[MR] New Italian Castle Book

[Garth G. Groff]

Noble friends,

Just received in the UVA Fine Arts Library: CASTLES, FORTRESSES AND 
FORTS OF UMBRIA by Daniele Amoni (ISBN: 9788889398586; our call #: Fine 
Arts UG430 .U43 A4716 2010). It is very refreshing to find a book about 
something other than the usual English or Scottish castles, particularly 
one about Italian castles in English. It seems almost every country had 
its peculiar style of castles, and Italy was no exception. The Italian 
castles shown in this book are mostly small, usually with one  very tall 
tower. Roofs are largely very low, and most have interior structures 
which also form part of the outer walls. Many seem to lack a courtyard 
or bailie, though possibly what we are seeing today is just the inner 
keep after the outer walls were torn down. Happily, most of the castles 
shown are still occupied and appear to be in good repair. The work is 
presented in guidebook format, divided into the provinces of Perugia and 
Terni. The history of each castle is examined by a historical sketch of 
varying length and detail, with a single exterior photo of each castle 
in rich color in a following section. Each castle is given a number, and 
keyed to maps which stretch across four pages. Naturally there is an 
excellent bibliography (most listed works are in Italian), with three 
indexes. For lovers of the Italian renaissance, or just lovers of 
castles in general, this is a rich book and one you will enjoy looking 
at from a comfortable chair near the fire.