Storia d'Italia dal 1789 al 1814, tomo II

An engaging portrait of Italy at the turn of the nineteenth century, this volume traces the tumultuous early years of the revolutionary era. It opens with Napoleon’s own reflections and the French Directory’s strategies for the Italian states, then moves swiftly into the chaotic series of sieges, truces, and occupations that reshaped the peninsula—from the sack of Milan and the revolt in Bologna to the uneasy cease‑fire with the papacy and the royal court of Naples.

The narrative follows the frantic back‑and‑forth of French and Austrian forces, detailing key engagements such as the battles of Castiglione, Roveredo and the relentless pressure on Mantua. Alongside the military drama, it illuminates the harsh realities faced by townsfolk, the plundering of art, and the political calculations that drove both allies and enemies. Listeners will come away with a vivid sense of a land caught in the cross‑currents of ambition, fear, and the quest for survival.