The Shortest History of Italy: 3,000 Years from the Romans to the Renaissance to a Modern Republic―A Retelling for Our Times

Shortest History

by Ross King

A concise, star-studded retelling of Italy’s past, from Caesar and Augustus to da Vinci and Michelangelo, tracing the story of a country with prodigious global influence―from a foremost author of historic Italy. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. The calendar. The Senate. The university. The piano, the heliocentric model, and the pizzeria. It’s hard to imagine a world without Italian influence―and easy to assume that inventions like these could only come from a strong, stable peninsula, sure of its place in the world. In this breakneck history, bestselling author Ross King dismantles this assumption, uncovering the story of a land rife with inner uncertainty even as its influence spread. As the Italian tale unfolds, prosperity and power fluctuate like the elevation in the Dolomites. If Rome’s seven hills could talk, they might speak of the glorious time of Trajan―or bemoan the era of conquest and the Bubonic Plague that decimated Rome’s population. Episodes of wealth like the First Triumvirate and the time of the Medicis are given fresh life alongside descriptions the Middle Ages, the early days of Venice, the invasion of Napoleon, and the long struggle for unification. With illustrations and maps to reinforce key details, King paints a colorful, fascinating portrait of a country that remains compelling not just to tens of millions of Italian Americans, but to the millions of Americans who visit Italy every year. With black-and-white images throughout

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Audiobook, War, Religion, Politics

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Ross King (born July 16, 1962) is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer. He began his career by writing two works of historical fiction in the 1990s, later turning to non-fiction, and has since written several critically acclaimed and best-selling historical works.

King was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada and was raised in the nearby village of North Portal. He received his undergraduate university education at the University of Regina, where in 1984 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English Literature. Continuing his studies at the University of Regina, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1986 upon completing a thesis on the poet T.S. Eliot. Later he achieved a Ph.D. from York University in Toronto (1992), where he specialized eighteenth-century English literature.

King moved to England to take up a position as a post-doctoral research fellow at University College, London. It was at this time that he began writing his first novel.

For Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, King was nominated in 2003 for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Brunelleschi’s Dome was on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle, and was the recipient of several awards including the 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year.

He lectures frequently in both Europe and North America, and has given guided tours of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

King currently lives in Woodstock, England with his wife Melanie

Reviews

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is correct, this is probably the shortest history of Italy you will ever read. Going from the founding of the Roman Republic to the Covid 19 pandemic in about 230 pages is a serious achievement in brevity.
Obviously this is not an in-depth history. Think of it as an accessible pop-history that is a great place to start for the casually interested reader. Ideal for a book on a plane as well.
Well written and engaging i really can't find fault with this slim volume. It does exactly what it says on the tin.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I liked the non-flowery writing style with its clarity and conversational tone. Considering the time span and magnitude of the subject matter, there is an astonishing depth of information in what is actually a relatively concise book. The maps and visuals helped with this. Ross King opted to explain why things happened as opposed to just offering a collection of dates, places, and names. Obviously King couldn’t go into a lot of details, but I feel like he covered all the major ones. The book is fast-paced and impossible to put down, yet it doesn’t feel rushed. This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of Italy. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

[Samidha; समिधा · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just in time for my trip!

[Luuk van de Klundert]

keizers komen, keizers gaan, alleen nationalisme blijft bestaan

beetje doorheen geploeterd, schrijver had naar mijn idee interessantere invalshoeken kunnen kiezen.
Het gaat voornamelijk over veranderingen van dictators en systemen, het zegt niet genoeg over het volk denk ik.

[Bryan Perissutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I wanted! I am visiting Italy in April and, although I have a working knowledge of Italian history, I wanted to learn more so I could have context for all that I plan to see. This book was exactly that. Beginning from the founding of Rome and ending with Italy in the pandemic, so much is packed into this short history. But don’t let it’s length fool you - the author goes above and beyond to engage the reader in a multi-faceted and layered history. In addition to the broader, political history of the Italian peninsula (which is honestly all I expected from this book), the author weaves in a history of art, architecture, women, socioeconomic issues, and so much more. I was particularly gripped by the chapters on the Risorgimento through Mussolini’s rise in Italy and I felt the author did a good job of introducing the reader to some of the major issues Italian historians face in the historiography of the Risorgimento.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a general overview of Italian history and culture or those looking for a starting point in a larger study of Italian history. Perhaps what I appreciate most, is I feel more confident to branch into more narrow, specific histories of Italy after reading this book (with help from the author’s footnotes).

[Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually loved this? It was definitely the shortest history of Italy and it felt in depth enough to gain a decent understanding but not too long where it was dragging. I was actually itching to read it which is not always the norm with history books.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to buy this in Italy because I realized I didn’t know anything about it’s history (shout-out Canadian public education system). This was a quick read, good summarization of key events and figures. You could tell the author was left-leaning as he wasn’t afraid to call out Italy for trying to erase its colonizing past. The writing was hard to follow at some points but i liked the little tidbits of humour here and there

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek bevat wat de titel zegt. Je krijgt dus waar voor je geld. Het komt ongeveer overeen met een school- of universiteitsvak over Italiaanse geschiedenis en cultuur in één leer- of academiejaar, denk ik.

Als auteur moet je bij dit soort boeken - waarin je ruwweg 3000 jaar geschiedenis in 260 bladzijdes propt - keuzes maken, en het is bijna onvermijdelijk dat je daarbij op tegenstand stoot van je lezers. Ook van mijnentwege. Zelf ben ik van mening dat de aandacht hier en daar iets beter verdeeld had kunnen worden. Er was een geschiedkundig deel van het Romeinse Rijk waar wel erg diep op ingegaan werd, vond ik, en ook de voorbije 150 à 200 jaar werden wel erg uitgediept, bijvoorbeeld als het ging over de biografieën van de belangrijkste voorvechters van het Risorgimento (de Italiaanse eenmaking in de 19e eeuw). Die zaken hadden wat compacter gemogen van mij. Anderzijds vind ik het jammer dat er bijvoorbeeld niet iets meer melding wordt gemaakt van onder andere de geschiedenis van de Genuese en Venetiaanse Republieken, San Marino, het ontstaan van de eerste Europese universiteiten en zo nog een paar zaken waarvan ik wel had verwacht dat ze zouden vernoemd worden. Maar ja: keuzes hé.

Verder denk ik dat je inhoudelijk krijgt wat je hoort te krijgen. Er wordt aandacht besteed aan 'de geschiedenis' op zich - de ontwikkeling van het Romeinse Rijk, en de aankomst van de Normandiërs, om maar iets te noemen - maar ook aan de maatschappij, de economie en natuurlijk ook de cultuur. Er gaat veel aandacht uit naar de renaissance, maar op het einde staat er bijvoorbeeld ook tamelijk veel informatie over Cinecittà en de Italiaanse film in de naoorlogse periode (alleen: waar is Sergio Leone gebleven?). Dus voor het merendeel is het echt wel een degelijk boek met een afwisselende inhoud.

De tekst leest vlot, ook al is de schrijfstijl er nu niet echt een die aanzet om verder te lezen. Het gaat te ver om hem als 'sec' te bestempelen en ik ben er wel tevreden over, maar King had van mij iets meer humor erin mogen steken, misschien een iets kritisch-humoristischer sausje over z'n tekst mogen gieten. Zo nu en dan voegt hij dat er wel aan toe, maar om alles wat levendiger te maken had dat vaker gemogen.

De vertaling is van Pon Ruiter, die ook de boeken van Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (De Perzen en De Cleopatra's) heeft vertaald. Ook hier levert hij goed werk en zorgt hij voor een goede, vlotte Nederlandse tekst, zo goed als zonder fouten, op misschien één of twee typfouten na die hij en de redactie nog gemist hebben. Jammer alleen dat in die voetnoot op het einde alleen de Nederlandse gemiddelde leeftijd wordt gegeven - was je te lam om voor België opzoekwerk te doen, Pon? Volgende keer graag eraan denken dat je voor twee landen vertaalt, dank je. Maar verder was dit weer goed werk.

7,2/10

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry, I retained very little except the part about Mussolini’s squadristi beating people with dried cod. Well that and the part where he attributes longevity to “rampant sexual activity among the elderly” But seriously I found the Mussolini chapter the most interesting probably because I had background knowledge and it’s sadly relatable to certain political members today. It was a lot of information pre renaissance that I just lacked background knowledge, even with the “shortened version” to really understand what was going on.

[Carol Dimitriou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. I didn't know Italy had been conquered by so many different countries. A lot of information was packed into this little book!

[Christopher Cerone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cliff Notes’ version of Italy! This is a fun, frolicking read for Italian history fans and non-fans alike. “Il bel paese!” The author weaves in splendid facts and anecdotes during his journey through Italy’s long, consequential history. It was great learning about Quinctius from Pompeii and gaining interesting insights into the implications of Hannibal and the internecine fighting within the two ancient triumvirates. How about Hortensia and her no taxation without representation cry or Caracalla and his push for equality? Delightful. The pace and intrigue continue into the barbarian rule era and the Middle Ages, including the significance of Machiavelli, Dante and Caravaggio, as well as Italy’s contributions to and benefits from “Il Illuminismo.” The author pushes through with vigor and vim, highlighting the Napoleonic struggles and the efforts of Garibaldi, Cavour and Mazzini to press forward and unite Italy once and for all. As the author concludes, Italy always finds a way to at least muddle through, in spite of countervailing internal forces and often with support of external forces. Italy’s perseverance through the World Wars, despite numerous political and military challenges (most profoundly the fascist dictator Mussolini) and post-war economic turnaround are fine examples and well chronicled by the author. One is left with the strong sense that Italy’s profound sense of history, culture and family will allow it to continue making history — good, bad or indifferent — for thousands of years to come. Indeed, for Italy, “Andra’ tutto bene, sempre!”

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book and an excellent author. I’ve never read anything by him before, but his writing is outstanding, and he is knowledgeable. I knew various things about Italy before, but I learned so much in this book! Did you know that less than 200 years ago Florentine literary dialect was adopted as the primary form of Italian language? This made things very complicated for people. The author managed to condense the Roman Empire to 75 concise pages. Bravo! I found this book very entertaining and, at times, funny. I plan to read another book by King sometime. He has many interesting history subjects, is quite prolific with a book every other year, and does his research in great detail.

[Rachel Trepagnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first chapter of this book I almost stopped reading because I was unsure about the pace of it, but I’m glad I continued reading. The shortest history is absolutely true! But it was told well even though brief. I really enjoyed it and would recommend!

[Jean Kojali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought the ending was a bit abrupt but I also am just used to King's longer books.

[Daniel Henriksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meget fin bog om Italien. Alt mellem renæssancen og Mussolini var ret kedeligt, men virkelig fint overblik over Italiens vilde historie.

[Sebastian Cai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick reading for anyone traveling to Italy. Writing a history of Italy in 150 pages is no easy task and I commend anyone who can get it done somewhat effectively.

[Althea Bock-Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on my trip to Italy and it was the perfect companion. I was honestly riveted. Extremely well paced and packed with interesting information. I recommend it to anyone curious about what happened to Italy between 476 CE and WWII as I had always been!

[Myrthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel veel informatie, dus soms lastig te volgen, maar wel heel interessant!

[ZeeMi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, propulsive read. I’ve visited Italy a dozen times and am fairly well versed in its history; still, I learned something new and fascinating every page.

[Samuel Boucké · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tof tof tof!!!

[Arianna Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, solid, easy read🤝

[Andrew Bien]

This book was convenient, but didn't move me toward a sense of understanding something deeper, as I'd hoped. It's called The Shortest History, so you can't expect consummate investigation, but it could have refined its priorities a little. It felt like a list of every famous person and event in the history of Italy -- perhaps what you expect in the shortest history of a place, although its self-imposed obligation to such a list felt ironically verbose, at the expense of deeper understanding. Sometimes the narrative even jumped briefly back in time, as though the author realized he forgot to mention someone who has a Wikipedia page and felt a pang of completionist guilt at the omission. Given the same number of pages, I would rather hear more about what EXPLAINS and UNITES the history of Italy than hear every notable Italian-sounding proper noun I'll never remember. As such, the "shortest history" could have been shorter, or, at the same length, could have been more interesting.

I get why everyone talks about the "great men" of history: it's easier to understand history when it's personified, and in most of the cultures we learn about around here, it's men in leadership positions. I am getting tired of it though -- not just the fixation on the male leader, but the fixation on individuals at all, as opposed to broader trends. Renaissance Florence wasn't an illumination because Leonardo lived there; he's just a personification of the illumination; it's Renaissance Florence itself that bred Leonardo. Fascism didn't take over because Mussolini took over, Mussolini took over because the time and place were ripe for him; in fact, they MADE him. These "great men" spur history on, but they don't make it. The wheel of history is always rolling; perhaps they kick it and it speeds up a little, or yaws one degree in a new direction, but that wheel is steadfast. It rolls without them. The history of Italy is not Caesar-Leonardo-Mussolini, they're just some of the most famous and memorable blips, since we as humans like thinking in terms of humans, especially in terms of superhuman personalities.

The author makes an effort to comment on the influential women throughout history, but typically at the end of a chapter, too easily suggesting it's an afterthought, which is bitterly contrapuntal.

He's a solid writer, not a great one. There were lots of clunky passages, of the kind I would write, only I don't get paid for this. It can't be easy, cramming so many facts while sustaining a flow. It gets clunky and overloaded. But again, I feel like he could have omitted some facts and actually ended up with a richer vision of Italian history, through more focus on the threads comprising the garment instead of the many flashy features of the garment.

One of the most thought-provoking things I learned was hardly about Italy at all. It was that the Normans descended from the Vikings (supposedly?), which shot me down a rabbit hole of Norman/Norseman/Northman.

Another interesting thing: Northern Italians were prejudiced against the Southern, like Union states might be against Confederate; in fact, Southern Italy was an entirely separate kingdom for quite a while, so the divide is probably not just ethnic but sociological -- the Kingdom of Naples was probably genuinely different from the kingdoms of the North, and so it wasn't pure racism or anything like that that caused that tension. As a side note, most of the Italian immigrants to the US were Southern Italians, and that's also where the mafia originated.

I'll stop before I offend any Italians with my juvenile grasp of their history. (I guess that juvenile grasp doesn't reflect well on this book)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting from pre-Roman times, King describes how Italy was invaded and fought over right up to the Present. Roman Italy is very well described, givingthe full picture which I have previously found confusing. A series of bad emperors, often starting out well, but being seduced by power and lust turned out to be a murderous, often incestuous, lot: inbreeding causing physical and character problems. Numerous causes, including corrupt rulers, allowed the Visigoths and Huns and later the Lombards (hairy demon-dogs) to sack Rome. Charlemagne created the Holy Roman Empire when the Papacy and the government were intertwined. That was the nearest Italy was united for many centuries: individual cities forming their city states apart from the papal states, with much inter-fighting. Despite this, the Renaissance got going in the early 15th Century, with massive French invasions finally by Napoleon crowning himself King of Italy in Milan. The Risgormento in mid19h century, in particularly Garibaldi whose “Thousand” led to Victor Emmanual II becoming King. Kings Umberto I and II sought to create colonies to become a “real” empire. Mussolini came to power in the 1920s, his fascism lasting through WW2, until the US liberation of Italy which destroyed important infrastructure. Soon after, Italy voted the monarchy out and through films, fashion and manufacture became very rich, joined NATO. Huge economic and artistic growth in Northern Italy but the South was ruled by families heads and the mafiosi right into the late 20th Century. However I see the election Giorgia Meloni as PM, a member of the far-right Brothers of Italy, as signaling bad times ahead. King writes in a clear and often chatty style. The only problem, unavoidable I imaginee, is that he names important people as he goes along, which to a non-Italian speaking reader becomes a struggle to keep track of events and people.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back before the Internet in the pre-history of time, when you had to write a book report on a book you didn’t read, you either bought a copy of a report from a (smart) friend, or found a “Cliff’s Notes” copy. This was literally a pamphlet, usually less than twenty four pages. You couldn’t bring them to school because they were published with a black stripes and bright yellow patches.

So why the history lesson? There is now a series of books published by “The Experiment LLC” There are currently fifteen books in the series which are all non-fiction histories. I’ve read more than one and you will find that they handle their subjects, straight forward without a lot of flowery language. They save a fortune by leaving out the adjectives.

The information is clear and concise and having been an History Major, they didn’t leave anything important out of the book (two hundred seventy two pages). The book starts with the founding of Rome and then through the Roman Empire and right through to today. I found it short and satisfying.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve only really discovered this series – well, I’ve seen them around but they never quite registered. But if the rest of them are as good as this one, I think I’ve found myself a new hobby.

Italy is a fascinating place – It has a beautiful language and wonderful food, absurdly beautiful women, excellent wine, and art and art and more art. And, at times, a history that sounds like it was written by an alcoholic. This really does zap through the history of the place – and given we are talking thousands of years, it really is something of a race. All the same, for what it is – a quick and dirty history of a nation – it does the job and is well written and never gets itself lost in dull asides.

I’ve already started the history of India – I’m making my way through the nations of ex-lovers to see if understanding their homelands better might have helped understand them better. Can’t say it worked particularly well for the Italian. But I can recommend these. And there are lots – France, China, Germany, Scandinavia, AI, Economics, War… Looks like I’m going to be busy.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Read in a day. Remember for a lifetime” it says on the cover. Well it took me longer than a day - I felt I had to take all the history that was being thrown at me slowly. And no way will I remember it - maybe a few key facts here and there - my memory is not wonderful these days!

It is some feat to condense the history of Italy into 234 pages, so well done Ross King. But I found his style a bit annoying at times, with lots of phrases in parenthesis. Sometimes I lost the thread of a sentence and had to start again.

The ancient Romans took up a quarter of the book, but I suppose in terms of years that is representative. I felt other ages came over too sketchily for me to grasp on to much. Very disappointed that Frederick II merited only a paragraph. During a recent holiday in the south of Italy I came to understand how influential he was in that area. And I don’t feel I have much more of an understanding of the Renaissance as a result of reading King’s condensed description. I enjoyed most the last part of the book, from the Risorgimento to the present day.

[Michael Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn, they weren't kidding, that really was a short history of Italy. When we were already onto Attila the Hun in Chapter Three I was like, "oh, so we're gonna be zooming zooming through this, okay!"

As advertised, this was a very broad, very light skimming through multiple centuries of a specific geographic area. It served as a refresher of time periods I've learned about before (Roman Republic, Italian Renaissance), and offered an introduction to others I'm unfamiliar with (Napoleonic era, Years of Lead). Also learned some fun trivia bits, like how cannolis were an Arab-inspired invention from when Sicily was under Muslim control and that the car company Fiat is actually an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino. I wish the more recent content was fleshed out a little more, but at least it went up to the COVID lockdowns and how Italy was uniquely hard-hit.

All in all, I got exactly what I wanted out of this book.

[Xavier Ruiz Trullols · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this book, I must admit I found myself a bit bored at times, as much of the information was already familiar to me. However, I recognize that this book would be perfect for someone seeking an introduction to Italy's rich and complex history.

What I particularly appreciated was the author's straightforward writing style. Ross King avoids overly complex or flowery language, opting instead for clarity and a conversational tone that makes the book easy to follow. Despite the vast time span and magnitude of the subject, the book manages to pack an impressive amount of information into a concise format, offering a surprising depth of content for such a short read.

Overall, I found it both interesting and informative. It’s an excellent choice for those new to Italian history or looking for a quick yet insightful overview.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spanning millennia, this book encapsulates Italy’s storied past and showcases its extraordinary global influence. Caesar and Augustus. Da Vinci and Michelangelo. The book unveils the essence of a country whose legacy has shaped civilizations and inspired masterpieces.

This easy-to-read book filled in a lot of blanks for me. I would have preferred less detail about ancient Rome, on which much has already be written, to make more space for other cultures or time periods. Obviously, much has to be left out to produce a sweeping history like this. The sections following the fall of Rome were more interesting to me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Ju · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely “what it says on the tin”. A very short history of Italy. It’s a quick, engaging read that takes you all the way from Ancient Rome to modern-day politics in just a few chapters. Because it’s so condensed, it does feel a bit rushed in places (I definitely found myself wishing for more detail at times), but it’s impressive how much Ross King manages to fit in without it ever feeling dry or academic.
It’s not a deep dive into any specific period, but rather a brilliant overview that connects the dots across centuries of Italian art, culture, power, and chaos. If you love Italy like me, or just want a clear, enjoyable refresher on its long, dramatic history, this book is a fantastic place to start. Short, sharp, and very well done. I really enjoyed reading it.