Pictures from Italy

''When Dickens has described something you see it for the rest of your life'' George Orwell

In 1844, Charles Dickens took a break from novel writing to travel through Italy for almost a year, and Pictures from Italy is an illuminating account of his experiences there. He presents the country like a magic-lantern show, as vivid images ceaselessly appear before his - and his readers'' - eyes. Italy''s most famous sights are all to be found here - St Peter''s in Rome, Naples with Vesuvius smouldering in the background, the fairytale buildings and canals of Venice - but Dickens''s chronicle is not simply that of a tourist. Combining compelling travelogue with piercing social commentary, he portrays a nation of great contrasts: between grandiose buildings and squalid poverty, ancient monuments and everyday life, past and present.

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Kate Flint