<span>A dull author makes for dry history; happily, there is nothing dull in David Gilmour's lucid history of a nation created from many parts. Most Americans are vaguely aware of Italy's north-south divide if only from the vogue for “northern Italian” (i.e. no tomato sauce) cuisine. Gilmour's central thesis is the problem of finding (or imposing) unity in a land of local cultures, many with roots of centuries if not thousands of years. Regions and cities were often at odds with one another and until relatively recently, most Italians scarcely shared a common language. Gilmour is willing on every page to challenge clichéd notions of Italy's past, most of them promulgated by the cliques of nationalists who achieved Italian unity in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, evidently against the will (or apathy) of most of the land's inhabitants. </span>
