Best Seller
This Beautiful Country
Hardcover
$29.95
Published on Sep 01, 2026 | 272 Pages
“A truly original perspective on Italy.” Helena Attlee, author of The Land Where Lemons Grow
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
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
Author
Edward Cutler
Edward Cutler is a British-Italian writer, organic farmer and environmental advocate based between Rome and southern Tuscany. Born in Britain and educated at the University of Edinburgh, he has lived in Italy since 2009, where his fascination with the country’s landscapes, geology and biodiversity gradually drew him away from the art world and into green technology, farming and conservation.In 2020, together with friends and conservationists, Ed founded the Tuscany Environment Foundation, part of the Conservation Collective, which supports environmental projects across the region.Today, Ed produces organic olive oil in the Tuscan countryside and works on environmental and rewilding initiatives across Italy. He is also course director of the executive programme Biodiversity and Business Sustainability at the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability in Rome.This Beautiful Country is his first book.
Learn More about Edward Cutler
