Summary of The Baron in the Trees
Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is a twelve-year-old boy from an Italian noble family in late eighteenth-century Liguria. After a quarrel with his father, he climbs into the trees of the family estate and vows never to set foot on the ground again. He keeps this promise and spends his entire life living among the branches. Cosimo grows up, travelling from tree to tree and experiencing numerous adventures. He observes society from above, takes part in the intellectual and political debates of the Enlightenment, and falls in love with a girl named Viola. Over the years, his unusual way of life brings him fame, and he becomes a legendary figure in the region.
Reasons to read The Baron in the Trees
“The Baron in the Trees” is both a fable and a philosophical novel. Through Cosimo’s extraordinary choice of life, the book explores themes of independence, freedom, and the relationship between the individual and society. Living above the world, Cosimo offers a unique perspective on human life. The novel won the Premio Viareggio in 1957. It is the second book in Calvino’s “Our Ancestors” trilogy, together with “The Cloven Viscount” and “The Nonexistent Knight”. Italo Calvino is widely regarded as one of the most important Italian writers of the twentieth century, known for blending fantasy and philosophical reflection. Other notable works by Calvino include “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller” and “Invisible Cities”.
Setting: Liguria (Italy)
Novel set in Italy: Ombrosa, a fictional village in Liguria, likely inspired by the area around Sanremo, where Italo Calvino spent part of his childhood. Browse books set in Northern Italy.
Original title: Il barone rampante
Year of publication: 1957
Nr of pages: 288
