Italy is a country synonymous with style and beauty in all aspects of life: the rich history of Rome, Renaissance art of Florence, graceful canals of Venice, high fashion of Milan, signature pasta alla bolognese of Bologna, colorful architecture of Portofino and winking blue waters of Capri and the Amalfi Coast, among many others. Italians themselves live effortlessly amid all this splendor, knowing instinctively just the type of outfit to throw on, design element to balance, or delectable ingredient to add.

Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla, sensitive and often nostalgic lovers of their home country, take readers on a tour of an Italian’s Italy, off the main roads traversed by tourists and onto hidden side streets or off the grid altogether, to corners lesser known but filled to bursting with the quintessential details that define timeless Italian style. See the Sassi cave dwellings etched into the mountainside of Matera; admire the red-orange walls characteristic of the Emilia-Romagna region; and examine the carved birds at Sorrento’s Grand Hotel Ambasciatori, so lifelike they might fly off the page. Reina and Ferolla invite readers to discover the special moments and places that reveal an intimate portrait of one of the world’s most treasured destinations, and Ferolla’s classical illustrations add another level of personality to the journey.