Songbirds, Truffles, and Wolves: An American Naturalist in Italy
by Gary Paul Nabhan
On This Page
Description
"After two decades in the Southwest studying plant use and cultivation by the native hunter-gatherers and first farmers of the New World, Gary Nabhan, one of America's finest naturalists and nature writers, turns his attention to the Old World, walking the Franciscan Way, nearly two hundred miles from Florence to Assisi." "Accompanied by a friend, Nabhan enters the heart of the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside in order to read the landscape as one reads a sacred book, slowly and with growing show more delight. He talks with peasant farmers, truffle sellers, cooks, and bakers, all eager to share their plants, seeds, cooking methods, and cultural insights with the American pilgrims. Saint Francis has come to be a model for what it means to be human in the natural world, and Nabhan takes him as a guide. This journey becomes a spiritual quest as well as an ethnobotanical field trip. Together with Nabhan we discover what is useful in the old ways, what remains wild in the civilized world, and what in ancient science has survived to make its way into contemporary culture."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
I had mixed feelings about this book. The parts of the book I enjoyed were those concerning the impact of specific plants and animals on specific human cultures (eg. maize to Native Americans and to Italians; traditional uses of plants vs modern cultivation, wild plant/animal variation vs species extinction) and the histories of truffles, wolves and songbirds in Italy. What didn't work was the idea of the trek along the Franciscan Way. The whole Franciscan connection was rambling and convoluted. The actual 'saunter' was barely described; seemed just a hook to hang his thoughts on.
A different sort of book - the author discusses seeds and plants and their origins while walking a long trek through Italy.
Media Type:Book. SUBJECT: 1. Umbria (Italy) -- Description and travel. 2. Natural history -- Italy -- Umbria. 3. Literary
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
56+ Works 2,285 Members
He is a prize-winning author & naturalist, lives in Tucson, where he is director of conservation biology at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum & cofounder of Native Seeds/Search. (Bowker Author Biography)
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- Assisi, Umbria, Italy; Umbria, Italy
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Travel, Science & Nature, General Nonfiction, Food & Cooking
- DDC/MDS
- 914.5 — History & geography Geography & travel Geography of and travel in Europe Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Malta
- LCC
- DG975 .U5 .N33 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania City History of Italy Other cities (non-metropolitan), provinces, etc., A-Z
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 112
- Popularity
- 286,907
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.44)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
