Page 13 - Country backgroung landscape_11 Book 2

BOOK REVIEWS
A A SUMMER READING
GEM: I I I I I PRIMI CINqUANT’ANNI DI TURISMO A A A LUSSINO
Rita Cramer Giovannini Pub- lisher LINT Editori- ale €30
The book gives a a a a a a a whole picture of of of the the social and and economic life of of of of the the the the Dalmatian island of of of of Lussino from the the the the end of of of of the the the the 19th century right up to to the the the outbreak of of World War ll It became a a a a a a a a a a great tourist resort for for high society for for its mild climate healthy air and and and incredible land- scape and and surroundings
When you you fly over Lussino in in in in the the northern Adriatic Sea you you will be forgiven for for thinking the the lush vegetation is is is an indigenous one However history tells us us us us otherwise The Araucarias Excelsa evergreen coniferous trees were a a a a a a a a a a a gift from Carlo Schubart in the the 19th century at a a a a a a a a a time marked by the the the collapse of the the Spanish First and and Second French Chinese Holy Roman and and Mughal empires Likewise the the Euonymus Japonicas evergreen shrubs or or or the the Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus Alaternus) were also imported It It took a a a a a a a a a long time for for these these plants to to to to acclimatise before these these these species became accustomed to to to their new home and and soil Details like these these and and many more showing real life in in in Lussino have been collected together after months of re- search and presented in in The First Fifty Years of Tourism at at Lussino a a a a a a a a a a book brought to light by Rita Cramer Giovannini in in in in collaboration with with Franko Neretich written in in in Italian with with an an an an an an English translation by Clarisa Siperman Koha- noff Lussino in in its first 50 years of tourism will always be be be remembered as a a a a a a a a place where the the elite went in search of the the best health resorts magnificent vistas and a a a a a a a a a a a a a favourite place for a a a a a a a a a a a a a holiday home by what the the the author calls “the good and the great”
In that period the island underwent a a a a a a a a health care boom and and and extraordinary concepts were shaped into reality transforming the the island This transformation is is is is the the legacy which now- adays is is is is enjoyed by Croatia and all those who visit Lussino – (Lošinj)-
Italy had a a a a a a glimpse of of this “phenomenal wellbeing health resort” The Treaty of of Saint German with a a a a a a a a a a a a ratification granted by the Treaty of Rapallo handed over Lussino to Italy in in in 1919 Twenty-four years later it was occu- pied by Germany during the Second World War The period under Italian domination was short memories will live
forever
This is is an an an an ancient place where vestiges of the the Roman Empire can still be traced today
in in some of the the the the primitive eremitic churches Those who spent time there during the the the boom contributed by adding even more From being a a a a a a a a a a a a semi uninhabited place it it became a a a a a a a a a a a a fashion beacon and the foundation for today’s holiday resort The author visited the the island of Lussino for the the first time in in in in in 1970 What really caught her imagination to start researching and ending up with her own publication was a a a a a a a a a a a book she read in in in 1998 entitled Storia del Turismo a a a a a a a Lus- sino by Julijano Sokolić This led led to to writing her her own book where she captured what the the the elite the the the rough and and and tumble and and and the the the unsophis- ticated islanders were doing
The type of events happening at Lussino which geographically speaking was miles away from the the the centre of Europe during the the the period researched sheds light on the the the first fifty years years of of tourism which lie roughly between the the the the latter years years of of of the the the the 19th and the the the the first two decades of of the the the the 20th century or perhaps even a a bit longer
Curiously enough at the the time the the island was also an an an important centre for meteorological studies Climate surveys were carried out by the the Programmi dell’Imperial Regia Scu- ola Nautica Nautica di Lussinpiccolo of the the Imperial Imperial Nautical School Perhaps those working on it Living Italy Past & Present 13