

Ross King’s short history of il bel paese takes us from the mythical accounts of the foundation of Rome through to the Covid-19 epidemic. There is the Roman Republic and subsequent Empire, Celts, Greeks, Etruscans, and Goths. There is decline and fall, then the rise of city states in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. There is Enlightenment and eventual Unification. There is war and a brief dalliance with Fascism. King moves the story along at just the right pace, occasionally slipping in not-strictly-necessary but fascinating details, such as the fact that the Roman Colosseum was not named on account of its size, but because is was built next to a Colossus statue of Emperor Nero.

An excellent short history of an excellent country.