Full of surprise and discovery, This Beautiful Country paints an unforgettable picture of Italy heretofore unseen - one wilder than you can imagine.

Italy is renowned for its antiquities, classical literature, philosophy, and modern-day culture, cuisine and fashion. What has gone largely overlooked – and undocumented, even by its people – is its unique biodiversity. Italy has the widest variety of wildlife in Europe with over 60,000 different species, and around 4,800 of these are found nowhere else on Earth. It has more grape varieties than France, more wheat that the United States, over 300 local tomatoes, and dozens of citrus and chestnut varieties.

Edward Cutler, co-founder of the Tuscany Environment Foundation, began to explore Italy's history on his Tuscan farm. Starting with a small salamander endemic to the surrounding Apennine Mountains, he opened a trove of discoveries. Alongside a dedicated community of Italian biologists and conservation scientists, Edward traces a journey of the country's geological past to its present-day landscape and beauty, architectural heritage and gastronomic wonders. This eye-opening guide makes a compelling case for prioritising Italian conservation and ecosystem services while highlighting the country's profound ecological impact on Europe as a whole.

'A deep dive into how hundreds of millions of years of evolution and Earth history have shaped the beauty of modern-day Italy. This engaging and enlightening book will give you a whole new perspective on how one of the world’s most fascinating countries and cultures came to be.' Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

About The Author

Edward Cutler is course director for the executive course, Biodiversity and Business Sustainability, at the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability in Rome. Ed is convinced that, in order to fully comprehend the country of Italy, and to foster a greater emphasis on its natural wonders, it is imperative to bring this knowledge to light.  

British-born and educated (MA History of Art, Edinburgh), Ed has resided in Italy since 2009 where he is a dual citizen, is married to an Italian and has three children. An art historian by training, Ed has been obsessed by Italy since childhood and became a successful art dealer for several years in Milan. Ed then moved back to Rome and at the same time became a farmer in southern Tuscany, following his other passion for the countryside and nature. In 2020, along with his childhood friend Ben Goldsmith, he founded the Tuscany Environment Foundation, part of the Conservation Collective, and set about raising funds to support the best environmental initiatives in the region.