LOL... you’re right about Silver. Didn’t like Italians much, at all. :-)
What’s interesting about Silver to me is his discussion of the “times”. The “time” of the hand, body, foot. It’s his commentary on body mechanics that I think is interesting and very useful.
There are certain universals in swordplay, regardless of the weapon in hand. Time, measure, position, balance, leverage, etc. Silver’s system is a very effective synthesis of those elemental concepts. However, they can be used just as well with a rapier or a longsword as with Silver’s sidesword.
See also Giacomo DiGrassi’s comments on body mechanics.