The Po: An Elegy for Italy's Longest River

The Po River is a vital trading route and a valuable source of tax revenue, fiercely fought over by rival powers. It is also a moat protecting Italy from invaders from the north, from Hannibal to Holy Roman Emperors. Tobias Jones travels the length of the river against the current, gathering stories of battles, writers, cuisines, entertainers, religious minorities, and music.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Po River, Italy's longest river, stretches 652 kilometers from the French border in the Alps to the Adriatic Sea in the east, passing through some of Italy's most exquisite cities. It has been a vital trading route and a valuable source of tax revenue, but it has also been a moat protecting Italy from invaders from the north. However, as humans have altered the river's hydrology, those floodplains have become important places of major industries and agricultures, providing bricks, timber, silk, hemp, cement, flour, and risotto rice. Tobias Jones travels the length of the river against the current, gathering stories of battles, writers, cuisines, entertainers, religious minorities, and music, offering an ecological lament and a celebration of the resourcefulness and resilience of the people of the Po. The book opens a window onto a stunning, but now neglected, part of Italy.

Weight: 218g
Dimension: 198 x 130 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786697400