Discover the land of your most ancient dreams. These adventures into Italy take the reader far beyond a packaged tour to encounter the land of magical extremes. Meet sculptors, olive harvesters, art historians, cooks, and grandparents, whose stories soar with opera and simmer with romance, bribes, and the best food on Earth. Funny, heart-wrenching, and smart, herein ancient Italy is revealed as always new, while contemporary Italy speaks the old verities of the heart.

Notable authors include: Tim Parks, Matthew Spender, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Gary Paul Nabhan, and Mary Taylor Simeti.