Librería Samer Atenea
Kálamo Books
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, First Series by John Addington Symonds is a late‑nineteenth‑century collection of travel writing that records the author’s journeys through the culturally rich landscapes of Italy and Greece, blending aesthetic reflection with historical and philosophical insight. In the opening essays Symonds conveys a deep love for the Alps, tracing his passage from the flat French plains into the dramatic Swiss mountains and using the shift in scenery to contemplate how human attitudes toward nature have changed over time. He contrasts the classical world’s distaste for mountainous regions with modern Romantic sensibilities that see the highlands as symbols of freedom, individuality, and spiritual grandeur, framing the mountains as both a physical and a moral landscape. This reflective, almost lyrical tone runs through the entire volume, which consistently links the beauty of Mediterranean and Alpine settings to the enduring power of history, art, and the inner life of the traveller, making the collection a meditative celebration of cultural memory and the emotional resonance of place.
