Palermo - by Giorgio Villani (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the traces of a great Greek and Roman presence, to its Arab-Norman buildings and gleaming mosaics, from the inlays and dazzling whites of the flourishing Baroque period, right up to the 20th century with its elegant Art Nouveau - all of these layers unfold in the pages of this volume.

Palermo has been given a host of toponyms over time, as if each name reflected the city's multifaceted, ever-changing nature, shaped by its centuries-long history. From the traces of a great Greek and Roman presence, to its Arab-Norman buildings and gleaming mosaics, from the inlays and dazzling whites of the flourishing Baroque period, right up to the 20th century with its elegant Art Nouveau - all of these layers unfold in the pages of this volume. The curator Giorgio Villani's texts outline an itinerary for discovering Palermo, introducing readers to key moments and places, and ending with a gallery of characters who, though unique and at times peculiar, are deeply relevant to the city's composite identity.

About the Author

Giorgio Villani trained between Siena, Rome and Florence, then in France and Germany, taking an interest in the history of taste, the figurative arts and their relationship to literature in the modern era. He has deepened his interest in European artistic and literary civilization between the 18th and 20th centuries through a tri-national doctorate (Florence-Paris-Bonn) and edited translations and reprints of minor nineteenth-century authors. He has written about many and various things, preferring the more unusual ones in l' Antologia Vieusseux, Paragone, Alfabeta2, Il Giornale dell'arte, Antinomie, Il Sole 24ore and Art and Dossier. He collaborates regularly with FMR (Franco Maria Ricci) and with Alias, the Sunday supplement of Il Manifesto.