The Hero's Way: Walking with Garibaldi from Rome to Ravenna - Hardcover

by Tim Parks (Author)

In the summer of 1849, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italy's legendary revolutionary, was finally forced to abandon his defense of Rome. He and his men had held the besieged city for four long months, but now it was clear that only surrender would prevent slaughter and destruction at the hands of a huge French army.

Against all odds, Garibaldi was determined to turn defeat into moral victory. On the evening of July 2, riding alongside his pregnant wife, Anita, he led 4,000 hastily assembled men to continue the struggle for national independence elsewhere. Hounded by both French and Austrian armies, the garibaldini marched hundreds of miles across the Appenines, Italy's mountainous spine, and after two months of skirmishes and adventures arrived in Ravenna with just 250 survivors.

Best-selling author Tim Parks, together with his partner Eleonora, set out in the blazing summer of 2019 to follow Garibaldi and Anita's arduous journey through the heart of Italy. In The Hero's Way he delivers a superb travelogue that captures Garibaldi's determination, creativity, reckless courage, and profound belief. And he provides a fascinating portrait of Italy then and now, filled with unforgettable observations of Italian life and landscape, politics, and people.

Back Jacket

Praise for Tim Parks's previous Italian travelogue, Italian Ways

This reverie is so inviting you might find yourself tempted to give the experience a whirl and ride the Italian rails yourself, book in hand.
-- Liesl Schillinger, New York Times Book Review

This mix of piercing social observation and undying affection for Italy is classic Parks.
-- Rachel Donadio, New York Times

[A] treat equivalent to a ride on the Orient Express...[Italian Ways] is no Ferrari on rails but instead something much better: a slow train so thoughtfully appointed that one never thinks to look out the window or care about the destination.
-- Ben Downing, Wall Street Journal

Parks is blessed with a welcome gift for treating his subject with the sort of bemused affection that allows for warmth and yet keeps sentimentality at arm's length.
-- Marjorie Kehe, Christian Science Monitor

Offers vivid snapshots of a 21st-century Italy well off the tourist path...[P]erfectly pleasurable.
-- Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times