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    Saving Italy
    Saving Italy
    Saving Italy
    Audiobook23 hours

    Saving Italy

    Written by Robert M. Edsel

    Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Robert M. Edsel's contributions as a WWII historian have brought wide attention and a National Humanities Medal to his Monuments Men Foundation. In Saving Italy, Edsel recounts how, in May 1944, General Eisenhower sent two men--artist Deane Keller and scholar Fred Hartt--on a desperate hunt to locate priceless works of art fallen into Nazi hands. Keller and Hartt would find aid from an unlikely source--top-level Nazi officer General Karl Wolff.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 6, 2013
    ISBN9781470366780
    Saving Italy

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    Reviews for Saving Italy

    4/5

    51 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Thorough and interesting account of the Allies efforts to protect and save the art legacy that was in Italy during WW 2. The audio version was read well and handled difficult names and place with great fluency.
    • 4/5
      This was a fascinating book about a little known aspect of WWII. l couldn't put it down. It made me think back to all of the art I've seen around Europe's museums, if only I had realized that their story was so much more complex than simply being painted and then hung on a wall in a gallery. I'll never look at art the same again.
    • 4/5
      A readable and illuminating account of the efforts to preserve the art and monuments of Italy not just from the Nazis but also from the bombs and ill-use of Allied forces. The efforts of those involved cannot be understated, and Edsel tells their story very well. He also notes the major differences between the efforts in Italy and those in other areas occupied by the Germans. At first I was slightly put off by the amount of space devoted to the negotiations on ending the war in Italy, but Edsel ends up making a good case for the importance of those discussions in the overall context of protecting the art and monuments.
    • 4/5
      When we think of wars fought between countries, we normally tally the losses in lives lost or business and personal property destroyed, but what about the loss to culture at large when priceless masterpieces are destroyed due to fire, bombing, exposure to the elements, and looting? This is the account of 27 art scholars who comprised a special section of the military known as the MFAA who repeatedly risked their own lives to save the renowned art, architecture, and historical archives of the Vatican and Italy during World War II. An impressive and important piece of history research sure to be of interest to art historians and collectors. In addition to being a well organized chronology of hectic events, the photographs included also appear to have been selected with a curator's eye for editing. The addition of a section providing the photographs and details of 10 masterpieces still not returned to their rightful galleries was a smart and welcome addition--may it lead to further recoveries.
    • 3/5
      Wow, this book was long. The author is documenting the work of the art historians who served in the military during WWII and were charged with protecting the artistic and cultural treasures of Italy, both from Nazi pilfering and from war-related damage.The passion the author has for this work is apparent. It also feels like it knows no end. There is a lot of information in this book, and it's very dense. I say that has a person who has studied art history and is very familiar with (parts of) Italy, and I still had to make a big effort to keep focus on the endless lists of artworks and buildings that are presented with very little context. Personally, I would have found it more engaging if he had parred things down to some significant examples and went into more detail on their history, importance, and fate during the war. At the same time, it's possible this was intended as a closer look at the military operations. Again, this was a lot of information, and unlike the art parts, it's something I don't have any background in and it was difficult for me to follow. I blurred out a lot of this information ... and the book still felt very long.Really, it is amazing though, that more art wasn't lost. There's a good, valuable story here, definitely. Just ... wow, long.
    • 4/5
      Similar to Monuments Men, this book is filled with fascinating stories about the men and women who worked so hard during WWII to save historical and beautiful artworks. Like his other books, it's a heavy book with a lot of history but Edsel ties everything together very well. For anyone who is an art history buff, I would recommend all his books.
    • 4/5
      While the focus is art treasures saved in Italy in World War II and Americans' contribution, I found the most interesting part was General Wolff' contacts with Alan Dulles, trying to end the war.