Saving Italy

By: Robert Edsel

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

When Hitler’s armies occupied Italy in 1943, they also seized control of mankind’s greatest cultural treasures. As they had done throughout Europe, the Nazis could now plunder the masterpieces of the Renaissance, the treasures of the Vatican, and the antiquities of the Roman Empire. On the eve of the Allied invasion, General Dwight Eisenhower empowered a new kind of soldier to protect these historic riches. In May 1944 two unlikely American heroes—artist Deane Keller and scholar Fred Hartt—embarked from Naples on the treasure hunt of a lifetime, tracking billions of dollars of missing art, including works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Titian, Caravaggio, and Botticelli.©2013 Robert M. Edsel (P)2013 Recorded Books

Fascinating story, excellent narration

If you could sum up Saving Italy in three words, what would they be?

For lovers of art, Italian culture and history.

What other book might you compare Saving Italy to and why?

"Monuments Men," also by Robert Edsel, which covers the activities in Northeastern Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Austria.) That book is also excellent, but the narration in this case is far superior..Edoardo Ballerini has a perfect accent in both American English and Italian, so names are pronounced correctly, as are the quotations in the Italian language. Also, unlike the narrator of "Monuments Men," he does not put on goofy accents when reading direct quotes of non American characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

So many...The destruction of the the venerable monastery at Monte Cassino by the Americans for fear of Germans using it as a hiding place...this was one of the events that led to creation of the Monuments Men.The destruction of Florence's bridges by the Nazis, including one believed to have been designed by Michelangelo...The destruction of Camposanto in Pisa..

Recommended

Fascinating story, not well known. Especially for those interested in art history and WWII history--& anyone visiting Italy.

An overlooked aspect of WWII

Such a fascinating story about the war that I had only a vague knowledge of before listening. I am a lover of art history, and lover of Italy, so this book was right down my alley. If you’ve been to Italy and enjoyed the ancient sites and/or countryside (especially Tuscany and South Tyrol) and artwork housed there, you may find yourself sincerely grateful to these rather ordinary men who risked much for our benefit. I had no idea the extent to which the Germans had defiled and destroyed historic Italy. I always assumed that the ally relationship had protected it somewhat. This book details the complicated relationships between unstable dictators, and the dangerous work of the Allies in liberating Italy. Overall, I found this book really interesting and worthy of my time to learn more about this subject.

Hoping for something a bit more about art history

I didn't mind lots of commentary and context about WWII - obviously that's what this book is about - but I was really hoping for more material covering the art. Military history is by far my weakest area in history, so I'm glad to have a chance to broaden it, but I also find it very dry.

One of the biggest issues for me personally is that it's hard for me to keep track of a large cast of characters in an audiobook. I love them when reading, but I'm a very visual person and can keep track of names visually. Not so for audio. It's the main reason I don't listen to many fictional audiobooks. This book had far more characters going than I expected it to, and it was hard to keep track.

For anyone interested in military history or broadening their WWII history though, this book would be wonderful. I think the narrator did a good job, and the author obviously did his homework.

Outstanding: highly educational, moving, and entertaining

One of the best for anyone who enjoys history, art, or simply good stories. I’ve re-listened numerous times, and there are still passages that move me to tears. It’s beautifully written and captivating, but simultaneously thoroughly researched and full of detailed information. The narrator imbued the performance with appropriate emotion and the Italian pronunciations of names were superb. Absolutely loved this audiobook and would definitely recommend.