The author defines himself as a traveller, thus his idiosyncratic Italian journeys are comprised mainly of eccentric episodes and meandering anecdotes that are fun to read, to a point, but they don't dwell long enough in any one area or city to give one more than a casual sense of place. What is extraordinary is that the tone changes as he moves from Lombardy, say, to Umbria. The flatter the countryside, the better he writes!
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 102 Autumn 2021 ) |
