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Ramage in South Italy: The Nooks and By-Ways of Italy
In 1828 at the age of 24, Ramage, tutor to the sons of the British consul at Naples, set off on a solitary tour of southern Italy "in search of its ancient remains and modern superstitions." Alone, and traveling on foot or by mule, he endured not only physical hardship but was frequently in danger of his life from the brigands who roamed the countryside.
231 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Craufurd Tait Ramage
82 books1 followerCraufurd Tait Ramage (1803–1878) was a Scottish travel writer and anthologist.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 21, 2010
Thsi is an example of the quirky book that you pick up from the shelf of the public library.
Ramage was an Englishman who wrote this book concernings has solo ramblings thru southern Italy in 1828. His two month trip was conducted on foot, by mule, horseback and occasionally by carriage. He was full of energy, hiking up Mt Vesuvious during an eruption and watching part of the cone crumble. He wandered thru bandit country and emerged without a scratch. He must have been quite a sight: "I have a white merino frock coat well furnished with capacious pockets into which I have stuffed my maps, and notebooks, large brimmed straw hat, white shoes and an umbrella, a most invaluable article to protect me from the fierceness of the suns rays."
The Italians must have felt that a martian had walked into their midst.
Ramage was an Englishman who wrote this book concernings has solo ramblings thru southern Italy in 1828. His two month trip was conducted on foot, by mule, horseback and occasionally by carriage. He was full of energy, hiking up Mt Vesuvious during an eruption and watching part of the cone crumble. He wandered thru bandit country and emerged without a scratch. He must have been quite a sight: "I have a white merino frock coat well furnished with capacious pockets into which I have stuffed my maps, and notebooks, large brimmed straw hat, white shoes and an umbrella, a most invaluable article to protect me from the fierceness of the suns rays."
The Italians must have felt that a martian had walked into their midst.
October 16, 2024
In 1828, at the age of 24, Craufurd Tait Ramage toured Southern Italy on foot, by mule, on occasional cart and boat rides, and once on a buffalo (did not know they roamed there.) He kept a steady pace in order to meet his goal of seeing ancient sites and ruins to complete what may have been a 500-600 mile trip in two months.
Forty years after this trip, from his letters and diaries he published “The Nooks and By-Ways of Italy: In Search of Ancient Remains and Modern Superstitions”. This 1987 book is an edited abridgement of that book.
Born and educated in Scotland, Ramage went to Naples as a tutor to the daughter of a British diplomat. For 3 years he socialized with the upper crust of British society and learned Italian. He left this comfortable life for this physically taxing and dangerous trip.
As he travels he notes the terrain, the views, the heat, the bugs, and the natural features of the land. He stays in towns, settlements, and lone houses. Places may be dirty, have miserable sleeping arrangements and not very trustworthy people. In one he tries to sleep outside. Letters of introduction to an official sometimes yield a comfortable room and bed.
Ramage’s knowledge of the classics informs his appreciation for the ancient sites and ruins he visits. He makes side trips that add hours of walking in the heat in bandit territory to see specific ruins.
The book moves as quickly as Ramage. Some locations have only a page. One unusually long (6 pages) episode is his visit to the site of Hannibal’s victory at Cannae where Ramage poses his own interpretation of the battle.
There is a lot on poverty: homes with no furniture, ragged clothing; gaunt looks, water shortages and the dryness of the land. He sees religious services and festivals with a critical eye.
The government is always present. His visit is not long after Napoleon had ended feudalism. The former serfs may be free, but now are heavily taxed, while the upper classes do not pay. To squelch rebellion, the people were disarmed which left them vulnerable to bandits. One Bishop had given the government at list of parishioners who might be rebels; they would surely be punished. Ramage is often questioned by officials who can jail him for trespassing in their territory.
Ramage visited former Greek settlements on the Ionian coast. He referred to them as “republics” but did not elaborate if they stayed independent or had been folded into Naples territory. These areas did not seem as impoverished the peninsula's west and south coasts. An Albanian settlement had been visited earlier.
The hand of the editor, Edith Clay, is present throughout. Paragraphs can be introduced with summaries such as “..Ramage was very anxious to leave… he was very tired… he found a ‘Tolerable inn’ and was soon refreshed”. There are many classical allusions and I presume many of the citations are from the editor. Distances are quoted in miles, not kilometers.
The book has a good index and the bibliography cites other 19th century works. The map shows all the places Ramage writes about.
While the book gave me a general understanding of southern Italy in the 1820’s for me, it was a flood of information. I cannot remember the names of the places, the ruins nor what events were associated with each place. I would have preferred a longer book with enhanced descriptions or fewer locations with more development on each.
This book may be unique because the writer shares his adventure. The bibliography has other books of this era but the titles do not imply any similarity to this on foot traveler with an umbrella and a large coat with supplies in his pockets.
If you are interested in this place and time, you will want to read this book..
Forty years after this trip, from his letters and diaries he published “The Nooks and By-Ways of Italy: In Search of Ancient Remains and Modern Superstitions”. This 1987 book is an edited abridgement of that book.
Born and educated in Scotland, Ramage went to Naples as a tutor to the daughter of a British diplomat. For 3 years he socialized with the upper crust of British society and learned Italian. He left this comfortable life for this physically taxing and dangerous trip.
As he travels he notes the terrain, the views, the heat, the bugs, and the natural features of the land. He stays in towns, settlements, and lone houses. Places may be dirty, have miserable sleeping arrangements and not very trustworthy people. In one he tries to sleep outside. Letters of introduction to an official sometimes yield a comfortable room and bed.
Ramage’s knowledge of the classics informs his appreciation for the ancient sites and ruins he visits. He makes side trips that add hours of walking in the heat in bandit territory to see specific ruins.
The book moves as quickly as Ramage. Some locations have only a page. One unusually long (6 pages) episode is his visit to the site of Hannibal’s victory at Cannae where Ramage poses his own interpretation of the battle.
There is a lot on poverty: homes with no furniture, ragged clothing; gaunt looks, water shortages and the dryness of the land. He sees religious services and festivals with a critical eye.
The government is always present. His visit is not long after Napoleon had ended feudalism. The former serfs may be free, but now are heavily taxed, while the upper classes do not pay. To squelch rebellion, the people were disarmed which left them vulnerable to bandits. One Bishop had given the government at list of parishioners who might be rebels; they would surely be punished. Ramage is often questioned by officials who can jail him for trespassing in their territory.
Ramage visited former Greek settlements on the Ionian coast. He referred to them as “republics” but did not elaborate if they stayed independent or had been folded into Naples territory. These areas did not seem as impoverished the peninsula's west and south coasts. An Albanian settlement had been visited earlier.
The hand of the editor, Edith Clay, is present throughout. Paragraphs can be introduced with summaries such as “..Ramage was very anxious to leave… he was very tired… he found a ‘Tolerable inn’ and was soon refreshed”. There are many classical allusions and I presume many of the citations are from the editor. Distances are quoted in miles, not kilometers.
The book has a good index and the bibliography cites other 19th century works. The map shows all the places Ramage writes about.
While the book gave me a general understanding of southern Italy in the 1820’s for me, it was a flood of information. I cannot remember the names of the places, the ruins nor what events were associated with each place. I would have preferred a longer book with enhanced descriptions or fewer locations with more development on each.
This book may be unique because the writer shares his adventure. The bibliography has other books of this era but the titles do not imply any similarity to this on foot traveler with an umbrella and a large coat with supplies in his pockets.
If you are interested in this place and time, you will want to read this book..
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews