Barmi CL

Barmi is a fictitious city set on the Mediterranean coast between Spain and Italy's Tiber River. In this book, the history of the city from the establishment of the first agricultural settlement to the late twentieth century is traced. Fourteen eras are described: *) Farmers and herders - 4th century B. C. *) A legionary camp - 2nd century B. C. *) A large Roman city - 2nd century A. D. *) The age of the barbarians - 6th century *) Feudalism's bell towers and embattlements - late 11th century *) The culmination of the medieval city - mid 13th century *) Commercial expansion - mid-15th century *) The flowering of the renaissance - early 16th century *) A fortified city - mid-17th century *) Factories and the enlightenment - mid-18th century *) Old streets, new factories - mid-19th century *) Expansion and urban growth - early twentieth century *) A major commercial and industrial center - mid-20th century *) Between past and future - late 20th century For each time period, there is a diagram of the city with major structures highlighted and explained. There is also a caption that describes major events as well as facts regarding the changed social and political structure of the city. This is an excellent book for the study of how major cities have evolved over time in that region of the world.

Barmi is an imaginary city, but it is typical of many smaller cities in the northern Mediterranean. This book recreates the history of the city from its earliest settlement through today, in stages that clearly illustrate how the past of a city remains imprinted in its later forms. The book was evidently intended to help European high schoolers understand their own cities; but the drawings are so lavish and intricate that they have instant appeal to any reader. It's easy to become lost in the back alleys of Barmi at some point in its history, or to follow a detail (a Roman amphitheater gradually converted into an oval Baroque piazza) through its architectural development over a long period of time. This and the other volumes in the series are one of the best introductions I know to the study of urban geography, especially in cities with a history stretching over millennia. Highly recommended!